Spring was in full force here in Michigan and one of my Blue Laced Red Wyandotte hens had gone super broody. My flock is a small backyard flock that does not have a rooster. I have had hens in the past go broody, but were quick to break of it. Their hopes must have been dashed when no fine gentleman Roo came a calling. However, this BLRW broody girl was of the most determined sort.
For two weeks, I chased her out of the nest boxes. I collected eggs from her hiding places multiple times a day. She was a determined mama to be though. Nothing deterred her from the nest. One trip over to visit Jennifer at Iron Oak Farms and the wheels in my head began to turn. What if I got her some fertilized eggs to sit on. Hmmm, doesn’t that sound like the most logical choice for helping a broody hen? Well, at the time it sounded perfect to me.
One more trip to Jennifer’s and I went home the proud owner of a fertilized French Black Copper Maran egg for my broody girl to mother. Mother she did. She was the most attentive nester I have ever encountered. She collected other eggs to add to her clutch of eggs and she made herself right at home in her favorite nest box. The weather was nice, Spring breezes, bugs and greens to eats everywhere, but she shunned all those luxuries in the hope of hatching an egg.
My boys were super excited about the prospective chick too. They counted down the 21 days on a calender, but still asked every other day if it was time. I set up an old dog house coop as the soon to be nursery. Fresh bedding, the smaller waterers and feeders. Chick starter was bought. This baby was a highly anticipated little one.
Then, day 21 came and went. No baby. I was not discourage, maybe I was off a day or two in my counting. Babies come late all the time. A week passed and still no baby. Broody Mama was still sitting on her eggs. She was as diligent as ever. I, though, had given up hope in that egg hatching. Maybe something went wrong. Maybe the egg was too cool from the drive from Iron Oak Farm to my home. There are so many variables to what could happen and what did happen, but I let her sit on her eggs for awhile longer.
This last Friday, I had to leave to take my youngest son to a baseball tournament out of town. I checked Broody Mama, she was still sitting on her eggs. Instructions were left for my husband, just in case, and we were off. He swears she stayed on her nest all of Saturday. On Sunday, my little boy and I came home and immediately checked the backyard coop. Broody Mama was sitting in the dust bath area. She was scratching in the yard. She was not on her nest. I cautiously peeked into her nesting box and there was all of the eggs, except for the dark chocolately French Black Copper. It was gone. No sign of a shell, just gone. I squealed, she must have a baby under her in the yard, right?! My boy and I snuck up on her, super excited to see this new little addition. Only, there was no new little addition. There was no chick to be found.
The coop is solid. No animal got into it and took 1 egg from that broody girl. She was sitting on eggs on Friday morning, but by Sunday afternoon, the fertilized egg was gone. It is the Great Egg Mystery. No shell pieces to be found, no chick or feathers or remains to be seen. As for Broody Mama, she is totally broke of her broody spell. Scratching in the yard like nothing has happened. Meanwhile, we are just puzzled. What became of that beautiful chocolate egg? Did it ever hatch?
Has this ever happened to any of you? Broody Mama is no longer sitting on her clutch, the other unfertilized eggs are ready for disposal. Our moments of impending Spring Chicks has come and passed. There is always next year, but to say it wasn’t disappointing would be an understatement.
27 Comments
My broody had five eggs. Moved to a wonderful nesting area. She sat well and never left her nest. After about 2 1/2 weeks she did a gigantic poop and moved to the interior portion of the brooder. There were three eggs so “obviously” she moved to with her. Stuck the remaining three eggs under hersince it was only over night and heated. By the expectant time there were no hatchlings. Bought four day-old chicks and placed them under her and collected the eggs to check for viability. Only three eggs! The other two had disappeared shells and all. That would explain the giant poop. She had water and feed in front of her face. Hmmm. I candled the three eggs. Two were bad and one all black. Good sign. I held the egg to my ear and heardthe tick tick tick of a beating heart. Placed the egg in an incubator and two day later a chick was hatched. A beautiful sight isnce it was the last of the original five. The nesting box/ brood coop is completedly secure and safe. Conclusion: my broody ate two of the eggs.
Very interesting. Thanks for sharing your story. Some brooding hens will eat an egg that breaks (possibly thin shell), or they’ll eat an egg that’s rotten (undeveloped).
Same issue: the mystery of the missing eggs, but our broody hen was sitting on 10 eggs, for way beyond the 21 days, and then one day they were all gone! No yolk, no shell, no predators, no mess whatsoever, just 10 missing eggs.
The real problem is, she’s still sitting there waiting for her babies to come along… I can’t break her even though I take out all of the new eggs under her.
Simple, the chick and egg shell were eaten by either mama or another Hen. If you’ve ever had multiple hens with chicks they can be brutal to each other’s babys. I suspect even without other mamas one of your hen likes fresh chick en meat.
I wouldn’t ever bother with only one egg, even if you didn’t want a big return. A half doz. would surely get you a couple of chicks. Anyway, they need a buddy when mom weans them.
Very true, they do need flock-mates to keep company 🙂
I’m so relieved to know our hens are not the only ones with disappearing eggs! We had 2 hens go broody this year one right after the other. The first hen had 2 eggs and 1 disappeared without a trace. At 21 days, she promptly pecked the remaining egg and left the nest. The second hen had 1 egg and it disappeared in the same fashion. She also stopped brooding and joined the flock. Our hen house is also predator proof so we could only surmise that the hens were the culprits. It is a very strange phenom that I’d like to know more about.
Regarding broody hens… In the past (when we didn’t have a rooster), one of our hens went broody and sat on an empty nest for weeks. We finally went to the feed store and bought her some chicks. My husband lifted her butt up off the nest and I tucked the chicks under her. The joy on her little face when she felt those babies moving warmed my heart. She was an excellent mother. The following year, we got her babies as soon as she got broody. These babies were a week old and we worried that she might reject them, but she took them in and raised them like they were her own.
Yes, mine are not usually egg eaters, but I am concluding that she must have eaten the egg.
Sad, but why did you get only ONE egg? That’s a setup for failure.
At the time, I really only wanted to add 1 or 2 chicks to my flock. In my small town, we have a limit to the number of hens we are allowed to keep. I agree with you though, 1 egg was really just a crapshot, a by chance hope, that everything would go right and it would hatch. This Spring, Id like to try again with more eggs.
I had a broody hen this year and one egg disappeared also. We didn’t know the rest of the eggs she was sitting on were not fertile until a week after hatch date, when we cracked one open to see what was going on. These were dark colored eggs so candling them was futile. Anyway, I bought 8 chicks to replace the eggs with and “Ezzie”. my broody hen, was perfectly happy and such a great mom. Two days ago, she left the chicks and rejoined the rest of flock on her own volition. The chicks are about 5 weeks old and eating regular chicken stuff like grasshoppers. They are doing great but not ready to join the flock like their mom. oldboss_2000@yahoo.com
That is great that she mothered the chicks! How fun.
Hens can hatch up to fifteen or more. I’ve had hens lay one egg a day for fifteen days and then go broody and hatch them all together after 21 to 23 days usually she stays with them until they start to wander out from under her and find things to eat. I always catch them and put them in a run with mom until the start to feather out and can fly onto the roost. Great way to increase your flock.
Yes, I am interested in doing this again in the Spring… with more eggs than 1.
I’ve had the same thing happen with mine….Mamma ate the mystery egg.
I have a compost pile near where the chicken run is and I regularly add whatever I don’t give the chickens (onion skins, egg shells etc…) – If I ever leave eggs shells lying around, all my flock will eat them…
Yes, they do like the shells left about in my compost pile too. I do think it was the Broody Mama who ate the egg for some reason.
Shannon,
You write a very interesting story!
A similar thing happened with our Broody hen. We put seven fertile eggs from a friends flock under our girl. During week three she pushed one egg out which then got cold over night and had to be tossed. Four of the eggs hatched out pretty little chicks. Two eggs were still in the nest a day after the others hatched. Two days later she got off the nest and only one egg was found which we had to discard. No sign whatsoever of the seventh egg. Where did it go? The cage is 100% predator proof. I can only surmise that Mama hen ate it, shell, yolk, and white. Vanished without a trace.
Thank you for the wonderful article you wrote. Better luck with your broody hen next time!
Thank you John! It is so intriguing how nature takes its course. I too think Mama Hen might have been the culprit of the Great Egg Mystery. She could have gotten away with it too if it wasn’t for those meddling kids and their dog… Oh wait that is Scooby-Doo 🙂
Lol!
I’m hooked! Not only is the story fun but you are a fantastic writer! What happened?! Is there a part 2? I’m dieing over here Shannon. Tell us, okay just tell me. Rut ro Raggy! Seriously though, don’t leave us hanging.
lol Thank you! No sign of the egg. I am pretty sure that Broody Mama ate the egg.
I visited your blog for the first time. Keep posting as I am gonna come to read it everyday!! expert advice
Thank you very much. I like to write about life in my small town, keeping chickens, a large garden and sharing recipes.
IF you get a chance to get fertile eggs for a broody hen again, get 5 or 6 if possible. Just in case if only half of them hatch. You may have to accumulate eggs for a few days before putting them under the hen. They should be stored in a cardboard egg carton (not Styrofoam) at room temperature, not refrigerated. Good luck next time.
Thank you Barb! Yes, next time, I will try to get more eggs. Just in case.
Thank you. We have been so bummed, but it is really hot today and Im glad she is enjoying the shade in the yard instead of hanging out on the other eggs.
Oh no, how sad for you, the boys and your poor girl 🙁
How perplexing, what could have happened? x