Broody Cochin

[Buchananpl]

One of my Cochins is broody, I am expecting some fertile eggs later this week and am torn between using the Cochin or the incubator. I did move the Cochin to her own nest box away from the other hens and gave her a couple of eggs to sit on, I moved her at night when I let her out in the morning and when she saw the other hens who free range she went mental trying to get out of her pen. I let her out and today she has spent the day sitting on a plastic egg in the hen house with the other hens. Should I move her again to a place well out of sight of the others and give her some eggs to sit on and then slip some of the fertile ones under her when they arrive and incubate some just in case. It was going to be do simple I was going to incubate them all but now I am torn.

 

[silkieowner]

Hi just to let you some hens don't like to be moved my silkies are like that when sitting on the eggs i had to leave them where they choose to sit, But when it was day 20 the hen allowed me to move her and the eggs in a different spot eg cage.

 

[cock of the flock]

If it were me, I would use the broody cochin. Though incubators are very reliable and efficient, the cochin will turn the eggs automatically, and teach them to eat and drink, or you may have to do it.

Cochins are very reliable brooders, and wonderful mothers.

 

[Happy Chooks]

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If you leave her with the flock, mark the eggs. The other hens will sneak extra eggs under her, so if they are marked, you know which ones to remove.

 

[Gypsylion]

My experience has also been that broodies are better, BUT it's tricky to do it in the same boxes as everyone else. Even if you mark the eggs, my girls are a fan of "clearing out" the nest occasionally, and will kick eggs out onto the floor. So if your nest boxes are off the ground or if your hens tend to scratch up the boxes, I'd try to get her moved. That said, like mentioned earlier, some hens will let you move them, and some are convinced that wherever they set is the only possible place to raise a brood.

 

[babigyrl22]

I had to move my broody cochin to a seperate pen. the other girls were kicking her out the nest box. She put up a fit for a while and then settled in on her eggs like a good momma.