Weird behavior...for me maybe not hen

[Crs1]

I have an austrolorp that was sitting on 10 eggs. 2 hatched Monday and I am now down to 2 eggs but she doesn't seem interested. She started in the nests that's where the two hatched. Wednesday she started walking in the other two Nests. She was acting very crazy and nervous she was kicking up the pine shavings cracking some of the eggs and I don't have an incubator which I'm going to have to look into. She kept her water full of pine shavings so I finally moved her into a cage 12 x 24", but the behavior continued so right now I have close down The coop and opened the cage door she is still kicking the bedding everywhere any ideas because I don't know it may be normal but I don't know. This is my first experience with this so I may have been a little noisier than I should have been. Could this be from to much looking and moving and worrying?

Thanks

 

[GitaBooks]

That is odd.

Are her chicks chirping a lot? Does she have food and water and a nice nest to sit on? Does she feel safe?

 

[Crs1]

She never returned to the cage and the chicks didn't seem to be chirping that I noticed. And I had to put a waterer that the chickens peck on because she kept the other type full of bedding and they have food. She is in a corner of the coop with chicks. I had to take out the last two eggs because they were not close to where she was. When it was getting dark I opened the coop up for the other chickens to come in, she has 3 hens and a rooster that share the coop, and it seemed to go ok. They roosted and she stayed on the floor. Tomorrow we are going to build a ramp for them to go out in to the run.

 

[pdirt]

If 2 hatched on Monday and you are down to 2 eggs now, what happened to the other 6 eggs? Did those hatch as well? Maybe she lost count or something and is looking for the other chicks, thinking they are lost in the bedding somewhere?

My only other thought is that so many breeds have been selectively bred, such as trying to breed out broodiness. I did think BA's were known for broodiness, though. My point being is that not all BA's or RIR's or BR's are going to be like other BA's, RIR's or BR's, because of their breed line. The more I learn about breeding, the more I understand the complexities of it (or understand them less!!) and that it must take a true master to breed a good chicken. My wondering here is perhaps your BA has some confused broody traits?

 

[Crs1]

I have been reading that momma knows best I hope so because I am letting them out tomorrow into a coop that is secure

 

[GitaBooks]

Momma's usually do know best, though sometimes they do some things that are confusing. I even had a Red Star go broody!

Princess, the silkie, with her three adopted chicks

Pip with her four mix-breed chicks (she is an awesome mother!)


Baby Cakes, a chick having trouble hatching. We helped him/her out and slipped her back under her mother (Princess), where she thrived and is now "weaned" from her mother (who is already broody again in just two months).



Best of luck!

 

[Crs1]

The other six eggs were either cracked in her frenzy or when I went to check on her the eggs were cold. I kept trying to put them back under her or back to the spot she had been laying. I hope that I am learning so if I have another broody it won't be as nerve racking and I will have better results
Thanks to everyone

 

[pdirt]

The other six eggs may have been damaged on accident or they may not have been viable eggs. Often a broody will push unviable eggs out of the nest.