Will the hens lay a group of eggs and sit on it later?

[bocephus]

I've been having hens going broody all spring. They live in my sheep barn and so far none of the spots they've picked has worked out. The last one to go broody left the barn area and had a nest in some tall grass. I was keeping an eye on her and for some reason she abandoned it, so I put those eggs in a incubator and all 5 hatched successfully.

So my question is.. Another one has been laying in a tall grass area in a pasture but not sitting on them. Is she waiting to gather a large enough group and then she'll sit on them or could be they done going broody for the year and this is where she has simply chosen to lay her eggs? I would really like for the hens to do the work for me but if they're done trying for the year, any chance these eggs will make it an incubator considering they have been sitting outside in the weather for up to 2 weeks?

 

[countrygoddess]

It could be either. Hens will lay and leave until they've laid all that they can sit on and easily cover. This ensures that when they settle in to incubate, the eggs will all hatch at the same time.

On the other hand, she could just be laying there and has no intention of setting. I guess you'll just have to keep watch. If the pile gets really huge and it's clear there are just too many to set, then she's probably not broody. I've never let a broody set, but one of my neighbor's hen set 13 eggs (they were all hers), so you may have to keep an eye on that nest for a couple of weeks to know what her intention is...