What is my hen doing?

[Jennyhaschicks]

Thanks.
I tried to move her into a box with her egg, but she didn't go for it. Being my first time dealing with a broody hen I let her have her way and put a ton of hay underneath her and built it up around her. I took a cardboard box (she is laying in a corner of the coop) and put it around her on 3 sides. She is boxed in and has privacy.
Funny story... I hadn't checked to see if her one egg was still underneath her in a few days. I checked her today and felt more than one egg. I was shocked. I picked her up and she was laying on 4 eggs. Two white leghorn eggs and 2 barred rock eggs. One of these BR eggs was her original egg. I was shocked wondering where she got these from. It dawned on me. Dh said earlier today my WL was laying in the corner with her.

The BR evidently got in there an laid an egg. She must have shoved the other eggs underneath her. I don't want too many more chicks. lol
I am going to take a pencil and mark them in case they get in there anymore.

 

[fivestring]

I use work gloves when handling my BO hen. She pecks repeatedly.

I also marked the first eggs mine sat on and removed the fresh ones each day. Turned out none of them were fertile so now she is setting on two golf balls till I get some hatching eggs for her.

 

[AK_Button_Mama]

make sure you kick her off the nest at least once a day to get her moving and eating and drinking. they will sit there and wither away... I have one who is broody right now and I felt so bad for her. I tried to break her, but she wouldnt have any of it. so i gave her 3 eggs from the bator that have 5 days left. hopefully this will break her. once they hatch she will be a "mommy" and I will have some chicks....(not that the bator wasnt doing a fine job!!)

 

[Delta2 23]

Aw, sweet. I wish my chickens would go broody. Do Red stars go broody?
Yeah, I'd give her food and water and shove her off the nest to poop every day or the eggs'll be a mess and she'll starve.

Good luck!

 

[Guinea Goonie]

I have a wild jungle fowl hen setting on 11 eggs right now. If you walk into the stall (She is in the feeder on the wall) to do anything she will get real pissy and "cackle" at you, lift her butt feather up and fan them and get all puffy. I have even heard a few broody hens "hiss" at you and bite you as hard as they can. It is a good thing you have a silkie that went broody this early in life. She will set many an egg for you.

 

[Jennyhaschicks]

I made it easy on her with food. I put a small bowl near her and she can reach it. I make sure she gets up once a day to drink as well. I think she has lost some weight though..
DH just came from doing chickens and said the silkie must have gotten up to drink and poop... He found a barred rock on the nest just laying there.

Funny old birds. He of course kicked the barred rock off her eggs.

 

[needtohatch]

I wish one of mine would go broody. If you have not done so already, check under incubating & hatching eggs. I have seen threads on broody hens there and they might have info you want/need. Good luck with her!

 

[chicklady63]

Silkies can best the best & worst of broodies. Best: because they'll usually set on anything, (or nothing if they get a mind too), and worst: because they are almost impossible to break when they get their little minds set on hatching babies. I saw someone here has one who has never gone broody, but that is definitely the exception not the rule with this wonderful breed. Once you have a proven silkie broody, you can trust them with your most valuable eggs as long as she can properly cover them. I once saved a clutch of eggs when my incubator quite working on me by dividing the eggs between my favorite silkie hen & my sweet Old English Game bantam. (Both are gone now). Neither one was even really broody at that time, but I knew they had set on eggs before. When they saw that cluster of eggs they both went right to work, & settled in on those eggs like they had been setting on them for days. They can be an asset no doubt. Even if you don't want babies now, maybe later.

 

[Buckguy20]

If you still have other hens laying with her , you need to mark the eggs she is brooding with a pencil. Then check each day and remove any fresh eggs.
If you are wanting to hatch eggs, you need to get the eggs under her at the same time and not let them add an egg everyday.
Eight or so eggs (whatever she can easily cover) would be about right.
If you don't do this then the eggs she was sitting on first will hatch and she will want to leave the nest before the others can hatch.

 

[cmom]

I agree with the other posts. Broody!!!