Will a molting hen get broody/sit on eggs?

[ChickenHawk12]

I have 1 PITA BO hen that has been broody almost non-stop since March. I finally got fed up and ordered 4 fertilized eggs (a different breed, of course), and 2 days after I placed my order she stopped being broody. Now it seems that the hens (one? all 3?) are molting. They are about 15 months old and I'm assuming this is their first molt, because there are feathers EVERYWHERE, and no.body.is.laying.eggs.

The eggs are supposed to be delivered sometime this week. Will molting chickens sit on eggs? I have 2 fake eggs in the coop in hopes of inspiring someone to go broody. What else can I do? Should I put a few grocery store eggs and make a little pile? Might that help? Am I screwed?

I wanted her to hatch them because I don't want trouble with the hens accepting the chicks, and I REALLY don't want to do baby chicks in the house :-(

Am I S.O.L.?

 

[FarmerMac]

If you have an incubator, start the eggs in the incubator and once the hen goes broody again, swap the fertile eggs with the fake ones. I have done this numerous time and even after the chicks hatched in the incubator, I have put the chicks under a broody hen and she has taken care of them. Right now I have one of my RIR that is broody and molting but I had my fill of chicks for the year so no eggs for her to hatch.

 

[Xrmotochick]

I see this is a post from a couple years ago, has anyone had experience with this since it was posted. I I have two nesting boxes full of fertilized eggs. I left them because I thought one of my hens was going broody but now she's molting. is there still a chance of her sitting on the eggs? I really didn't want to incubate eggs going into November and have to have indoor chicks all winter. I was really hoping for Mama to sit and warm the chicks.

 

[Chickassan]

You don't want a molting broody hen. The combination is simply too taxing on her.

I see this is a post from a couple years ago, has anyone had experience with this since it was posted. I I have two nesting boxes full of fertilized eggs. I left them because I thought one of my hens was going broody but now she's molting. is there still a chance of her sitting on the eggs? I really didn't want to incubate eggs going into November and have to have indoor chicks all winter. I was really hoping for Mama to sit and warm the chicks.

 

[MickWithChicks]

I see this is a post from a couple years ago, has anyone had experience with this since it was posted. I I have two nesting boxes full of fertilized eggs. I left them because I thought one of my hens was going broody but now she's molting. is there still a chance of her sitting on the eggs? I really didn't want to incubate eggs going into November and have to have indoor chicks all winter. I was really hoping for Mama to sit and warm the chicks.

Anecdotally, I had this happen recently. I set fertile eggs under broody Silkie I didn't realise was beginning a moult at the time. She ended up leaving the nest a week after setting the eggs. She'd normally be very stubborn about her broodiness and would sit for 28 days (with no eggs), no matter what I did to try to break her.

I didn't bother incubating the eggs inside (I have no intention of keeping inside chicks again), but a few days later I was able set some fresh eggs under a fresh broody.