Blackie has gone broody and is sitting on 8 eggs.... In late December?

[peacebird]

I had pet sitters over the holidays, they must not have grabbed the eggs out each day... How bad is it for her to be sitting on eggs that will hatch in January (near the mountains in Virginia)?

Should I upset Blackie by stealing the eggs? Or just let her try to hatch them? If they hatch will the peeps be able to survive late Jan and early Feb temps in the coop?

thanks!

 

[Corey NC]

I have a broody too and since I am weak I have put eggs under her and brough her in and she is in a LARGE dog crate. If you can't bring her in I would recomend taking the eggs away from her and just let her sit it out.

 

[rooster-red]

I have a crazy broody sitting on eggs too.

If you're going to let her hatch them you'll need to seperate her from other chickens. Put her in a place where chicks won't fall out of the nest after hatching
and prepare a brooder with a heat source for the chicks to stay in for at least 8 weeks.

You can try to break her broodiness by taking her eggs from her, sometimes that works, and sometimes they'll just sit on air.

 

[okiechick57]

I too have one setting....I will let her be until they hatch and then bring them in............I have taken the eggs at first.she keeps on eggnapping the others layed so I decided to just try it....even in the ice.....once they hatch....they will all come inside....

 

[peacebird]

If I let her be until they hatch, then bring in mom and the chicks? or just the chicks?

My first hatch was a surprise and I left them in the coop with all the others (roo and three hens plus the two broody hens and their 4 chicks) and everyone got along fine.... But it was summertime.

 

[skeeter]

if you let her set make sure that she is out of the wind,we had a late snow storm in April of 85 and my poor old setten hen froze to death right on the nest,I felt so bad ,and still do,just a couple little cracks and the snow blew in,this was in Colorado.that poor hen never left her nest

 

[jab91864]

Two of my silkies went broody. I replaced their eggs with golf balls. They sat for about a month on those balls and have just now given up. I'm in Northern Michigan so it's much to cold for them to hatch babies.

I figure by letting them have the golf balls they weren't stressed... they guarded them something fierce so they were doing what came naturally and seemed content. And I didnt' have to worry about lil babies dieing in the snow when they tried to follow mom out of the coop.

Julie =0)

Skeeter that was a sad story.............

 

[Mac]

Heartbreaking story skeeter. I'm so sorry.

 

[peacebird]

oh Skeeter - that is just so sad....

Blackie has been joined by my other cochin Splash, and the coop has about 8 inches of straw in the bottom (where they are) plus inch think foam insulation around three sides and the roof. (Can't put it on the side inside the run cuz they keep finding ways to eat it....)