We have a broody! ... somewhere

[igorsMistress]

I vote for leave her alone and let her do it where she wants, toss whatever doesn't hatch. She's doing fine by herself and doesn't need intervention.

 

[centrarchid]

I would not place feed or water near nest site as that can attract interest of predators that might brave dogs to inspect.

 

[aart]

Last night me and one of my sons went to the new nest. I grabbed the hen and he grabbed the eggs of the new nest. Turns out that the new nest is just a single egg!

So we took her to a broody pen we had set up and we will let her sit on her clutch of one egg.

If she settles will you candle those other 'hidden' eggs and see if any are viable?

 

[Dr.Dale]

Well, the transfer didn’t go so well. She didn’t sit in the new nest, and I don’t think she was really broody since she laid an egg today and I believe they stop laying when they really are broody.

Here is my guess. I think she was sitting on the big nest and either got too hungry since it is very far from the feed or she got frustrated not being able to cover all of them. Either way it halfway broke her of broodyness. She started laying again but sort of had some of the broody hormones still in her so she sat on the nest at night instead of roosting.

 

[aart]

She started laying again but sort of had some of the broody hormones still in her so she sat on the nest at night instead of roosting.

....or there's something else going on with the 'roosting' situation,
crowding and/or pecking order issues.

Did you candle that pile of eggs?
That might tell you if she was actually setting there,
or it's just a 'rogue' nest that they all have been laying in.

 

[Criticalicious]

Is it possible someone ELSE was broody and she was wandering around depositing eggs in the others nests? This is quite the who-done-it story.

 

[Dr.Dale]

Did you candle that pile of eggs?
That might tell you if she was actually setting there,
or it's just a 'rogue' nest that they all have been laying in.

I candled 6 of the eggs, and it didn’t look like there was much development, if any. If she was sitting on that nest she was not very consistent at all.

I was so excited, but I think I may have been misreading the situation

or there's something else going on with the 'roosting' situation,
crowding and/or pecking order issues.

Could be pecking order issues. It definitely is not crowding, they have over 5 acres completely free range.

 

[aart]

Could be pecking order issues. It definitely is not crowding, they have over 5 acres completely free range.

Crowding in coop and/or on roosts......not range area.