Advice on letting broody hen hatch eggs

[Angiebubs]

Getting ready to put some shipped eggs under some broody hens again this coming Sat. I am so excited: Lavender and Salmon Faverolles!. This time I may leave them in with the flock as the brooder pen has a damp floor with all the rain-cement walls seep moisture. I currently have 7 broody hens and only 6 boxes so am adding a few more boxes today

 

[grammasmitty]

We have a rooster so all our eggs are fertile. Last summer we let our one broody hen sit on a nest of eggs contributed by several of the hens. The day eggs began hatching hubby went to the farm store and bought 3 chicks (just in case there weren't many chicks from those eggs). she had been in the nest for over 3 weeks and I am sure she was ready for her reward. We carefully slipped those little chicks under her and they became her own along with the 5 that hatched. I have decided that as long as chicks are available at the store, that is what I want to give a broody hen. The odds are they are little girls and I won't have to worry about the over abundance of future roosters to deal with.
Mama was quite happy and took such good care of those little chicks. They were just adorable peeking out through her feathers in the next!

 

[Angiebubs]

gammasmitty: I also have a rooster however, with 23 hens to cover not sure that all of mine are fertile. Plus, since I love all the varieties, I have over a dozen breeds and would end up with some strange looking chicks thats for sure! I also, have preferred to mostly buy sexed hens but I really wanted some quality faverolles this time and so am taking the risk and hoping for large portion of girl chicks. And if I do have boys, well they are beautiful and known for their gentle nature-making them an excellent rooster addition! Sure hope I'm making the right choice as I always fall in love with the boys. However, of the 4 I have had to find homes for in the past, it was actually surprisingly easy!

 

[Mikokoke]

I have a question. 4 weeks ago my black australorp went broody. Found fertilized eggs and put 12 of them under her. Today is day 21 and we have 9 eggs left. I hatched and then it died after one of the other hens got into the box with the broody (broody was protected from the other hens...have no idea how the hen got into the box with broody). The next egg partially hatched - looked like it was pecked at. Third egg looked like it was starting to hatch and today I noticed it was empty - broody ate what was inside. So after i lost the chick, I put broody and her eggs into a dog kennel. She's there by herself and look comfortable. Gave her privacy by covering the entire kennel with beach towels. As for the other 9 eggs, I don't think I will get anything from them. Do I wait another day or 2. What do I do? This is my first experience with a broody and sitting on fertilized eggs. I've learned a lot through my experience, but I don't know what to do from this point on.
Thank you!

 

[grammasmitty]

In our case, once the eggs hatched, the others didn't, even though we left them in the next box 2 more days. We threw them out, not looking inside to see what they were doing.

Of course since there are no chicks for her to care for, it wouldn't hurt to give them another day or two, but I wouldn't go longer than that.

LOL! Like I have so much experience here. LOL!

 

[calichicken]

This thread has been very helpful! My girl has been broody, although not hardcore yet! I can get her to move off her nest, but she is not happy about it. Once she is off, she is ok for the day, but starts the same cycle the next day. If she continues, then I am considering getting some fertile eggs for her to hatch. She is my first and only chicken

so all new to me!

 

[grochef]

What a great thread.

I have a question that may have been answered in the pages that I skipped.

How do we make sure that our hen does not starve while sitting on her eggs?

We had one sweet buff sit during one week and she was so skinny she died. We did not notice that she went broody because we would open the coop in the morning and lock it up at sun down, when we came home from work. It was during the fall when the days were shorter. Boy, did we feel bad. I built a broody coop after that and we have "invited" all of our girls to stay there at least once.

We have lost two buffs to eagles this summer and need to add to our flock. We have now enclosed the airspace over the chicken yard with heavy duty deer fence.

Anyone have a good recipe for eagle? (Kidding!!)

 

[Angiebubs]

I always worry about the same thing....(in fact have been known to take them off once a day up to Day 18 shhhhh) but as so many others more wise than I, have stated: Chickens have survived this long without our interference. What I have done is separate the hens and give them their own food/water. I also put some food on their little step outside the nest once or twice a day. They know enough to get off the nest when needed.

I also put a top over my run....just bird netting, to prevent anything over head getting them

 

[Mountain Man 60]

I am new at raising chickens but I do have a hen that has gone broody twice and have learned from her experience. The first time I left her in the main laying nest and she was not able to protect the eggs from other hens laying on top of her or sitting in the box with her. She moved the eggs to another nest close by but another hen took half and with all of the movement none of the eggs hatched and a lot of eggs were wasted. The second time I put the entire nest into a crate and moved her to a separate spot with her two eggs and added eight more from the rest of the girls from that day. Day 21 was two days ago and only one has hatched. I think the temp got too high at 110 in the new location before I noticed and added a fan to improve circulation. It is now time to box her nest up and move her and the peep back to the coup. I am not sure how it will work out but can only live and learn.

 

[rexannastar]

I'm dealing with my first ever broody right now. Today was day 7. Similar to Mountain Man's experience, she was not able to protect her eggs. 2 broke today because the other hens were climbing on her. Put the broody and remaining eggs in a big kitty crate for now, and will put the crate in the spare chicken tractor tomorrow. Live and learn. Sad to have those eggs break. They were developing, too.