Will my hen get broody if she's got more eggs in the nest?

[mandolinmama]

Hello everyone!
We've got a bantie (sp?) hen who's been laying each day. Got a little bantie roo who we've "caught" with her. Decided we might try and let her hatch some eggs.
We put a fake egg in there, but she moved her eggs away from it. She's got four eggs in there now. I've heard that it might just take more eggs in the nest before she'll sit on them.
Is this true and if so about how many do they like to have piled up before they'll start sitting??
I'd love to see her hatch out some and increase our flock.
Any advise would be great!!

 

[Orpingtonlover]

Hi there well depending on her mood i would say somewhere around 6 eggs she will start setting to hatch you can try putting some other eggs in there with her but some hens wont take them put one in front of her not under her if she wants it she will move it herself if not its just a waiting game until she is ready good luck

 

[marie_martin]

Well we are in the same boat with that. My BB red OEGB hen had 4 eggs in the nest and it has been cooler so I figure instead of taking them out, lets see what happens. So I put two tiny easter eggs (plastic) in there and she did not sit on the except to lay. She now has six of her own. I went on and took the two plastic ones out and yesterday, she sat in there a while so I thought she may be going broody. But today she is out and I saw that it was now 6. I don't think she is going to go broody. Should I just leave them a few more days or take them out? I don't know how she will cover more than that if she does go broody. She is tiny. I sure was hoping she would sit on them. But I guess the cooler temps may hender her wanting to sit, I don't know.

Marie

 

[Redneckchick]

When I went into my big bird coop this A.M. , had 2 hens trying to fit into the same milk crate ( What a sight !!! ) . The top one laid her egg and got out..I had 2 fake eggs under them.The hen still setting pushed both fake eggs as well as the other hens under her till she laid. When she got up , i came back to the house and got a load of fake eggs and am gonna try to get her to go broody (seen her sitting on over 12 eggs before but didn't want to hatch them). Gonna try to INDUCE BROODY on her...will be interesting to see what she will do in the morning...LOL. Figure IF I can get her to go broody , i'll switch em out one at a time till I have her SITTING. We'll see.....

 

[Okiegent]

I have heard that in the early spring and sometime in the fall hens go broody.That is if they are a broody hen. Most production layers are not. However bantams are know for being great Moms and going broody.Mine have went broody on just one egg and the other hens would come in and lay eggs beside her in the same box and she would push them under her and continue to set on as many as twelve eggs.Then the other hen went broody and decided to set with her. I ended up moving them apart and all is well. I would just leave her alone and watch .They really will do it all by thereselves with no help .

 

[cgjsmith]

None of mine have gone broody

I'm so frustrated weve had asmany as 11 eggs in the nest for a big hen and 7 for my banties, they sit for a little while then get up and go on their marry way. GRR!!! Crystal

 

[jimnjay]

The thing with a broody is that she will lay a full clutch of eggs, We never know how many she thinks that is. She will not sit untill she has what she thinks is the right amount, even if they are still not in the nest. If you want to encourage them just mark a few eggs and leave them there. Take the rest. One of these days she will decide she had laid enough. Take the old ones out and replace them with eggs you have collected. Eight eggs will not encourage her any more than 4 eggs. She has an internal counter. It may not be time yet for her to sit. I have thee more sitting right now and one decided to sit on a nest with no eggs in it. I have been testing eggs in the incubator so I just set some that were developing under her. It could be a temperature thing for her or humidity. My hatch rate has not be impressive lately. Its been hot one day and we had snow today. Even tho, they do a great job hatching the elements do affect them too.

 

[Okiegent]

Hello Everyone
Tell me has anyone ever had a hen go broody anytime other than the early spring and the spring months or early fall. I am just curious this is the only time I have ever seen it happen. Also if they are not broody hens I would think it would be almost impossiabel to get them to hatch the egss. I would appreciate any thoughts on this.

 

[mandolinmama]

Well, my mother in law said that if "she ain't acting real mean like a woman durring PMS then she ain't broody" and also that i'd be just throwing all those good eating eggs away if I left them out there.
I removed all of the eggs - let the boys fling them out in the field like tiny baseballs and will just collect the eggs each time she gives them until she's "broody".
Thanks for all the answers on here everyone!

Donna Sue
"Mandolinmama"

 

[sableboi]

I left 18 eggs in the Brahma nest for them to just keep laying...I think there are lots of factors that cause them to go broody and we may not understand them all.