Will chickens sit on eggs to keep them from freezing even if they're not brooding?

[Shadow-Kitty]

My chickens and ducks have recently started laying regularly again even though it's still freezing out and will be for a few more months. Every morning, noon and night there are three to five chickens that seem to be taking turns sitting on the eggs. I remove them regularly since it's way too cold for chicks right now. My barred conchins don't surprise me since I have two that go broody at the drop of a hat. One conchin mix that's less than six months old is weird but a conchin is a conchin. But I also have a wyandotte and easter egger that will sit on the nest. The easter egger especially likes to sit and growl at me in the morning. Though she only started when the ducks started laying. She doesn't even have any eggs in the nest or will lay them by the cold door then go sit on the ducks eggs and curse at me. No matter the time of day or night there is one of those five chickens sitting on the nest. The only time I haven't caught someone sitting on the nest is when there are either no eggs or it's fairly warm out, 35 fahrenheit and up. Either half my flock is going broody at once or chickens have some instinct to protect the eggs from the cold. Has anyone else noticed this?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Interesting. But nope, my hens lay their egg then they are off and running. None of mine, as faras I know, has any tendency to broodiness. That may change come spring, I strongly suspect at least 3 of my lavender EE's have.Orp genes. We'll see.

 

[Shadow-Kitty]

Interesting. But nope, my hens lay their egg then they are off and running. None of mine, as faras I know, has any tendency to broodiness. That may change come spring, I strongly suspect at least 3 of my lavender EE's have.Orp genes. We'll see.

This easter egger is all gray with those brown streaks around her neck like a black sex-link. She's pretty high strung so she was the last chicken I would expect to go broody. Not that she seems to be interested in being a mama to chickens. She seems to want ducklings.

 

[Mrs. K]

A non broody hen does not stay on a nest. Birds thinking about going broody do sit on the nest sporadically (like yours are doing?) And there really is no mistaking a broody hen, pancake the blows up like a beach ball and will take your arm off at the elbow.

 

[Shadow-Kitty]

A non broody hen does not stay on a nest. Birds thinking about going broody do sit on the nest sporadically (like yours are doing?) And there really is no mistaking a broody hen, pancake the blows up like a beach ball and will take your arm off at the elbow.

I feared as much. My options for changing their mind is pretty limited this time of year. I can't use cold bottles, it's already freezing. I'm not home during the day most of the time to carry each one around. I can't boot them and lock up the coop to keep them out because they need the shelter. It's been barely above freezing at the warmest for nearly two weeks. Guess I'll just keep shooing them off the nest, collecting eggs and hoping for the best until it warms up again. But seriously of all the chickens to go broody I did not see Lucy the easter egger to be one of them. And why duck eggs? She's laying her own eggs.

Unless it's all coincidence and they don't really care about the eggs so much as hiding in the warmest corner of the coop to avoid the cold. You'd think more than one would cuddle up like they do at night though. I think some are losing interest. They've taken to scattering to the four winds first thing in the morning. I have to make the rounds of their yard, my yard and the garage to make sure everyone is inside at night. One of the suspects in question tried to spend the night alone in the outdoor goose nest box. And someone else is laying eggs in a pile of abandoned fluff from a destroyed dog bed. Lucy is still standing firm on sitting on duck eggs though.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Maybe ... sitting on the eggs bc they are warm?

 

[Shadow-Kitty]

Maybe ... sitting on the eggs bc they are warm?

You'd think the silly girls would sit by the light since it's warmer. At night some do. I don't think it will matter how many years I have chickens. I'll always be wondering what they're thinking. I think the easter egger and at least one conchin, Lilly again probably, are for certain going broody. The rest are probably, hopefully, a coincidence and just happen to be inside when I check for eggs. The conchin mix might just prefer that spot for sleeping every night.