Broody hen in the fall?

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catchthewind

catchthewind

Songster
8 Years
Jan 27, 2011
366
4
113
Vancouver Island
I have a broody hen. I keep kicking her out of the nest boxes but she keeps going back in and it's been almost a week. So I thought maybe I'd give her a few eggs (I have a rooster) and see what happens. But I can't really bring her inside when they hatch, will I be dooming the chicks to freeze to death? I'm in the Pacific North West. It starts to get below freezing over night probably around November-ish usually? Also, she's in a nest box off the ground right now, can I just move her and the eggs into a dog crate (door open) in the coop? If she's been broody for a week or so will she continue to sit the eggs long enough for them all to hatch if I give her some today or will she give up two weeks from now if the eggs don't hatch then?

Thanks!
 
I live in Portland area and I just set some eggs under my broody today! Gee, this sounds like a broody hatching anonymous meeting!! LOL Anyway, the hen will keep the chicks warm even in the winter. They come out and run around a while, then go back under mama hen to warm up.

Some broodies will accept being moved and some won't. She may just keep going back to the original nest if she can, or she may even decide to quit being broody if you move her. I would give her some golf balls to sit on and try moving her now. If you are successful in getting her to accept the new next area (crate) and stay on the golf balls for a couple days, then you can switch them out for some real eggs.

To answer your question about if she'll quit in 2 weeks. It all depends on the hen! IF she's a good broody, she will probably not have any desire to get off the next until babies hatch......however long that takes!
smile.png


Good luck!
 
Bumping this back up. We ended up moving her to a dog kennel in the coop and I forgot to close her up in it one day. She went back to the wrong nest box and her eggs were all cold. We put her back on them anyway, and surprisingly she has hatched three of them so far and is still sitting on a few more.

So now my question is, what is the best way to integrate her and the chicks into the flock? I've read some people separate them completely until the chicks are bigger, but I would much prefer to at least try and let her manage the integration and not have to try and figure out somewhere to put her and the chicks. She doesn't seem interested in getting off the nest yet, but when she is, should I just let her out and stand by and see what happens?
 
I have a broody here with 7 eggs going on day 17 and doing great.. I have been worried about her and the eggos with temps in the 30's & 40's here the past week, but everyone assures me they will be ok... Guess we will find out next week..
 

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