Broody hen and day old questions

[MaineChick]

I'm sure the answers to these are somewhere, but I cannot take any more time to search, so I'm hoping someone can help.

1. I have a broody hen sitting on one egg (I didn't know she was broody, so took her eggs for 3 days until it became obvious, oops). I have 2 other hens and a roo. I've seen that it's recommended to separate her from the rest of the flock, why? No one seems to be bothering her, and the other hens use the other nesting box.

2. I have day old chicks coming 3 1/2 - 4 weeks after this single should hatch. I did not vaccinate the original chickens who are now 11 months old against Marek's. At what age can the new chicks be integrated into the flock, and will the single be at risk if the new batch of day olds are vaccinated?

3. Any other suggestions for smooth working of integrating all these different age chickens?

Thanks!

 

[debbie.h]

I have a hen that has just hatched out 8 eggs and it was all done in her nest box. The other hens tend to leave her alone.
Why don't you put some mors eggs under your broody? I put whatever has been laid for the day under one broody. She doesn't care who laid them.

 

[MaineChick]

Giving her the other girls' eggs didn't occur to me until she had been setting for 2 days, and I thought it might be confusing if one egg hatched and the others didn't... and now she's been settting on that one egg since Monday so it would really be a time difference.

I'm glad your hen was ok in the nest box - she feels safe and happy there and I didn't want to move her unless I had to.

 

[txchickie]

Quote:
Take away the one egg she's been sitting on and give her a new "batch" that will hatch at the same time?

 

[MaineChick]

hmmm, that's a thought. Know anyone with Speckled Sussex eggs for sale?