Questions about hatching under a broody!

AtlantisPeeps

Songster
5 Years
May 19, 2014
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I have a year old buff Orpington who I believe is broody. She sits in the corner puffed out and her wings half spread. When I reach down, she pecks my hand. Sooo, I figured what the heck and put a clutch of (hopefully) fertilized eggs under her. She tucks them under her gently with her head so I'm 100% sure she's broody. Now. I put dates on the eggs. Half from yesterday and half from today. She may have even layed some of her own under there. Here's what I did. I took a cardboard box, cut open one side of it, and filled it with stall chips. I put it in the corner she likes to sit in, then carefully moved her and the eggs in the box. She has food and water available to her, in a place so she just needs to reach her head over and eat. I have in with her- 1 year old rooster, and 2 other hens. Now, for the questions.

1. What do I do if she's not eating or drinking? Is it ok to pull her off the nest so she will?
2. How will I know if the chicks are growing in their eggs, or if the egg is just unfertilized and rotting?
3. Will the other chickens kill the chicks when and if they hatch? Should I isolate her to prevent that from happening?
4. Will SHE kill the chicks when they hatch, or will mother instincts take over?
5. Should I separate the chicks from her at any point? Or when?
 
She should eat and drink on her own, but if not then you might want to put a small feeder and waterer in the box with her. To know if the chicks are growing or fertile you can candle them. Candling is taking a bright light and shining it through the egg in a dark room. You should be able to see stuff by day 4, but I don't candle till day 7. Most hens will protect their chicks from the other chickens and she should take care of her babies and not hurt them. But there is the occasional hen that won't do that and when they hatch she will try to hurt them. If this happens you should move the chicks to a brooder and provide them with all of the necessities. I have learned this from reading about broodies and I am currently incubating my first batch, with an incubator. I haven't had a broody hatch chicks before, so I could be wrong. That is just what I have heard.
 
1. What do I do if she's not eating or drinking? Is it ok to pull her off the nest so she will?
2. How will I know if the chicks are growing in their eggs, or if the egg is just unfertilized and rotting?
3. Will the other chickens kill the chicks when and if they hatch? Should I isolate her to prevent that from happening?
4. Will SHE kill the chicks when they hatch, or will mother instincts take over?
5. Should I separate the chicks from her at any point? Or when?


1. You don't need to put food in with her. A broody hen will typically get up from her nest once a day. Sometimes, though, she won't get up for four or five. This is OK. I never put food in with mine because it is important for the hen to get up and stretch, dustbathe, and poop. A broody hen's poops will be huge, and really stinky. She isn't sick, she just isn't going to the loo as often as she would otherwise. I never force my hens off the nest, because I don't want her to feel threatened, or that the nest is in danger in anyway.

2. As the other poster said, you can tell if the eggs are developing by candling. I only candle once at around 7-10 days. I've never had a stinky egg under a hen, but I have had a hen kick out eggs that aren't developing. The reason I only candle once is because any moving or jostling of the eggs can cause problems. And some well meaning people who candle a lot have accidentally dropped an egg that had been developing.... I just don't want to chance it, you know? I have better success the fewer times I candle.

3. I always separate my broody hens to prevent my other hens from killing the babies. I've never had another hen kill a new chick, but I have heard of it happening.

4. My mothers have never killed any of their babies, and so I never seoerate them. I have heard of it happening, but very, very rarely. Especially with a buff Orpington, you should not expect this as they are hearalded as excellent mothers. Mother hens are AMAZING! They teach their babies what to eat and not eat, and how to scavenge for food. I give them a ration of food in the morning, and then the little mother just takes them around and fills them with grass and bugs the rest of the day. Very fun to watch!

5. I never separate my mothers from their babies. When the babies grow out of her, so to speak, the mother just returns to her place on the perch, and resumes egg laying. I have seen this happen as soon as 4 weeks, or as late as 3 months. It totally varies depending on the mother and babies.
 
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