It can be very exciting to find that your hen is broody. This article will show you the basics of letting your broody hen hatch eggs.
When your hen goes broody, it means she wants to hatch eggs. A broody hen will stay on her eggs for most of the day. She will get off the nest a couple of times a day to, eat, drink, poop, and dust bathe. Some ways you can tell if your hen is broody are:
1. She will be in the laying box; she will look like she is laying an egg. But will stay in the laying box at night.
2. They may stop laying their eggs.
3. If they are broody but off the nest, they will sometimes puff up when you come near. When they walk around, they will often make a low clucking sound.
After you determine whether your hen is broody or not. You will want to make sure she stays broody. To make sure she is ready for eggs you want to watch her for at least three days. At this time, you can give her fake eggs to sit on or none at all. you will have to take the daily eggs that the other hens lay out from under her.
Watch how long she stays on the nest. If this is her first time becoming broody, she will be learning, and you will want to give her time to get the hang of it. I know it's exciting to get the incubation process going but wait and make sure she is ready for fertile eggs.
When you are completely sure that your hen will stay broody, you can give her fertile eggs. When you give her eggs, you want to give all of them to her at the same time, so they hatch around the same time. When you are collecting the eggs you want to hatch, try and collect them as soon as the chickens lay them. You don’t want them sitting in the weather conditions.
If you are wanting to hatch a lot of eggs put the ones you already collected in an egg cartoon pouty side down. Keep them in the house at room temperature. While storing them, keep the egg cartoon slanted, switching the side that is slanted three or four times a day.
When you are ready to give your hen the fertile eggs, you will want to mark the date on the calendar. You will need to keep track of the days, so you know when to candle the eggs. Also, so you know when their hatch date is. You can count the first day, 24 hours after you put them under your hen. The perfect days to candle are day 7, day 14, and day 18.
Now that you have all the eggs you want to hatch; you need to take a pencil and draw a line going all the way around the eggs. This is so you can tell the eggs apart, from the eggs laid that day by your other hens. While your hen is sitting on her eggs, she will keep them at the right temperature and humidity. She will turn the eggs as many times as they need to be turned.
Your hen should be getting off the nest at least once a day, to eat, drink, poop, and dust bathe. Sometimes hens will be so devoted, that they will not get off their nest of eggs at all. if this happens you should put some feed and freshwater close by her. And sometimes you may have to take her off the nest so she can dust bathe and poop.
Once day 18 comes, this is the last time you can candle. After this, don’t mess with the hen or the eggs. The hen should be staying on the nest with her eggs. Day 18 is the start of lockdown; the eggs need to be under the hen at all times. The chicks can hatch on any day now. Some will hatch early, and some may hatch a little late.
After they hatch, make sure the flock is not bullying the mother and the chicks. The other hens can kill the chicks, so you need to keep a very close eye on this. You need to make sure the broody hen is protecting her young and not letting the flock mess with her or her chicks. If you see the flock bullying them or trying to, you need to separate them immediately.
The chicks and the mother will both need chick starter feed. And fresh clean water at all times. Be sure to put marbles in the waterer tray. Chicks will sometimes fall asleep with their beak in the waterer tray, the marbles help keep water from going up their nostrils and the chick drowning.
The mother hen will do the rest.
Congratulations to your broody hen!
photo credit, @chickenmama109. In loving memory of Trixie. My best broody hen!
photo credit, @FrankieDoodle.
photo credit, @CrazyCrttr75.
photo credit, @Mixed flock enthusiast
photo credit, @Chickenassan.
photo credit, @Fur-N-Fowl
photo credit, @Fur-N-Fowl.
photo credit, @slordaz.
photo credit, @Noellereagan.
photo credit, @Noellereagan.
photo credit, @Noellereagan.
photo credit, @Noellereagan
photo credit, @DobieLover.
photo credit, @DobieLover.
photo credit, @Brahmachicken240.
photo credit, @Brahmachicken240
photo credit, @Brahmachicken240
photo credit, @Shadrach.
photo credit, @Shadrach.
photo credit, @WallyBirdie.
photo credit, @KikiDeAnime.
Photo credit, @Fur-N-Fowl
When your hen goes broody, it means she wants to hatch eggs. A broody hen will stay on her eggs for most of the day. She will get off the nest a couple of times a day to, eat, drink, poop, and dust bathe. Some ways you can tell if your hen is broody are:
1. She will be in the laying box; she will look like she is laying an egg. But will stay in the laying box at night.
2. They may stop laying their eggs.
3. If they are broody but off the nest, they will sometimes puff up when you come near. When they walk around, they will often make a low clucking sound.
After you determine whether your hen is broody or not. You will want to make sure she stays broody. To make sure she is ready for eggs you want to watch her for at least three days. At this time, you can give her fake eggs to sit on or none at all. you will have to take the daily eggs that the other hens lay out from under her.
Watch how long she stays on the nest. If this is her first time becoming broody, she will be learning, and you will want to give her time to get the hang of it. I know it's exciting to get the incubation process going but wait and make sure she is ready for fertile eggs.
When you are completely sure that your hen will stay broody, you can give her fertile eggs. When you give her eggs, you want to give all of them to her at the same time, so they hatch around the same time. When you are collecting the eggs you want to hatch, try and collect them as soon as the chickens lay them. You don’t want them sitting in the weather conditions.
If you are wanting to hatch a lot of eggs put the ones you already collected in an egg cartoon pouty side down. Keep them in the house at room temperature. While storing them, keep the egg cartoon slanted, switching the side that is slanted three or four times a day.
When you are ready to give your hen the fertile eggs, you will want to mark the date on the calendar. You will need to keep track of the days, so you know when to candle the eggs. Also, so you know when their hatch date is. You can count the first day, 24 hours after you put them under your hen. The perfect days to candle are day 7, day 14, and day 18.
Now that you have all the eggs you want to hatch; you need to take a pencil and draw a line going all the way around the eggs. This is so you can tell the eggs apart, from the eggs laid that day by your other hens. While your hen is sitting on her eggs, she will keep them at the right temperature and humidity. She will turn the eggs as many times as they need to be turned.
Your hen should be getting off the nest at least once a day, to eat, drink, poop, and dust bathe. Sometimes hens will be so devoted, that they will not get off their nest of eggs at all. if this happens you should put some feed and freshwater close by her. And sometimes you may have to take her off the nest so she can dust bathe and poop.
Once day 18 comes, this is the last time you can candle. After this, don’t mess with the hen or the eggs. The hen should be staying on the nest with her eggs. Day 18 is the start of lockdown; the eggs need to be under the hen at all times. The chicks can hatch on any day now. Some will hatch early, and some may hatch a little late.
After they hatch, make sure the flock is not bullying the mother and the chicks. The other hens can kill the chicks, so you need to keep a very close eye on this. You need to make sure the broody hen is protecting her young and not letting the flock mess with her or her chicks. If you see the flock bullying them or trying to, you need to separate them immediately.
The chicks and the mother will both need chick starter feed. And fresh clean water at all times. Be sure to put marbles in the waterer tray. Chicks will sometimes fall asleep with their beak in the waterer tray, the marbles help keep water from going up their nostrils and the chick drowning.
The mother hen will do the rest.
Congratulations to your broody hen!
photo credit, @chickenmama109. In loving memory of Trixie. My best broody hen!
photo credit, @FrankieDoodle.
photo credit, @CrazyCrttr75.
photo credit, @Mixed flock enthusiast
photo credit, @Chickenassan.
photo credit, @Fur-N-Fowl
photo credit, @Fur-N-Fowl.
photo credit, @slordaz.
photo credit, @Noellereagan.
photo credit, @Noellereagan.
photo credit, @Noellereagan.
photo credit, @Noellereagan
photo credit, @DobieLover.
photo credit, @DobieLover.
photo credit, @Brahmachicken240.
photo credit, @Brahmachicken240
photo credit, @Brahmachicken240
photo credit, @Shadrach.
photo credit, @Shadrach.
photo credit, @WallyBirdie.
photo credit, @KikiDeAnime.
Photo credit, @Fur-N-Fowl
