My first broody hen and I think I want to give her some eggs to hatch - is my plan OK?

[Chad Oftedal]

I have a Buff Orpington that went broody on Tuesday night. She has picked the primary nest box, of course, to make her place to set. For the last two days, I have picked her up in the evening, and removed the eggs under her. She's been collecting eggs because a few of my other hens have sort of forced their way in and laid in the nest box next to her, and then left. Others, still, have found a different corner in the coop and laid there, avoiding her attitude. I have space available under my droppings board (pic at the bottom of this post) which I built out for the purpose of some day raising some day old chicks and adding them to my flock. When the buff here went broody, I thought it might be a fun experience to give it a try with her setting on some fertilized eggs and hatching them out. So, that's the quick backstory.

Here's my plan, and I welcome feedback on what I'm laying out. I know that everything is not guaranteed to go smoothly, so I understand there may be some risk, but I'm hoping to learn from others if there are any "definitely don't do that" items. I certainly want the best chance to succeed, but I realize you can never fully prepare for how things are going to go, and honestly, that can be part of the fun. It'll be the first time this hen has had viable eggs to sit on (though it's not her first time going broody*), it's my first time ever having a broody hen, and my first time trying to have a hen hatch some out.

1. Build a new nest box and place it in the corner where the current nest box is located that my broody hen is sitting in
2. Move the broody lady with the nest box she's already used to, into the penned brooding area under my droppings boards
3. At the time of this move, place marked, fertilized eggs in her nest box and set her close to the nest box and settle herself
4. Put food and water in her penned area there so she has easy access if she so chooses
5. Close off one of the two doors in the penned area so that there is only one entrance in and out
6. Unless something obviously goes sideways, let her give it a go and nature take it's course

So, my thought is that by giving her the nest box she's currently sitting in, moving her to a slightly different place in the coop may not be too disruptive. It's going to be literally three feet away from where it's at now, but it'll be on the inside of the pen rather than an open area of the coop. My hope is that she is more happy to be in the nest box she likes than so concerned about the corner location it's currently in. Where it sits now is in a corner, but it's not like it's super private. She'll have more privacy with it a few feet over and on the inside of the pen.

I'm also hoping the existing hens still laying will be quite happy to have a similar nest box as what they've been using, in the location that they're used to, minus an angry, broody hen in the box. If this fails, and they insist on going to her nest box, her eggs will be marked so I know which ones I can remove.

Regarding the food, my thought is just to make it easier for her and as an option. There is a chance the other hens might wander in next to her and help themselves, but why I think that wouldn't be the the end of the world is that this morning, she got up off the nest, went out into the run, drank some, aggressively ate at the feeder, jumped up on a roost bar in the run, did a little preening, and then made her way back to the nest. Another hen had sat in her nest during this time, and buff sort of just forced her way back in. Oh, I should mention, she's probably lower third in the pecking order amongst 10 hens. Anyway, she did all this in the span of about 20 minutes. I think if she was hungry and the food close to her was out for whatever reason, she'd gladly make her way out to the run like she did this morning.

Closing off the second door is just to keep things a bit calmer in the pen area. I don't think the other hens have much interest in bothering her.

So, that's the basics of the plan.

Anything jump out as a poor idea? Also, I'd been wondering, what kind of time do I have with her going broody starting back on Tuesday? I understand that without intervention to breaking them, it't not uncommon for them to run a full three week course or so before giving up. In this case, she'll have had about 3-4 days of broodiness before I get the eggs to her (the plan is for tomorrow, Friday if this all seems good). Will she likely just "tack on" the extra days needed to hatch the eggs once she is no longer being disturbed and the eggs she's sitting on start to develop? I'm guessing, there's some instinctual magic that goes on that she's able to tell the eggs are viable and in active development at a certain point and that will keep her going the 21 + 4 days so far to hatch them out? I could be totally in the weeds on this timing idea here, so would love some education.

Thanks so much!

*OK, if you've made it this far. The extended back story is that she is one of four hens that I integrated into my flock about seven weeks ago. She was in a group of survivor hens that survived back to back bear attacks on consecutive nights on their coop at my friend's place. He brought them to me so that he could have some down time and re-fortify his coop, add hot wire, etc. So, earlier, when I mentioned she's been broody before, but I've never had a broody hen, it's because she was with her other flock at the time. My friend just let her run her broody course. It'd be kind of special if she had this chance to hatch some eggs, and I'd get to keep some new chicks and when my friend picks these up these four survivors to take back, he'd have some new chicks as well to build up their flock again.

 

[Sussex19]

Just a couple of thoughts, but most of your plan sounds good!

At the time of this move, place marked, fertilized eggs in her nest box and set her close to the nest box and settle herself

I would move her first, with either a few infertile eggs, or golf balls or something, and make sure she is settled on her nest in the new location before giving her the real eggs.
Just incase she takes a while to settle, you don't want the fertile eggs getting warmed up, and then getting cold if she tries to get back to her old nest.

Anything jump out as a poor idea? Also, I'd been wondering, what kind of time do I have with her going broody starting back on Tuesday? I understand that without intervention to breaking them, it't not uncommon for them to run a full three week course or so before giving up. In this case, she'll have had about 3-4 days of broodiness before I get the eggs to her (the plan is for tomorrow, Friday if this all seems good). Will she likely just "tack on" the extra days needed to hatch the eggs once she is no longer being disturbed and the eggs she's sitting on start to develop? I'm guessing, there's some instinctual magic that goes that she's able to tell the eggs are viable and in active development at a certain point and that will keep her going the 21 + 4 days so far to hatch them out? I could be totally in the weeds on this timing idea here, so would love some education.

I don't think you need to worry to much here. Most hens would happily sit for an extra week or two. I, with my experience with my hens, have not found them to have very much in the way of instincts for telling if eggs are good or not.
They all just seem to happily sit for as long as one lets them, although no doubt they would eventually give up at some point.

Don't put food or water to close to the nest, as she needs to get off it to poop, and without the incentive of needing to eat and drink, she may not get off at all, and soil the nest.

 

[aart]

Great advice from @Sussex19
I'd close off all access so the other birds can't interfere.
Open the broody pen doors about a week after hatch.

 

[Cluckingtime]

Good luck with this! I look forward to following the progress

 

[Mrs. K]

There are 100 ways of doing this, and we all have a different way. I am glad you realize that not every egg will hatch, there is truth to the old saying, 'don't count your chickens until your eggs have hatched."

I have found, that I get a better hatch rate with closer to 8 eggs, verse 12 eggs. Do mark your eggs. You might consider ordering a couple of chicks, just in case nothing hatches, sometimes they don't. If you get a couple, plus the new chicks, you can just add them to mama bird in the dark.

I agree with Sussex19 to move her, and wait. I would move her in the pitch dark of night, not in the daylight. Reason is, I have tried to move a broody hen a couple of times only to have her go back to 'her' idea of the best spot and lost the clutch. I am not big on locking them in or layers out. I just go down, every third day or so, carefully lift her out of her chosen nest, and check the eggs. I wait around to let her eat, drink and make sure she gets on the right nest.

Do not feed and water in the nest - you need her to leave the nest to poop. Poop on the nest is a mess, and can decrease the chance of live chicks. Going out to the layers to eat, drink and poop is very important for flock dynamics.

I am a believer in keeping the broody hen with the layers. She needs to walk out there the size of a beach ball, crabbier than a wet hen, and throw her weight around. The layers will give her a lot of space, and that will be perfect for when she brings the chicks out. She will have her bluff in. This also keeps her standing with the flock. She does not become a stranger to the flock. Often times, people will put her and the eggs away from the flock, and try and reintroduce them at about 3-4 weeks old. She is loosing interest in the chicks, and is a stranger to the flock, and must fight her way back in, and the chicks are attacked by the layers and it is a wreck all the way around.

Live chicks is what makes the broody hen quit brooding. The movement under her flips the hormones from trance to raising chicks. If they don't hatch, she will keep brooding a lot of the time. Mine hatch in the nest they have chosen. The next day, they get out of the nest and talk the chicks down. My nests are on the wall 3 feet up. She usually has them outside by day 2.

If you come to the coop, and she is on the wrong nest, and this really happens, even if the eggs are cool to the touch, just move her back on them, and they should hatch just fine. Once the heart starts beating in the chick, they produce quite a bit of heat themselves. Once this happened to me in late September, but everyone said to move her back on, and they hatched right on schedule.

So carefully move her in the dead of night. Make sure she is setting tight for two or three days, and add the eggs. Sometimes moving her will break the broody. Other times a bomb won't break her. If you lock her up, then do chase her out of there once a day, or at least once every two days.

It is the longest 21 days ever!

Mrs K

 

[Chad Oftedal]

Thank you everyone for the great replies and feedback. I'm learning a ton of information! Friday was quite busy with work and I've had a few things come up that has delayed me a little bit. I have to take care of a few things early this week, so my new plan is to give her some eggs on Thursday 6/15. This will be only a little over a week since she first went broody and from what I am hearing, that should still be just fine. I just didn't want to put eggs under her and then not be able to give the attention needed for a few days. If I was an old hand at it, that'd be one thing, but I'm clearly not.

So, late this afternoon, I gave moving her a try - I wanted to see if she would entertain it or not. I hadn't seen the advice about doing it at night yet. What I did was moved her off the nest box and shifted it to an area in the pen. She took the opportunity to grab some food and drink some water. I placed her nest box in a good location in the pen, and then I moved a few of the eggs she was on in there. When she returned, I directed her to her nest box in the pen. She was hesitant, but decided to go in the box. A few seconds later, she came right back out and started clucking, and I don't think she was saying nice things. I tried directing her back again to which she did go in a second time, but quickly left again. As time went on and with it looking like it was not going to come easy, I decided to put her nest box back in the original location, and within 30 seconds or so, she was back in the box and sitting down again, completely content. This was just a bit of an experiment and for me, and this first time, it's more important to have the experience than take a chance on upsetting her enough that she loses interest. If my own hens would go broody so I had other chances in the future, that'd be one thing, but in 5 years of having chickens, not a single one of my flock has ever gone broody. It's also not the end of the world if she's prefers where she's at, we can make it work.

What I did do, that will hopefully take the pressure off the nest box she's in, is built a "double-wide" nest box that I put in the pen area for the other hens. My hope is that they'll see the new box as a fitting alternative and look to lay there. If it doesn't go that way, then we'll just pull the new ones every day or so that they put in her nest. I can roll with it.

For the eggs, I'm looking to get some Salmon Faverolle, Crested Cream Legbar and a few Olive Eggers. I was planning at like 8-9 total.

Thanks so much for the replies and the people that have decided to follow along. I'll be looking to add a few pics in the future and keeping timely updates.

 

[aart]

As time went on and with it looking like it was not going to come easy, I decided to put her nest box back in the original location, and within 30 seconds or so, she was back in the box and sitting down again, completely content.

How long of a time?
It can take a few hours or so for them to accept the new location.

 

[Chad Oftedal]

How long of a time?
It can take a few hours or so for them to accept the new location.

Yeah, I wondered about that. Probably 20-25 minutes is all. I was definitely hoping she’d not care at all, but that might have been too short to give her the time she needed to warm up to it. Since I’ve never seen her broody before, I don’t have a feeel for her dedication. I sure wondered, though, if I needed more tough love to give the move a fair chance.

 

[aart]

Yeah, I wondered about that. Probably 20-25 minutes is all. I was definitely hoping she’d not care at all, but that might have been too short to give her the time she needed to warm up to it. Since I’ve never seen her broody before, I don’t have a feeel for her dedication. I sure wondered, though, if I needed more tough love to give the move a fair chance.

If she's already been setting for a week, she's likely pretty dedicated.
When I've had a broody I want to let hatch, I move her to the enclosure with some fake eggs in a floor nest and give her a day to accept it before giving fresh fertile eggs.

But I understand your worry that she might not take to it.
Guess it depends on how much weight you give to each scenario.
Hard decisions for a chickeneer with their first broody.

 

[Mrs. K]

It is tricky. If you lock her in, or if you leave her be. If you give the layers a new box, ten to one, they will love it, mine always love a new nest. And if you check every two or three days it will work.