Should I let my broody have babies?

[strong440]

What should I do? I'm quite new to chicken keeping. We got 3 @ POL just after easter. My Cuckoo Maran seems to have gone broody. She's only about 7 months old and so far has been our best layer - one practically every day, has a day off about once every 3 weeks! The week before last she spent a couple of days sitting on eggs, but if I left the lid of the nesting box open, she'd give up and get off after a few minutes. She then went back to normal. Now she's decided that she means it. She's been sat there for the past 48 hours and wont get off. She gets very cross if you try to budge her and will go straight back in if theres an egg to sit on.
I have so many questions;
Is she too young?
How many chicks am I likely to get from just 6 eggs? (I've found a local place where I could get some fertile eggs and they say they'll take any resulting cockerels off my hands.)
Would an old rabbit cage be suitable for a brooding cage?
How long until the new chicks can be introduced back to the other girlies?
I'm so confused - what should I do?

 

[Mahonri]

First, WELCOME to BYC... so glad you are here.

If you try and move her, she may not stay broody. Is there a way to keep the other girls out of her nest and let her move out?

I'd give her at least 12 fertile eggs.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Is she too young?

Physically she is old enough. Some first time broodies have a little trouble figuring it out since it is all on instinct the first time regardlessof age, but the instincts are probably pretty good. If you want chicks, I'd say go for it.

How many chicks am I likely to get from just 6 eggs? (I've found a local place where I could get some fertile eggs and they say they'll take any resulting cockerels off my hands.)

Are you asking how many eggs will hatch (I think so but not really sure) or how many female could you expect if 6 hatch? Or are you asking how many eggs to set to get 6 females? If the question is the odds of male versus female, here you go.
6 male 0 female - 1 in 64 or 1.6%
5 male 1 female - 6 in 64 or 9.4%
4 male 2 female - 15 in 64 or 23.4%
3 male 3 female - 20 in 64 or 31.3%
2 male 4 female - 15 in 64 or 23.4%
1 male 5 female - 6 in 64 or 9.4%
0 male 6 female - 1 in 64 or 1.6%

If you are asking how many will hatch, it depends on so many different things, it is very hard to tell. Some of the things it depends on are the nutrition, health and age of the parents, the quality of the eggs, how they are handled, and how well your broody does. If they are shipped in the mail, I think a 50% hatch rate is pretty good. If you pick them up yourself and handle them carefully you can improve your odds but you need to be ready for any result between all or none. If you want 6 female, I'd set 12 eggs.

Would an old rabbit cage be suitable for a brooding cage?

Rabbit cages are normally all wire construction and probably elevated. It mainly depends on the size, but it should work well if it is big enough. You'll need room for the nest and enough room for food, water, and room for her to leave the nest and go poo. How much room you actually need depends on the size of your feeder and waterer. Broodies tend to like a darker nest, so I'd be tempted to close off at least two sides (maybe 3 if you can easily) and the top of the nest to make her feel more secure. The nesting material will close off the floor. Since she will spend very little time actually on the wire, I would try to keep the nesting material in the nest and leave the other wire open. The poop will not fall through it but it will be easier to clean and provide good air circulation.

How long until the new chicks can be introduced back to the other girlies?

Opinions vary all over the board on this one. I'll include a link to a thread that discusses this, although I'll admit this particular thread mainly supports my point of view. What I would do is set up the broody pen in the coop so the hens are never really isolated so there is no real reintegration later. Then, when the chicks are a day or two old, open the door and let mama raise them with the flock. There are risks involved with this but there are risks involved with any approach you take. It is my personal opinion (and I respect the opinion of others that do it differently), but with my set-up, philosophy, and goals, this is the approach I choose to take. If I had less room, I'd possibly think differently.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=215937&p=1

Good luck!

 

[SallyF]

I had a hen go broody, finally gave up tryiing to break it, and let her sit on one egg. (I have five hens and one rooster). She hatched the egg and is a great mom; fun to watch. There was a minor problem getting her and the chick back into the flock, but the hen took care of it, and they are part of the gang now. Prior to the hatching we had a raccoon attack and I lost two hens and the roo. Now I wish I'd let her hatch more.

 

[darkmatter]

Quote:
Slip some more eggs under her, I've had up to twenty eggs under a broody. My hens have been successful in brooding in the coop alongside the others and integrate the chicks into the flock. I have in the past substituted eggs of my choice (blue eggs) under the broody to increase my Easter Eggers.

 

[strong440]

Thanks for all your replies. We're off on our holidays in a week so I think I'll see how she is when we come back, and if she's still broody I'll go for it.

Ideally I only want to add a couple of hens, so if I put 6 fertile (collected not posted) and 6 non fertile under her, hopefully about 4 will hatch. Allowing for about 2 to be cockerels (to return to the egg supplier), hopefully I should get 2 new girlies.

I'll keep an eye out for a cheap secondhand wooden rabbit hutch which I can put inside the existing run area (where the chickens are locked away if were not going to be home before dark). I think the bed area should make a good nest box, and the other side for food and water and poo (i'll try to get her out to stretch her legs a couple of times a day)

I'll let you know how it goes - it so exciting!!!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Do not put nonfertile eggs under her. You gain absolutely nothing and risk creating some bad problems. The nonfertile eggs will rot, potentially break, coat the good eggs, and kill the chicks as they develop. The Maran can handle six eggs as well or better than twelve. The suggestion for 12 eggs was only if you wanted at least 6 new hens. Putting nonfertile eggs under her is a big mistake. Don't do it.

 

[strong440]

Ok, thanks for that. Six it is then.