Broody hen in winter, what to do?

[DraigAthar]

FWIW, good momma hens know what to do, even in the cold. I live in NH and I have a broody who incubated and hatched a clutch of eggs when the nightime temps regularly went down below 0F. She did this outside in a coop. It kept the wind out, and we did give her lots of bedding, but no supplemental heat. The chicks hatched fine, she raised them fine, she knows exactly how to keep them safe and warm. Trust your broodies, they don't need much more than a safe, quiet place that is sheltered from the weather to succeed.

 

[ButchGood]

The second hen adopted the 19 chicks. She's a busy Mama. She came out of the nesting box for the first time today. Pics to come.

 

[ButchGood]

My broody Mama and her 19 adopted chicks. They are sooo lucky. they get to live in a greenhouse where the temperature doesn't get below 59 degrees at night when the outside temps are 24. She took to them quite well and is teaching them what they need to know. So much easier than a brooder box and a heat lamp. She does all the work.

 

[wowmanacat]

I throw mamma out this morning after making a mess in the pen. I will just keep the babies In the house till they can go out. Might be able to tame them to be people friendly and run away all the tone.

 

[Lynzi777]

I throw mamma out this morning after making a mess in the pen. I will just keep the babies In the house till they can go out. Might be able to tame them to be people friendly and run away all the tone.

I too put my momma out this past weekend. If it was spring time and they could all be outside I would have let her raise them. But since she makes a bigger mess (and smellier one!) than the chicks I put her back out with the others. I wanted to raise the chicks we had hatch on our own anyway and I wouldn't have been able to get them used to people with the momma pecking at me every time I came near the brooder.

 

[n8ivetxn]

Well, that attempt failed miserably I'm the one who did it wrong I think. The heat lamp made it too light and the hen could see everything I was doing. I lifted the hen up and placed the chicks in the nest the sat her by the chicks. She growled and her hackles got up. I waited about 20 minutes. She did not warm up to them and started pecking at them. I removed the chicks. Luckily I have another broody on 8 eggs. She's been broody for about 20 days and has been setting on eggs for 12. She's in my greenhouse. It was dark and warm when I went in. I palmed a chick and slid it under her and grabbed an egg on the way out. I repeated this until all the eggs were out and 19 chicks were under her. She did not growl, just a little vocal fuss, but not bad. Right now she is fluffed up covering every one of them. I have a good feeling about this one. I'll keep an eye out throughout the night and check on her at first light. I put her eggs under the other broody. She'll just have to wait another 8 or 9 days for her babies.

Yeah, it has to be dark.....one of my girls went broody in September.... I went to lock up and couldn't find her in there....I thought she might've gotten carried off.....a couple days later she shows her face - I knew instantly she was hiding a nest somewhere! So at evening when she came to eat, I watched her go into the brush at the edge of the pasture. That night I crept out there (- it was raining hard) and quietly moved her and the eggs into a nest box in the coop. It worked

Tonight I went out to lock up the chickens and one of my french marans pullets, she's 6 months old, was sitting up in a nest box! - Now, both of my FM hens are very good broodies (the one in the story above is the pullet's mamma), so now I'm wondering if she's trying to start in.... I can't imagine why else she would be in there at night fall....I'll know tomorrow!

Love my broodies, they're very good mammas.... I don't have electricity in the coop. If they start it, they need to finish it! And I have full faith and confidence in these girls!

 

[Dragonflylane]

I am so glad to hear that there was success in NH during the winter without intervention. We have intervened in our hens broody-ness in the past, and if she did it this spring we were going to let her go. Well Feb 4 and she is at it. I was inquiring into the best way to handle it, and love to hear that nature prevailed even in winter. If you have any information that would be helpful, I would love to hear. We have had chickens for 15 years or so, but this is our first broody hen.

 

[DraigAthar]

I am so glad to hear that there was success in NH during the winter without intervention. We have intervened in our hens broody-ness in the past, and if she did it this spring we were going to let her go. Well Feb 4 and she is at it. I was inquiring into the best way to handle it, and love to hear that nature prevailed even in winter. If you have any information that would be helpful, I would love to hear. We have had chickens for 15 years or so, but this is our first broody hen.

What are your night-time temps like in February? Have you given her eggs to incubate yet? I try to isolate my broodies, I have a little broody coop set aside just for the occasion. As long as they have food, water, and peace and quiet, they know how to do the rest.

 

[Chicknlittle230]

I am in Dummerston VT and one of my Bantam hens has gone broody. I am so excited but also worried about the temps. She has picked a nice nesting box in the coop. The coop has a heat lamp on from 6pm to 6am and the rest of the flock is in there with her at night. Should I leave her there with her couple eggs or move her to a separate space? Look forward to hearing advice . This is her first brood. Thanks,

 

[wowmanacat]

Mine went broody again about three weeks ago. I brought her into the house right before a large storm was to hit just in case the electric was to go out. I had 36 eggs int he incubator and I was not going to lose the last of the green eggs that I had from the only green egg laying hen I had.She was a bearded chicken and I really would like to have more of them. I now have at least three of them and one that is form the last time my hen when broody. So mamma has 6 and there are 24 in a tote in the tub ready to go to there new home if they come to pick them up later today. So in about 4 month she will do it again and she will stay out in the coop then.