What do I do?

[Momlife+chicks]

I have 6 hens and 1 rooster. I have 3 isa Browns and 3 white leghorns. For the last 3 days one of the leghorns have been laying on eggs and hasn’t moved! This is my first time with chickens so I have no clue what my next step is. What do I do? Lol.

 

[WhiteWyan]

She might be broody. You can Google "how to break a broody."
Remove eggs from under her. Collect eggs as often as you can so as not to tempt them to sit and try to hatch chicks.
Unless, you want chicks. In that case you need to set up a brooder for her in a separate area where she won't be bothered by other chickens. Google "how to set up a broody hen to hatch chicks."

 

[jolly wattles]

Wow we were just discussing in another thread how leghorns rarely go broody (none of mine ever have) and here you are having one.lol you're a lucky one if you wanna hatch.

 

[Momlife+chicks]

Wow we were just discussing in another thread how leghorns rarely go broody (none of mine ever have) and here you are having one.lol you're a lucky one if you wanna hatch.

I will hatch if that’s what’s going on. Lol. How long will she get off of the nest to eat and get water? I just came in the run and she was on the eggs (day 4) and I brought fresh food and water and she got off the nest to eat and drink.

 

[Shamo Hybrid]

I will hatch if that’s what’s going on. Lol. How long will she get off of the nest to eat and get water? I just came in the run and she was on the eggs (day 4) and I brought fresh food and water and she got off the nest to eat and drink.

Just put some water and food near her, she will get off the nest to eat and drink and poop then it's back to bidness setting on the eggs. Iz you sure you are ready for little chicks though? Iz YOU?!

 

[Momlife+chicks]

Just put some water and food near her, she will get off the nest to eat and drink and poop then it's back to bidness setting on the eggs. Iz you sure you are ready for little chicks though? Iz YOU?!

She’s sitting on 12 eggs! Some are white but the other ones are brown from the Isa browns we have. Is it normal for her to “steal” their eggs and lay on them too?

 

[L1sa]

Yes, they'll take any of the other ladies eggs that are nearby! The only thing you'll have to watch out for is that if shes been sitting on some eggs for say 4 days and then she steals some new ones, they will hatch at different times and you risk her abandoning those later eggs to take care of her new fluffy chicks.

Good luck with your hatch.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

If you keep her with the flock, you'll have to mark all the eggs under her so you can remove any added later.
Leghorns aren't supposed to go broody, but they do. We used to keep 100 white leghorns for egg sales and there were usually anywhere from 1 to 3 in broody jail.
I had a black leghorn that raised about 5 batches of chicks for me.
Is your rooster a leghorn?
In reality, you don't need to do anything but mark the eggs and remove volunteers.
In 3 weeks, you'll have chicks.
She will come off the nest every day or two to eat, drink, defecate and stretch. You don't have to put food and water by her, she'll find it where it has always been. You can tell she's off the nest because she'll do the broody cluck while she is out and about. If it is hot, she may stay off up to an hour or more. If it is cold, she may only stay off for 15 or 20 minutes.
Often I'll put the broody in her own quarters if I have a unit available.
I can count the huge stinky lumps of feces to know if they come off the nest and I'm here to tell you, they don't always come off the nest every day - but they won't starve themselves to death. Just leave them alone and count chicks in 3 weeks.

 

[Momlife+chicks]

If you keep her with the flock, you'll have to mark all the eggs under her so you can remove any added later.
Leghorns aren't supposed to go broody, but they do. We used to keep 100 white leghorns for egg sales and there were usually anywhere from 1 to 3 in broody jail.
I had a black leghorn that raised about 5 batches of chicks for me.
Is your rooster a leghorn?
In reality, you don't need to do anything but mark the eggs and remove volunteers.
In 3 weeks, you'll have chicks.
She will come off the nest every day or two to eat, drink, defecate and stretch. You don't have to put food and water by her, she'll find it where it has always been. You can tell she's off the nest because she'll do the broody cluck while she is out and about. If it is hot, she may stay off up to an hour or more. If it is cold, she may only stay off for 15 or 20 minutes.
Often I'll put the broody in her own quarters if I have a unit available.
I can count the huge stinky lumps of feces to know if they come off the nest and I'm here to tell you, they don't always come off the nest every day - but they won't starve themselves to death. Just leave them alone and count chicks in 3 weeks.

My rooster is a d'Uccles Bantam. A friend of mine gave him to us a little over a month ago. I’ll post a picture of him. Do I just mark her eggs with a sharpie? And I have a dog pen that we used to use when my dog was a puppy or I have a big tote I used when they were chicks. Should I move her to one of those?

 

[Susan Dye]

He's a beauty!