To be, or not to be...Broody?

[Leslieb118]

I have an 11 1/2 month old EE hen that is sitting on todays clutch of eggs. I get about 8-10 eggs per day, all laid in the same nest. This isn't the first time she's done this. She does it pretty often. When I go out to open the run and let them out, she'll go out with the others. That's when I go in and snatch them all. If I don't open the run to let them out, but I come in to visit and check on things she sits there. I can reach for her and she doesn't growl, but just makes her sweet sound she usually makes.

I don't know if she's broody or just practicing, or what. I left the eggs out there today to see what happens. I figure if she's not sitting on them when the sun goes down, she's not going to stay committed to doing so.

Any thoughts?

 

[Stephanie739]

My buff brahma pretended to be broody a couple times before she finally decided to sit for good. It sounds like your hen could be thinking about it. I wasn't confident 'Isabelle' was broody until she stayed put for a couple of nights. Watch her at night. Does she perch or stay in the box?

 

[Stephanie739]

I like to use golf balls rather than the eggs when I'm not sure if they are only thinking about sitting.

 

[Leslieb118]

She's been perching at night, but I'd also been taking the eggs away when she gets up from them. Today is the first day I've left eggs in the nest. I figure if she's up on the perch at dusk, then she's not going to sit on them and I'll bring them in. I don't have any golf balls handy. I used to, because my son's friend lived near the golf course when they were little, but we tossed them all when he grew up, lol. Good idea though!

 

[Leslieb118]

False alarm, lol. We went to the State Fair for a few hours this afternoon and when we got home, I let the chickens out of the run. She wasn't sitting on them at the time. I felt them and they were pretty cool, so I know she hadn't been sitting on them while we were gone. So, I brought them in. I'd love it if she went broody though, because I'd really like for her to be a momma!