1s time broody hen newbie, tips?

[Kalina96]

Hello everyone, hope u r all doing well!
I'm getting a broody hen today, since it's my first time I could really use some tips. l'm going to put her in the attic, where is quiet, safe, and dry. I'm planning to put her in a huge barrel and make it comfortable for her by putting wood shavings, water and feeder. Should I overturn the barrel so she can move out or putting her in it is enough for her? If inside, she would be having around 1meter, maybe a bit more to stretch her legs. At what week, after hatching out, should I let the chicks out in the yard with the hen? What should I feed them with once they hatch? I would appreciate any tips, knowledge!

 

[DobieLover]

Hello everyone, hope u r all doing well!
I'm getting a broody hen today, since it's my first time I could really use some tips. l'm going to put her in the attic, where is quiet, safe, and dry. I'm planning to put her in a huge barrel and make it comfortable for her by putting wood shavings, water and feeder. Should I overturn the barrel so she can move out or putting her in it is enough for her? If inside, she would be having around 1meter, maybe a bit more to stretch her legs. At what week, after hatching out, should I let the chicks out in the yard with the hen? What should I feed them with once they hatch? I would appreciate any tips, knowledge!

I'm confused about the statement that you are putting her in the attic. What attic?
Do you currently have any chickens?
When you write you are "getting a broody hen", what does that mean exactly? She is someone else's hen and is broody right now or is just prone to becoming broody?
Do you currently have a secure coop? At ground level or elevated?
Do you currently have a secure run that offers at least 12-15 sq ft of space per adult chicken?
I set up my broodies in the built-in maternity ward with it's own attached secure run. There is hardware cloth between the ward and the coop so mom can see the other chickens and they her. She has her own food and water with her. Once she is properly "grafted" to the new nest site, I will open the door to the ward so she can come and go as she likes and continue to intermingle with the flock. I will evict her in the mornings so she can run, stretch, bathe, preen, poop and eat before returning to her nest.
The entire flock is kept on Flock Raiser. I feed at chest height in long troughs. I typically make the FR into a mash so it is always wet. Oyster shell is offered in separate containers for the active layers in the flock. The mash is easier for mom to pick out of the feeder and drop in clumps for the chicks to eat.
When the chicks hatch, mom will bring them out to meet the flock, feed them, keep them warm, protect them and teach them all about being chickens.

 

[Kalina96]

I'm confused about the statement that you are putting her in the attic. What attic?
Do you currently have any chickens?
When you write you are "getting a broody hen", what does that mean exactly? She is someone else's hen and is broody right now or is just prone to becoming broody?
Do you currently have a secure coop? At ground level or elevated?
Do you currently have a secure run that offers at least 12-15 sq ft of space per adult chicken?
I set up my broodies in the built-in maternity ward with it's own attached secure run. There is hardware cloth between the ward and the coop so mom can see the other chickens and they her. She has her own food and water with her. Once she is properly "grafted" to the new nest site, I will open the door to the ward so she can come and go as she likes and continue to intermingle with the flock. I will evict her in the mornings so she can run, stretch, bathe, preen, poop and eat before returning to her nest.
The entire flock is kept on Flock Raiser. I feed at chest height in long troughs. I typically make the FR into a mash so it is always wet. Oyster shell is offered in separate containers for the active layers in the flock. The mash is easier for mom to pick out of the feeder and drop in clumps for the chicks to eat.
When the chicks hatch, mom will bring them out to meet the flock, feed them, keep them warm, protect them and teach them all about being chickens.
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Most of my neighbour's hens have gone broody, she simply can't raise that many chicks this spring so she asked me whether I would take 1 broody hen. The attic looks more of a secured garage but it's the last floor of my house, it has door and good ventilation, I could put her in the cow stable but there are rats and I want to avoid that place. I have hens, but they are all Leghorns and Lohmann Browns, so I'm inexprienced with broody hens. I'm not planning to put her right away in the same coop with them since she would be an intruder to them, and her hormones are going wild right now. I've started making a new coop for her and the chicks and it should be all ready for them in less than 3 weeks. I just don't know whether they need a special feed once they hatch with high protein intake etc., how long til I can let them in the new coop in my yard etc. The coop is situated in the greenish/forest like area, it will be secured with around 30m wire, plus will secure the top of it, so they will have plenty of space to walk and scratch around.

 

[rosemarythyme]

My guess is quite possibly the moment you put her in the attic, she'll no longer be a broody hen. The switch in location may stress her enough to break her of her broodiness.

Your neighbor needs to learn to break her broodies if she doesn't want to hatch.

 

[Kalina96]

My guess is quite possibly the moment you put her in the attic, she'll no longer be a broody hen. The switch in location may stress her enough to break her of her broodiness.

Your neighbor needs to learn to break her broodies if she doesn't want to hatch.

I hope not I'm gonna do it at night so I hope it will work!