Broody hen… to break or hatch?

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

I have a hen who is broody. I gave her eggs on 5/4 making hatch day 5/25. But she kept swapping nest boxes and after several times of moving her back or moving the eggs to her, I gave up and stuck the eggs in the incubator (along w/ 17 other eggs). The eggs were with her about 1 week.

My incubator eggs go into lockdown on Tuesday. My question, with emphasis on the hen, is… should I put some eggs under her for these last few days to hatch? (She hasn’t switched nest boxes in a while). Or, Should I wait it out and see if she breaks on her own (she’s been broody for about 3 weeks now), or should I toss her in a crate and just break the broodiness now?

This is the hen’s 2nd time being broody. Back in December she was a faithful incubator to her eggs, but not such a great mama to the new babies (she wouldn’t stop sitting on the nest, even after all the eggs hatched) and I had to take the babies and brood them myself. However we were both new to broodiness, and I ignorantly set her up with a staggered hatch, and I wonder if that caused some confusion. I’d like to give her 1 more opportunity before I declare her “not a mama.” Should I let this be her second opportunity? Or should I break her and wait until she has a “perfect” broody situation?

 

[DobieLover]

I would do option 3:
Hatch the chicks and slip a few under her at night and see if she will adopt them. Be out there before dawn the morning after you put them under her and see what she thinks when the flock is rousting for the day. If it looks like she will accept them, get them onto the floor of the coop with lots of fluffy dry bedding and set them up with a chick safe waterer that mom can use too and some chick starter.

Because she seems to be a little wishy washy, select chicks that are all the same color or close to it to eliminate the possibility of rejection because she thinks a different looking chick isn't "hers".

 

[Mrs. K]

With 17 eggs, I would not expect 17 chicks. But you sure could.

I think I would risk 4-5, stick them under her in the dark. Wait and hatch the rest in the incubator. They should all hatch at the same time. If she takes them, and I think she will if you leave her alone. If it works, I would slip at least a few more chicks under her the next night. I like chicks raised with a hen best.

Mrs K

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

I would do option 3:
Hatch the chicks and slip a few under her at night and see if she will adopt them. Be out there before dawn the morning after you put them under her and see what she thinks when the flock is rousting for the day. If it looks like she will accept them, get them onto the floor of the coop with lots of fluffy dry bedding and set them up with a chick safe waterer that mom can use too and some chick starter.

Because she seems to be a little wishy washy, select chicks that are all the same color or close to it to eliminate the possibility of rejection because she thinks a different looking chick isn't "hers".

I was thinking she might be more likely to take the chicks if they actually hatch under her since she’d be able to hear them before they emerge. Do you think that would make a difference?

Although I guess I wouldn’t be able to make sure they’re similar in color… which I hadn’t thought about but is a great idea!

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

I would do option 3:
Hatch the chicks and slip a few under her at night and see if she will adopt them. Be out there before dawn the morning after you put them under her and see what she thinks when the flock is rousting for the day. If it looks like she will accept them, get them onto the floor of the coop with lots of fluffy dry bedding and set them up with a chick safe waterer that mom can use too and some chick starter.

Because she seems to be a little wishy washy, select chicks that are all the same color or close to it to eliminate the possibility of rejection because she thinks a different looking chick isn't "hers".

Another question- if I do put chicks under her, how soon would you recommend taking from the incubator? For brooding I like to leave them in 24 hours, but maybe sooner is okay since they’ll have s warm body to squish in to?

 

[DobieLover]

Another question- if I do put chicks under her, how soon would you recommend taking from the incubator? For brooding I like to leave them in 24 hours, but maybe sooner is okay since they’ll have s warm body to squish in to?

Because you'll be doing it at night well after dark that's going to dictate how far along the chicks are after hatching when you actually slip them under the broody.
If they hatch in the morning they'll probably be almost dry by the time you take them out and put them under her.
If they hatch later in the evening they might still be damp when you put them under her.

 

[DobieLover]

I was thinking she might be more likely to take the chicks if they actually hatch under her since she’d be able to hear them before they emerge. Do you think that would make a difference?

I don't think that will matter that much. But it would have been ideal if she'd been able to do the entire incubation.
I've never grafted chicks to a hen but what I've suggested is the way I would go about it based on my experience with broodies. I did have a hen that had a lone chick hatch under her and she then proceeded to adopt six three week old bantam chicks that had to be taken from their hatch mother because she was abusing them. She very readily accepted and raised those 6 bantam chicks along with her own.

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

Update! Good news so far but still have questions-

Last night I gave my hen 2 babies. This morning she is “purring” to them. I pulled them out of the nest box and set them up in a dog crate. She laid down and let the babies under her. I kept them confined all morning while we were running errands in case she wanted to return to her nest box, and now that I’m home I’ve left the crate door open for the past few hours. Mama and babies are so far happy!

How long after hatching (or after being given chicks) should I expect her to stop acting like a broody mama and start acting like a chicken mama? When the babies pop out from under her she pecks food and talks to them, but she hasn’t even stood up yet. This was the issue we had last time. She never wanted to stop sitting.

At what point should I expect her to start exploring the world with her babies? And at what point should I gently but firmly encourage her to snap out of it by tossing her and the bakes into the run?

 

[Mrs. K]

Tomorrow - I chase her and the chicks out of the dog crate. I don't lock mine up. Put some feed down away from the nest a couple of feet with some water. She should call them over to eat.

 

[Sussex19]

At what point should I expect her to start exploring the world with her babies? And at what point should I gently but firmly encourage her to snap out of it by tossing her and the bakes into the run?

Its normally two or three days, before she gets off the nest.
When you think its about time, take them all out into the run, and scatter some feed just out of reach. If that doesn't do it, try poking and prodding her, until she's had enough of it and gets up.