Broody Hen Advice

[23kthistlethwaite]

Hello all! I have a broody hen and ordered some hatching eggs to put under her so she can be a mama and I can have more feather babies! This will be her first time as a mother and my first time hatching eggs.I put her in a dog cage separate from the coop with chicken mesh around the bottom half of it so when the babies hatch they can’t slip through as I plan to keep them in there at night once the babies hatch. I have 18% food in the cage and some water. With the time it will take for the eggs to come and the incubation period she will be on the nest for 5 weeks. Is that ok as long as I make sure she eats and drinks? Any other advice and tips would be much appreciated! Here’s a pic of the set up...

 

[sourland]

Five weeks is a bit long. Some hens will set that long others will break broodiness. I would allow her out of the cage daily for exercise and monitor closely for mite infestation. Have a 'Plan B' in mind in case she breaks broodiness. Good luck.

 

[JedJackson]

I agree with sourland. Five weeks might be more than she can endure. Could you maybe find hatching eggs locally so it would be quicker? I see them often on Craigslist in my area. Another option is to put feed store chicks under her after a few weeks. Most times mother hens will accept them so long as they are very young chicks.