Sorta kinda broody - but not wholeheartedly!

[calicokat]

So the little banty hen is sitting in the nest a lot. I can get the eggs out from under her ok, and then she keeps the two golf balls. But, just when I start to browse the listings for fertile eggs, she hops off and wanders the yard for an hour or so, then back to the nest. She's even sleeping there. Last night I put her on the roost, and this AM found her in the nest. I'd say this has gone on for about 3 or 4 days. But in a really half-hearted, not super-serious kinda way.

Is this how "broody" starts? If so it'll be our first go around with it.

 

[feathersnuggles]

Mine started out like that, then became increasingly "glued" to the nest.

Stupid me, I didn't know she was becoming broody -- because she was only 10 months old, for some reason I thought they couldn't get broody that young.

 

[calicokat]

Uh oh, sounds like I need to get her some hatching eggs to sit on. How many banty eggs make a good-size clutch for her, any ideas? We have an open show coming up in a week and I think I can buy some eggs there.

 

[feathersnuggles]

If you want to give her a clutch, give her just enough so that she can still keep them all covered really well. That way, embryos won't die off in eggs that get chilled on the peripheral. Number of eggs depends upon the size of her body and egg size.