My first broody hen....

[ccarver80]

Uh ya so went into the coop and I have a VERY broody hen.... if I put a random egg in front if her she instantly scoops it under her.

First question
I live in North Dakota it's cold in the winter.... bad time to have baby chicks?

Second question she is broody up in an top cupboard in my chicken coop/old camper... if they were to hatch how is she gong to get them back on the ground?

 

[mrchicks]

If you are going to let her hatch these, you are going to have to move her to the ground floor. Otherwise they will fall, she can't move them on her own.

I don't hatch in winter, but everyone's set up is different.

 

[ccarver80]

How do you break her? Just take the eggs away?

And I tried moving her she just gave up... then went broody the next day again

 

[mrchicks]

I have a dog crate that I use to break broody behavior. It's raised off the ground and has no bedding so that there is airflow under the bird. That way she can't keep eggs warm. I put her in there with food and water for usually 4-5 days. That normally is enough to snap her out of it. I do make sure that she can see her flock, so that they don't pick on her when she's let back out.

 

[zinkie]

I have raised 1 hatch in the January. Hatched on a day it was 5 degrees out. Named the first one Cinco. She was sitting on her nest under a wall cabinet right in the coop. I just made sure she had extra shavings and hay- hung a small lite near her to give her a bit more warmth. When the babies hatched- they had no idea it was only 5 degrees out and would run around and then dive back under mom. It was very sweet. She kept them warm.

 

[Ridgerunner]

First, read this thread. Someone did it and the broody raised six chicks. Since the thread is full of photos it should have some credibility with you.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/947046/broody-in-michigan-winter

It’s not a great time for a broody to raise chicks. There is more risk. But as you can see, it can be done. The lady also said she would not do it again.

I don’t know how high that nest is but I’ve seen a hen get chicks out of a ten feet high hay loft. Mama flies to the ground, says jump, and they do. When they land they bounce up and run to Mama. The hen being able to get them down would not concern me at all.

How big is that nest, or more important how close to the edge of the nest is the hen sitting? Baby chicks often like to climb up on Mama’s back while she is hatching the late comers. Of course they fall off. If Mama is away from the edge it’s no big deal. That was fun, I’ll go do it again. But if the nest is small enough that the chick might miss the nest and go all the way to the floor, then I’d have concerns.

 

[aart]

First, read this thread. Someone did it and the broody raised six chicks. Since the thread is full of photos it should have some credibility with you.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/947046/broody-in-michigan-winter

It’s not a great time for a broody to raise chicks. There is more risk. But as you can see, it can be done. The lady also said she would not do it again.

I don’t know how high that nest is but I’ve seen a hen get chicks out of a ten feet high hay loft. Mama flies to the ground, says jump, and they do. When they land they bounce up and run to Mama. The hen being able to get them down would not concern me at all.

How big is that nest, or more important how close to the edge of the nest is the hen sitting? Baby chicks often like to climb up on Mama’s back while she is hatching the late comers. Of course they fall off. If Mama is away from the edge it’s no big deal. That was fun, I’ll go do it again. But if the nest is small enough that the chick might miss the nest and go all the way to the floor, then I’d have concerns.

Yeah, that was me in Michigan....it worked OK but I wouldn't do it again.