# Possible broody hen?



## chickenmommy (Apr 30, 2013)

Is it possible my Wyandotte is going broody? For two days I have checked on the chickens through out the day since they r stuck in their chicken house because of the snow. And the same hen has been sitting on a clutch of eggs every time I looked in there. Do girls go broody in the winter?


----------



## nannypattyrn (Aug 23, 2015)

I think that they can. Does she "growl" and /or peck at you when you put your hand out to get the eggs?


----------



## chickenmommy (Apr 30, 2013)

When I grabbed the eggs I had just refilled their feed so she jumped up and started eating like she was starving. So while she was eating I grabbed the eggs. I only have one roo so I don't know how many of the eggs would be fertile but I was thinking about keeping some eggs in there tomorrow to see if she sits on them


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Yes, a young bird can and do go broody in the Winter. It was something I dealt with all the time with mine.


----------



## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

*Is my hen going broody?*

Right now I have 2,3 y.o. cochins brooding.One in front of the coop door who keeps moving her clutch.I don't expect them to hatch but I gave. up taking her eggs.It's something she has to do it's not a good time for babies but she doesn't know that.


----------



## chickenmommy (Apr 30, 2013)

So today I went and checked and the same girl was sitting on her nest all day. When she got up to eat n drink my 6 month old Cochin started sitting on the nest and hasn't budged since. She's not laying her egg because she already layed it this morning. Can two girls share being mommy? I just went out to check and everyone went to bed except the Cochin. She's safe warm and secure so I'm not worried about her not sleeping with the rest just curious if two girls will take turns egg sitting


----------



## nannypattyrn (Aug 23, 2015)

CQ, I had two girls who one was truly broody and her "sister" stayed in the nest and stole the eggs. She wasn't truly broody though so left the nest. I lost most of that hatch because I didn't realize what was happening. So, just monitor them and separate them if you need to. The not broody sister was killing the hatching chicks.


----------



## chickenmommy (Apr 30, 2013)

Oh ok thank you nanny


----------



## jn4 (Jun 21, 2012)

A problem I have witnessed is they sometimes sit the nest just long enough to start the incubation process but lose interest after the first week...in the meantime other hens will add to the nest and it can't be distinguished which eggs are good and which are now bad. Now when we catch that we just separate that hen and her eggs and let her do her thing....for as long as she will.


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Mine would co brood and steal each other's eggs when the other would get up to eat. Then when chicks hatched there was the argument of who was going to raise the chicks. They always worked it out with one of the other keeping the chicks.


----------



## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

I'll bet that was with silkies. Mine used to "roll" the eggs to a new area to "turn" them. If one got up, another sat on them. If there were 2 sitting and one got up, the other would roll all the eggs under her. I have heard that the roos will sit as well, but haven't seen it.


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

My Dutch girls did it too. But then they didn't go broody every other week like Silkies do. But when one started they all started.


----------



## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Yup. I have 3 but one is sitting on whatever egg is there til tomorrow. Every day.


----------



## sswanee17 (May 17, 2015)

Chicken mommy I have two chickens that are broody. I kick them out of the nest I pick the eggs up as soon as we get them and they are so hard to be discouraged of that. They have been this way now for two or three weeks. It's really annoying they go broody much too often. My EE has been broody probably five times since I've had her which is maybe a year and a half or less, I have three of them now that do that and I am just about ready to say heck with a couple of them. So yes they can get Broody this time of the year.


----------



## sswanee17 (May 17, 2015)

My EE went broody and then the last week my OE got in on it And when the chicks were hatched they both took care of them. No squabbles. They both stayed with those checks for the longest time they were a good two months old before the EE finally quit and then the OE hung on with them for another week. 3 months without eggs from them was the worst part. I'm never seen broody hens stick with chicks that long.


----------



## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Since silkies spend over half their lives sitting on eggs or air, I set up my coop so that the sitter would be sitting in open air , not enclosed coop because of the heat. So being that they can sit without being enclosed, I just let them sit and remove the eggs. The 3 bigger hens with them lay in another nest above the silky.


----------



## jn4 (Jun 21, 2012)

My barn yard has never had silkies......they are very nice looking little birds...the wife says she would like to have a couple,how big do they get pound wise?


----------



## jstringerrn75 (Oct 24, 2015)

Not much, maybe 2-3 pounds at best, but they are so cute and lovable! But they are known for their broodiness. I have 2 and 1 is broody every few months and the other has only gone broody once since I got them in May. 

We don't have a roo, so I break her by putting her in a cage with the bottom open so flowing air cools their bottom and a roosting bar.

I love my silkies! They are so sweet and soft and mine lay about 5 eggs a days


----------



## chickenmommy (Apr 30, 2013)

I don't mind if she goes broody so I don't want to discourage her. So I'm letting her sit on some of the eggs. I put x's on some and then each day get out the rest because almost every chicken lays in the same pile. So I'm trying to keep the nest small and manageable for her


----------

