# changing of hens



## scott (Oct 18, 2017)

ok I have 2 black sex link hens, and 3 red hens not sure what they are. One of the black hens has been sitting on eggs for about 15 days now.But yesterday she suddenly stopped,, and this morning one of my red hens started sitting on them. now the black hen is back on the eggs? is this normal?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

There is some information missing here. And you might not be able to tell us what you were really seeing.

There is a possibility that egg laying was going on when you saw the red on the nest and at the same time the one that has been on nest was off to take care of personal business, like eating. 

But you could have been seeing different black hens on the nest if you can't tell them apart.


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## scott (Oct 18, 2017)

the black was off the nest for 2 days. and the red one was on the eggs several hours


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Then I don't have any suggestions on what they might have been up to. Maybe one of the others do.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

All I know is that silkies do that. One gets up to eat and another sits on the eggs. Or can actually roll the eggs under herself like stealing. 

I have not heard of other chickens doing it, however I have seen chickens have bits and pieces of genetic behaviors that have been left over from long ago. Especially that 14 day sitter.


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## scott (Oct 18, 2017)

ok well I am not new to chickens.. my dad had chickens all our life.. but this was just strange to me. as we speak the black hen is still on the eggs. But I took 25 out and put them in incubator. She was sitting on 36 eggs. wasnt sure what to do so I thought I would try to hatch some on my own.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Did you by chance candle any of the eggs? If they've been adding eggs all along to the pile you could have wide ranging hatch dates. And you can have early deaths due to the number of eggs she was on.


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## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

I had a BSL hen set on eggs for about a week and then she abandoned them. I tossed the eggs in the garbage.
It's not often a sex link becomes broody.
Good luck with your hatch.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

I've had a Jersey and a few Polish go broody! I really don't care because their nests get a breeze. They can sit there all week. All I do is toss them off the nest twice a day for food. Eventually they give it up. My silkies (3) sit but don't seem serious. They sit but not for more than a week or two.


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## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

In Sept,I got chicks from a broody hen.The first hen to sit on the clutch was a Brahma who abandoned the nest only for a mix to take over.When she got up to eat/drink,others would lay more eggs.I got 3 chicks and 2 more a week later.One thing I did not do,which I will in the future, was mark the original eggs with a pencil(ink can be toxic and bleed into the embryo).That way I can remove the new eggs.It's not uncommon for them to abandon nests and it's a hassle because you have to do it yourself or throw 'em away.Good luck!!!


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