Guide to Letting Broody Hens Hatch and Raise Chicks

Good article! Very detailed, and I love the pictures.

Great article. Has a lot of good information.

Informative and cool

Great read

LOVE THIS! I'm new to all of this and I raised my first flock from hatchlings. I am looking forward to having a broody baby of my own so she can raise some new babies. Not sure if I would put her in the "chicken hospital" that they were all in when they were still babies, or if I will let them all stay in the big run and coop. I will just gauge the situation when it happens.

This has given me information so that we can make an informed decision when the time comes.

We have one RIR rooster and 2 RIR hens, the rest are BRs. I've heard that BRs will go broody and only sometimes, RIRs will. Do you have info on these two breeds about broody v. non-broody?

THANK YOU AGAIN! Wonderful article.

Great in depth article. I hatched 4 eggs and 3 were roosters. So my broody girls days are over. No more brooding hens for me. But it was fun.

I had a broody hen hatch another hen’s eggs in a nest box, in a coop, with the rest of my flock. This was the first time raising chickens and I wasn’t experienced and unaware. Eight chicks were hatched, two were attacked after being hatched. I was able to save seven of the chicks but one was killed. I moved them to a brooder heater, hand fed them and they survived. They are all 2 yrs old now I just wanted to warn anyone who is planning on leaving a hen to hatch chicks with the flock. This article doesn’t mention dangers when leaving the hen and chicks with the flock. And I had just assumed that the chicks would be fine with other hens.

I have had experience with all of these things happening over the years of raising chickens for eggs and getting mu own flock from my broody birds. I learned a few things just now; thank you.

Absolutely brilliant level of content, perfect for what I needed to know having one week ago put a small clutch of fertilised eggs under her because she had gone seriously broody for the third or forth time. She is a hybrid speckled hen, and has let me assist her eat berries off our wine-berry bushes on my arm.

Great information! Helping me to let my broody raise her new hatchlings!

Thanks for writing this. Great to have it all in one place.

Very much and detailed info. My first clutch and the hen began laying eggs for the last 3 days, roosting up high with the chicks (6 weeks old) and on occasion a peck at a chick. My friend, who loaned her to us, said she's ready to go back to the flock. Exact same as your article. Thank you.

Great article - I enjoyed reading about the different broody scenarios. Thanks!

I’ve been talking about this every spring. I put mom in a cat carrier or crate and lock the family in at night. She takes them out during the day and goes back in at night until the chicks can fly up into a roost

I had so many questions abouy brooding. Broody hens and how to go about alllowing my hen to brood and what to look out for to know when they're growing broody. You did a wonderful job of illterating this clearly without it being to confusing. Thank you for the pros and cons of either options and allowing us to choose what's best for our flock. I will defintely save this article for future reference!!

Very informative and helpful article!

This answered 90% of my broody hen questions.
Also Can someone tell me if a nest is high off the ground, and IN THE COOP with all the others, will Broody hen likely still protect her newborn chicks IN THE NEST.
When I move her to the separate prepared baby chick nursery, will she stay with them?

When I "marked" the eggs, she moved out of that nest and started a new hatching nest to be broody in!! I put new un marked eggs under her. She seemed to not like them marked! My guess.

Does anyone know the age that a hen will typically go broody? I have a 5month old silkie hen and I believe she has started laying but I’m not 100% sure… Ive tried incubating eggs but it has ent turned out too well for me lately so I’m hoping for her to go broody

This is my first hen hatch and all your informations was simple and easy to understand. Thank you so much.
chicken chick ?

Super helpful!?