Broody hen on full clutch still laying eggs?

[Henora]

Hello!

I have a broody hen (Orpington so quite large) from a 1 Roo, 3 Hen coop. I was sick for 3 days so didn't collect, and she decided to sit on the clutch of 9 eggs. I marked them all and have been checking for extras to remove. There were none yesterday, but today we lost 2 marked eggs (they must have broke and then been mostly eaten, please see my other post about help w cleaning her) and gained 3 new eggs. So she is still laying! But she's been sitting on these eggs for at least 2 nights so aren't they already at least 2 days along in developing? I have moved her to her own brooding pen, so the other hens won't be able to lay in her nest, but what do I do with the eggs she is still laying? I don't want a staggered hatch bc it'll still be too cold here in Ontario when they hatch, so if she leaves w the early chicks the late chicks will die (this is what happened the only other time I had a broody hen try to hatch eggs). But, I would be happy for her to hatch a whole clutch of her own eggs if that's what she's trying to do. The current clutch got dirty from the broken eggs which broke and went smelly within 12 hrs today, even though it isn't hot here. Should I remove all the eggs and let her lay new ones? Should I give her eggs from my other coop? Could the eggs have broken bc they were already rotten? Thanks for any advice you can offer.

 

[NatJ]

what do I do with the eggs she is still laying?

Since you have marked the eggs in the nest, just check each day and take away any new eggs.

she is still laying!

Broody hens often lay an egg or two after they start sitting, then quit laying for the rest of the time they are broody.

I think she will stop fairly soon, so you won't have to deal with this situation for too many more days.

The current clutch got dirty from the broken eggs which broke and went smelly within 12 hrs today, even though it isn't hot here. Should I remove all the eggs and let her lay new ones? Should I give her eggs from my other coop? Could the eggs have broken bc they were already rotten? Thanks for any advice you can offer.

I don't know for sure about this. The broken ones might have already been rotten and that is why they broke, or they might have been fine until that point and then go stinky fast after they broke.

Since she has only been sitting for about 2 days, I think you could go either way; leaving her with the current eggs, or taking them away and giving her a new clutch.

I don't want a staggered hatch bc it'll still be too cold here in Ontario when they hatch, so if she leaves w the early chicks the late chicks will die (this is what happened the only other time I had a broody hen try to hatch eggs). But, I would be happy for her to hatch a whole clutch of her own eggs if that's what she's trying to do.

You could start collecting eggs in a safe place (like inside your house), and in a few days try candling the eggs she is sitting on.

If you find them developing nicely, let her finish with them, and the eggs you collected would get eaten (or given to another hen, if one goes broody.) But if the current eggs are not developing at that point, you would have a newly-collected clutch ready to give to her as replacements.

 

[Henora]

You could start collecting eggs in a safe place (like inside your house), and in a few days try candling the eggs she is sitting on.

Thank you for this suggestion, as it gives me something concrete to do while I collect more information. I also didn't know broody hens might lay just a few more eggs! Thanks for your replies

 

[aart]

But she's been sitting on these eggs for at least 2 nights

Did someone check her to see if she was on the nest at night?

Here's my go to signs of a broody:
Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, does she flatten right back out into a fluffy screeching pancake?
Does she walk around making a low cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck(ticking bomb) sound on her way back to the nest?

If so, then she is probably broody and you'll have to decide how to manage it.

​

 

[Ponypoor]

Thank you for this suggestion, as it gives me something concrete to do while I collect more information. I also didn't know broody hens might lay just a few more eggs! Thanks for your replies

How is your hen doing? Where are you in Ontario? You can PM me if you like I am also in Ontario.

 

[Henora]

How is your hen doing? Where are you in Ontario? You can PM me if you like I am also in Ontario.

We moved her after the eggs broke and she stopped sitting. I dropped an egg when removing them and it had gone bad. She rejoined her flock and forgot about being broody.