will taking a broody hen's eggs have emotional effects?

[Sebrite_97]

Hi! does anyone know if you take a hen's eggs if it will make them upset? My Silkie hen has been creating a "secret" nest of eggs in our coop and we bought her to help create an extra mom for our Cochin eggs. What we did'nt want is her to brood her own INFERTILE eggs because our Cochins are to start breeding this month or next. I would just really hate to put her through emotional stress............. She's been through enough because when we bought her, we accidently took her away from her husband...... I still feel really bad.....

 

[granmahen]

I take our silky's eggs away every day or she would sit on them all day long. True, she might get mad enough to quit laying for a while, mine has done this often to pay me back for some imagined slight. Tempermental, but a great mommy, she adopts all my new chicks. And I find nothing will keep her from sitting on whatever eggs she sees. She'd rather brood than anything.

 

[granmahen]

I was just thinking. If you want her to stay broody, just replace some or all of her eggs with some fake eggs. Wouldn't hurt to try.

 

[Chic Chick]

First of all.....Chickens do not think or have emotions like humans so please don't try to humanize them!
Chickens don not have husbands. A hen will let any rooster breed her, and sometimes it could be 2 roosters within minutes if the roosters are fighting for dominacy!

Maybe your silkie can't get into the nests if they are too high or maybe the other hens chase her away, and so she found some hidey hole to lay her eggs. If you don't gather them every day then yes, she'll have a nest full. It doesn't mean she's going broody...
Most hens have a favorite spot or nest for laying.
If taking the eggs away make hens upset then I guess we all upset our hens every day but they just keep on laying those eggs - again they don't feel any emotions for long and in a split second will forget about anything if you show them food.

On the other hand if your silkie or cochins go broody you won't mistake the growls and snarls coming from them when you try to stick your hand under them for the eggs, and they might even peck your hand. If you take them off the nest and put them on the ground they will just shake and fluff up their feathers and go back to the nest if they actually are broody.