Putting eggs under hen that's been broody for a while- good or bad idea?

[LilyLeghorn]

Hello,

A while back, I hatched out eggs in an incubator and all grew up to be roos except for one, which is a sweet little serama/silkie mix now owned by a friend.

Recently, my friend left on a summer long vacation and left the little hen in my care, warning me that she had been "growling and hissing" and refusing to leave her box for a few weeks.

When I got the hen, I realized she was broody and thought she would stop being broody soon since she'd been that way for a while. Now, it's been 2 weeks, and she's still broody!

She's been brooding for over a month and shows no sign of stopping. She does act fine when she's outside, but the moment she sets foot in her box she's completely broody...

I want to try putting eggs under her, but would that be a bad idea since she's already been broody for over a month and this is her first time going broody? I'm just afraid she'll end up ditching the eggs after a week or two.

Any advice would be appreciated, as this is my first experience with a broody hen.

Thanks!

 

[JanO]

if she's been broody that long I wouldn't put eggs under her, but I would find a day old chick to give her. The odds of her sticking it out for another 3 weeks are slim, but if she has a chick she may snap out of it before she makes herself sick.

 

[LilyLeghorn]

Thanks for the advice

However, I live in an area where there's really no place to buy chicks at this time of the year. The only way I have gotten chicks before is by hatching eggs or at a far away feed store that only has them February...

Would it work if I put the eggs under her until she stops being broody, then sticking the eggs in an incubator and giving the chicks to her after they hatch? Or does that not work? (Sorry- I'm a bit confused as to what to do)

 

[JanO]

Under the circumstances go ahead and put a couple of eggs under her, but she may not sit on them the whole 21 days, if she accepts them. If she stops you can go ahead and hatch them in the incubator, but don't plan on giving them to her after they hatch. By then the moment would have passed and she'll more than likely attack them so you'll have to plan on raising them in a brooder.

 

[LilyLeghorn]

Ok, thank you so much for your advice!