Broody help!!!

[MEchickenfarmer33]

hello everyone i have a broody hen that is due to have 5 baby chicks on june 19th. I just want people to know my plan and please advise me if I should change anything about it. ok so my broody hen is sitting on 5 eggs in a milk crate style nest box. she has been sitting for about 14 days and a few days ago one egg got cracked. so i split open that egg outside and there was indeed a forming chick inside very sad. anyways my plan is to allow her to hatch all 5 babies on her own and once i know all babies have hatched i will move her and the babies into a seperate pen that will be set up with a brooding light and chick safe water/feeders. what i would like to know is if i should move her before the hatch date or just let her hatch them there. also will she eat the chick feed or should i give her her regular food along with the chick starter

 

[MEchickenfarmer33]

anyone?????

 

[JimnTer]

I'm not an expert, but I have some experience with broody hens. I've had 2 hatches so far this year and one chicken and a duck setting right now. I would leave her where she is till the eggs hatch, then move her if you need to. She should be fine eating chick starter. You shouldn't need a heat lamp if the hen is in with the chicks,she will provide the heat. Hope that is some help to you.

 

[Impress]

Chick starter is just fine for a Mama, as she will try to feed any food to her chicks and you don't want them getting those high calcium laying feeds. You can actually feed her chick starter as soon as she starts brooding, she doesn't need all the extra stuff since she isn't laying eggs, and the high protein helps keep her good and healthy. Make sure close to when those chicks are due to make sure the only water they can get to is a chick safe waterer, Mama can drink from it and you don't want babies falling into an adult water dish and drowning.

 

[MEchickenfarmer33]

thanks for the responses guys. Girdy (my white rock broody hen) is doing fine with her eggs