My chickens layed their first clutch but wont sit

[shdybrady]

Ok Im starting off by saying these are my first chickens and this is their first clutch.

For whatever reason they have all layed in the same nest. I have provided plenty of nests and they chose to all lay in one. They are up to 13 eggs now. I figured that would be a pretty decent size clutch. But none of them are sitting on them for a long time. Just maybe 30 mins at a time. I am already preparing to build an incubator in the next couple of days but is this normal?

[mommathea]

Yes. Chickens have been bred by the comercial hatcheries for one purpose and that is for egg laying. So the broodiness has been bred out of them. There are still breeds that will go broody, but it is hit and miss, and they won't always do it. Just because there is a nest of eggs doesn't mean that one of your hens will sit on them.

I suggest that you collect them daily. And use and incubator if you want chicks, or wait and see if one of your hens will go broody and then you can put a clutch under her.

[WstTxLady]

Unless a hen is broody, they won't sit. If you want to hatch some out & don't have a broody hen, you will have to use an incubator. It also depends on the breed, some never go broody, some stay broody, some get broody the older they get.

[KSALguy]

What breed do you have? Chickens mostly lay eggs just to lay eggs any more. A few breeds will set but even they lay most of the year with only stopping to set if the mood strikes them. Some are better than others. Its almost too late for hormones to kick in to set in most locations due too winter. Eat the eggs. Or hatch them your self.

[Danaus29]

How many chickens?

Each chicken, if the type that does go broody, will lay what her body tells her is a decent sized clutch before going broody. It may be 20 eggs, it may be 30 eggs. They don't go broody just because there is a bunch of eggs in the nest. She has to lay what her body is programmed to lay before she could possibly go broody.

[shdybrady]

well we have one she is a mix but it looks like a buff and white giant cross. But the other is a rir and a barred rock. They are all taking to the rooster but only the buff cross seems to be getting broody

[akane]

Chickens don't go broody just because there are eggs. Leaving all the eggs out there you'll waste 100s of eggs before that happens, if it does. I've also never had one go broody in their first year of laying including my bantams and breeds likely to do so. The chickens will have to mature enough and then it will have to be the right time of year and then if you don't have breeds that it's been bred out of one might decide to go broody. If you want to leave something sit in the box you can get fake eggs or just golfballs will work. All the broodies I've had will sit on air once they are in the mood. Amount of eggs sitting around has little to do with it and they'll often steal the eggs the other chickens are laying after they've gone broody on nothing or a golfball.

Chickens normally share nests. Originally this behavior probably helped make broody hens more successful since they have a lot more eggs sooner to sit on. Even somewhat less domesticated species of poultry will lay together. It's a useful behavior for humans collecting eggs so we have continued to breed them that way. They will also keep laying right on top of a broody trying to sit on eggs. Once they see a laying location they all keep using it. Another use for golfballs and fake eggs is to make them lay in a certain spot because they think there is already an egg there so they add to it.

[shdybrady]

thanks for all the information. I plan on building an incubator hopefull tomorrow. Im not sure if the eggs will still be salvagable. But we will see

[WstTxLady]

if they were left, probably not. will have to get rid of those & start over.

[shdybrady]

what do you mean if they were left? They were really never sat on so I dont think the development has started

[Danaus29]

How long have they been sitting there and what have your daytime highs been? Eggs won't go bad in a week, 2, or even a month at temps lower than 80*F if they aren't setting in mushy mud or poop. A hen will lay between 10 to 30 eggs before setting a clutch. And if fertilized and properly tended all will hatch. So even if they had been there a couple weeks they're still good.

[akane]

In the summer I feed them to the dogs if I'm unsure whether they've been there less than 24hrs or not. In cool weather I'm less careful but there are still occasions where I have seen the nest box never empty of a hen because they are taking turns laying and wasting time. The eggs are often quite warm when I collect them even without a broody.

[GrannyCarol]

I've eaten eggs that sat in a nest (cool weather) for a week or more. No one was setting on them. Just open them into a bowl to be sure they are not nasty and you can use them. If they are less than a week old, don't refridgerate them, they should do fine. However, if this is their first year the rooster may not be fertile yet - your chickens are still babies!

I don't know where you live, but this is awfully late in the year to try raising chicks. Of course its almost freezing at nights here.

[lauriej57]

Unless I missed it, you never said how old they were. If these are young pullets (hens under a year old) just starting to lay, they most likely won't broody until they are over a year old. If you have breeds that are known for going broody, and from the right lines, it is possible that they will go broody at a younger age, but it doesn't happen very often.

I have a 7 month old bantam cochin who is trying very hard to be broody, which was a big surprise to me. I bought her in hopes she would make a good broody, but didn't expect it until next spring. Silkies make good broody hens too, and will often want to brood at a young age.

[Cyngbaeld]

I've had hens go broody with their first clutch. It really depends on the breed. The more game in them, the more likely they are to go broody.

[shdybrady]

Well the age of my chickens are unsure I bought them at the sale. They seem just about all full mature though. They are all fairly well sized chickens. And I live in georgia, it is still 80+ degrees here

[J.T.M.]

When I first got into chickens ,I built a nest box with 10 compartments.I worried that with 50 hens it wasnt going to be big enough.After over 12 years would you belive that 4 of them never had an egg laid in them.

If you want one to go broody ,try changing the eggs for golfballs ,or even rocks .The hens will never know the differance and you can eat the eggs while waiting.....

[texican]

All of my different bantam breed hens go broody as soon as they get a half dozen eggs... the larger breeds rarely if ever get broody. You want natural incubators, get some silky hens... I've had some that sit for months on eggs, hatching out some (and I put new eggs under em and get even more). I've had to pull them off and put them in different pens to keep them from sitting forever.

[Sanza]

Shdybrady you need to read up on the different breeds and find the ones with the characteristics most suitable for you're needs. The breeds you have are not the best for brooding - (sounds like you have 3 hens and a roo?) a rir, barred rock,and a cornishX or jersey giantX.
Regardless you need to gather the eggs everyday and store them in a cool place and like someone said already - if you get a broody you can slip some fresh eggs under her at any time. You also have to check for the bullseye first to see if your rooster is doing his job and the eggs are fertilized before you think about any of your hens sitting and hatching them.
Tell me about broody silkies! I have been throwing 4 hens off the nests and even locking them out of the chicken yard because I can't break their broodiness and I don't want chicks in -40 temperatures which is possible by November here.
A few years ago I had a 6 month old ameraucana pullet set and hatch out 16 chicks but I know that's unusual for that breed and that young age.