Broody hen sitting on too many eggs

[Lee912]

So my Easter egger has gone broody and is sitting on eggs, problem is my other Easter egger is laying eggs on top of her eggs. How do I get her to stop. Is this a common problem. (There is also 3 other nesting boxes)

 

[50-45-1]

This is one of the main problems of letting your broody nest in the coop with the other hens. The daily laing of fresh eggs in the nest result in staggered batch (not all eggs developing and hatching at the same time, resulting in failure.
The competation for the nest box resulting in broken eggs and contamination of neighboring eggs.
Some people mark the eggs and remove freshly laid non marked eggs daily. An added chore for you (and another disruption to your broody) and marks do wear off and may result in half developed eggs ending up in your refrigerator. Also depending on your coop and set up, is it a safe hei th t off the floor for chicks? Is there a ramp? Chicks get stranded and die of exposure when they cant figure out the ramp.
I have a separate hutch set up for my broodies, save the eggs set all at once and they hatch all at once. I leave the hen and chicks in hutch for 2 weeks then return hen a brood to main coop. Works very well for me.
No way to stop the other hens from picking there favorite nest box, aside from blocking it off. Then your broody can not get out.
Good luck!

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

Yup, very common. Never ends well.

Definitely start by marking the eggs you want hatched. Gather the rest several times a day or move the broody. I have a small rabbit hutch
inside the coop. Dog crate also works good. Moving the broody is definitely the best option.

 

[Chickengene]

So my Easter egger has gone broody and is sitting on eggs, problem is my other Easter egger is laying eggs on top of her eggs. How do I get her to stop. Is this a common problem. (There is also 3 other nesting boxes)

How does she manage to lay eggs on top of a broody hen?
Am I missing something?
My broody hen only gets off the nest for a few minutes every third day or so.
I heard the biggest biddy argument ever when Maleficent my broody Wyandotte refused to allow Ruby my RIR back into the nest they previously shared.
Everybody else has had to move to one of the other nests.

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

They usually crowd in next to each other. Then the broody takes the egg under herself. Easter eggers are small hens. I'm guessing that's what's happened here.

How does she manage to lay eggs on top of a broody hen?
Am I missing something?
My broody hen only gets off the nest for a few minutes every third day or so.
I heard the biggest biddy argument ever when Maleficent my broody Wyandotte refused to allow Ruby my RIR back into the nest they previously shared.
Everybody else has had to move to one of the other nests.

 

[Chickengene]

They usually crowd in next to each other. Then the broody takes the egg under herself. Easter eggers are small hens. I'm guessing that's what's happened here.

I guess that makes sense.
No way Maleficent is going to let my Easter Egger in her nest.
The EE had to find a new nest.
Of course my nests may be kind of small. 12" h x 12" D x 12" w.
I take that back the one the broody hen is in is 14" wide.
Thinking I may need to build some bigger ones for the young Orpingtons and Brahmas.

 

[old biddy]

I have moved broody hens and their eggs to another more private nest. Sometimes it works out well, but sometimes the hen just abandons the new nest. Sometimes you win...sometimes you lose.

 

[starri33]

I marked the eggs that mine was sitting on, the next day, I checked and dug 3 new ones out. kept a eye on her till one of the marked ones got broke, so I moved her to her own little crate. I have sex-links and I've seen 3 of them all pile into the nest box at once.. I have 6 nest boxes and they will use maybe 3 of them, I just collected 10 eggs out of the same nest box today. Marking your eggs is the best way, how far along are they in the development? if not but a couple of days, pick the one's you want her to sit on and then mark them, if she keeps getting extra eggs, you will need to move her somewhere or risk getting some broke.

 

[Lee912]

Thanks for the help everyone! I took some eggs off and marked the rest, now I am trying to figure out where to move her that is more private.

 

[starri33]

Thanks for the help everyone! I took some eggs off and marked the rest, now I am trying to figure out where to move her that is more private.

I've got mine in a large dog crate for now, she and the chicks are protected, you can if you want put a towel or a blanket over where her nest is to give her some privacy. the nest box that I have mine is has sides to it.