So many questions , so little time, please help

I have never had a hen go broody until now. I have a RR hen that has she was sitting on 7 eggs so I just left her alone, she got of the clutch the other day for a little bit and there is 12 eggs under her. The first 7 I noticed on the 23rd. The other hens are laying in the other nesting box. I have no idea what I am doing. I figure the first eggs should hatch about the 10th of july. I have no idea what I should do. Just let them be and let nature take its course? I know I should get chick feed. What should I have for them to drink from? Should I just let the mamma hen and chicks stay with the rest of the flock? I really do not have anything to put her in right now. I was not prepared for this and haven't had time the past couple weeks. My husband had a stroke 4mnths ago and I just brought him home from hospital again 2 days ago from another heart attack. I have not put the time into figuring out what I should do . Any advice will be so appreciated. I did get someone to help me build a nice chicken coop this past spring. I have pics I have been wanting to find the time to post, (and I promise I will soon)

I'm so sorry about your husband and I hope he gets well As for chicks...you seem to be under a lot of stress and you need to think about weather or not you want more chickens. If I were you I would not raise chicks now, especially 12. Thats a lot and it will only stress you out which you don't need.

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/search?q=broody

This is a link all about broody hens and how to break them which I suggest you do

I have three broody hens right now! I'm so excited!

Other hens love a nest that looks well used, and my hens will shove out broodies to use their nest. It was a mess, chaos, awful that year. Chicks being eaten and dying, eggs partially hatching and dying, an awful smell that has now made me dislike the smell of eggs all together, and a mother hen that attacked and killed all the chicks belonging to another.

Now, I don't mean to frighten you with my horror story, I just wanted to warn you of what it can be like. I would mark all her eggs (if you can tell them apart, they tend to be dirty), remove the others, and then block off her nest. Let her out for 5-25 minutes in the morning to stretch, eat, drink, and use the bathroom, then make sure she gets back on. You could try putting her in a dog crate, a box with a make-shift door, but moving broodies can lead to them panicking and abandoning their eggs. You can instead move her when the chicks have hatched, so they can have their own little pen the first couple of weeks.

I hope your husband continues on the road to recovery.

Best of luck with your family and flock!

If you do decide to break up your broody, or just let her raise a few eggs (such as three, so she isn't sad), it would be sad to throw out those partially developed little chickies. You could try selling them as hatching eggs, I'm sure a lot of people have broodies that they want to give hatching eggs to or who don't want to wait three weeks with their incubators.

What I would do, since your situation is kind of complicated with your husband's health issues is this: if you want more chickens and have the time and space to care for them, let the broody set on The eggs she has. Mark the 12 eggs so you will know if anyone else lays in the nest so you can remove the extras. You will likely have what is called a staggered hatch if the other 5 were layed later. You have a couple of options with that. After the first ones are done hatching, you could take the rest and put them in an incubator, or you could dispose of the unhatched eggs once she leaves the nest with the chicks. Or, as mentioned before, see if anyone else wants them. If you let your hen hatch, you can just leave her and the chicks with the rest of the flock. Rather than chick starter, you could feed everyone grower feed. That way the chicks aren't getting too much calcium, and the hens won't be ingesting medicated feed that may taint your eggs. Personally, I'd opt for letting nature take it's course. (The first option) You have enough on your plate without making things too complicated with your chickens. Take care of yourself.

Thank you for all your replies and advice. My husband goes back in hospital in am for heart cath. I believe with all that is going on I am going to put some chick feed and water near the laying box and let nature take its course. I have to prioritize right now with all I have going on. Moving the hen is not an option because she is being mean, she is a our devil hen right now. I can even see under her now. I sure was not ready for baby chicks right now, I have room but I am concerned that about what to do with any roo`s I get. I usually sit and read and learn about anything I take on new but I just have not been able to with my husbands company(trying to keep the guys going while he is sick, its a vinyl siding co.) Doctor appts and anything and everything that is going on.
Im sorry I don't mean to come hear with all my problems and whine. I really am blessed I just wish this hen would have behaved herself and not went broody. Things keep going my family may find me in the coop sitting on eggs because if when looney. LOL.

One of the eggs has hatched. That was a nice surprise when I got home from hospital. Ive posted some pics here.

Awesome! My eggs (make that egg so far) hatched today as well!

luckycluk said:

Thank you for all your replies and advice. My husband goes back in hospital in am for heart cath. I believe with all that is going on I am going to put some chick feed and water near the laying box and let nature take its course. I have to prioritize right now with all I have going on. Moving the hen is not an option because she is being mean, she is a our devil hen right now. I can even see under her now. I sure was not ready for baby chicks right now, I have room but I am concerned that about what to do with any roo`s I get. I usually sit and read and learn about anything I take on new but I just have not been able to with my husbands company(trying to keep the guys going while he is sick, its a vinyl siding co.) Doctor appts and anything and everything that is going on.
Im sorry I don't mean to come hear with all my problems and whine. I really am blessed I just wish this hen would have behaved herself and not went broody. Things keep going my family may find me in the coop sitting on eggs because if when looney. LOL.

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No apologies needed! Sometimes one just has to vent to maintain their sanity. My mom is kind of in the same boat you are. My step-dad has lung issues and has been hospitalized twice within a week due to poor air quality from the Canadian wild fires. He got out today, but with lots of meds and orders. She's also taking care of my 100-year old grandma (who still lives in her own home), taking her to this appointment and that one. Between the two of them, she's averaging 3-4 Dr. appointments per week. We do what we have to do for family. You are right that you have to prioritize, and you have your priorities right. Your husband needs to come first. The hen and chicks will be fine. Don't worry about potential roosters right now. No use in borrowing trouble.

bobbi-j said:

No apologies needed! Sometimes one just has to vent to maintain their sanity. My mom is kind of in the same boat you are. My step-dad has lung issues and has been hospitalized twice within a week due to poor air quality from the Canadian wild fires. He got out today, but with lots of meds and orders. She's also taking care of my 100-year old grandma (who still lives in her own home), taking her to this appointment and that one. Between the two of them, she's averaging 3-4 Dr. appointments per week. We do what we have to do for family. You are right that you have to prioritize, and you have your priorities right. Your husband needs to come first. The hen and chicks will be fine. Don't worry about potential roosters right now. No use in borrowing trouble.

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I know what its like when family members are sick. My mother was taking care of my Grandmother when she had cancer and it was really, really hard. Thinking about it is still sad. My Grandmother passed away a few years ago.

I hope your family stays healthy and strong.