Broody Hen and I Know Nothing About It!

[FlipFlopFarmer6279]

She is in a raised nest and I have no idea how long she's been broody. We were in DC for a little and when I came back she was sitting on eggs. So yes I should probably candle the eggs. The nesting box is only slightly raised inside a tiny coop inside a room in a barn (it's only temporary until I get a new run for the bigger coop). Sorry that was confusing. The tiny coop is raised so should I block off the coop or the nesting box?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Let's start at the beginning. I'm going to say a lot of things different from what some others have said. We all have our own goals, experiences, and set-ups. That means there is no one right way to do any of this that is right for all of us. There are a lot of different ways that work quite well, but because of our differences some might work better for some of us than others. That's one of the problems on here, trying to figure out which comments actually apply to how you do things and your set-up.

Should I let her raise the chicks or should I take them and put them in a brooder?

We all do this different ways. For their own reasons some people do take the chicks away and raise the chicks themselves. Depending on their goals or set-up this can make sense. Some people isolate a broody hen from the flock during incubation, hatching, or when she raises them, any one or two of these or all three. Some of us let the hen incubate, hatch, and raise them with the flock like they have been doing since before they were domesticated. I don't consider any of these wrong, for different reasons some ways might make more sense for certain people.

I also don't know how many eggs are under her. I'm putting off checking because I'm wimpy and I don't want to disturb her...any suggestions on how to check without making her mad?

This presents a few problems. I think this is the one of the few things the vast majority of us will agree on.. It is best that all eggs start incubation at the same time. Otherwise you can get what we call a staggered hatch. All the eggs don't hatch at the same time which creates a lot for stress for you and the hen. The hen has to decide whether to take the first ones to hatch off the nest to look for food and water or let them die while trying to hatch the other eggs. She almost always chooses the ones that have hatched. You have living chicks in eggs that won't hatch unless you put them in an incubator and raise them yourself.

It's pretty common for other hens to continue to lay in the broody hen's nest which gives you the staggered hatch. Also if she gets so many eggs that she can't cover them all some can get pushed out from under her, cool off, and die. Then those get pushed back under her which pushes others out to die. This is one reason many people isolate a broody hen during incubation. I handle it a different way. I mark all the eggs I want her to hatch (I use a Sharpie) and check under her daily after all the other hens have laid to remove any that don't belong. As long as you remove them daily they are good to use.

Some people pick the broody hen off the nest and set her on the coop floor to check the eggs. I reach in and lift her up so I can see the eggs. Some can peck pretty hard, for these gloves and long sleeves might be a good idea. Most of mine don't even peck me, those that do it's usually not that hard. So what if she gets mad? She'll get over it. If she is a committed broody hen this will not break her from being broody. Sometimes you need to do what you need to do.

Does the broodiness stop after she hatches the chicks?

A good broody hen hatches her chicks and takes care of them until she decides they can take care of themselves. Not all broody hens are good but the vast majority of them are. I've never had a broody hen fail to do this but some people I trust on here say they have. You don't get guarantees with living animals and any behaviors, you never know for sure what they will do. I've had some broody hens wean their chicks after as little as three weeks, I've had some continue to care for them for over 2 months.

I live in Ohio near Cleveland so the weather is kind of weird. Yesterday it was 40 degrees and today its 80. I don't want the chicks to get cold if something like that happens again.

Broody hens have hatched chicks in temperatures below freezing. Broody hens can keep their chicks warm enough if there is snow on the ground. This is something you don't need to worry about.

I never put food or water near a broody hen. Before a hen even starts laying eggs she builds up excess fat. I've butchered enough males an females to see that amount of fat, the difference is sometimes unbelievable. This fat is mostly what she lives on while broody. This way she can stay on the nest and incubate her eggs instead of having to be off looking for food or water. A broody hen will lose weight while broody, no big deal. It is weight put there for that reason, it does not hurt her.

Broody hens will occasionally leave the nest to eat, drink, and poop. Maybe take a dust bath. I've seen a broody hen come off the nest twice a day and stay off for over an hour each time. I've seen a broody hen that came off her nest once a day for only 15 minutes. Often I never see a broody hen off of her nest at all but I know she is coming off because there is no poop in the nest when I check for extra eggs. This is one reason some people take a broody hen off of the nest when checking for new eggs. Usually the hen squats for a bit then either goes back to her nest or she leaves to eat, drink, and poop while she is off of the nest. If she is a committed broody she will go back to her nest.

I've seen a broody hen get her chicks out of a 10' high hay loft. She hid a nest up there and hatched out chicks. She flew to the barn floor and told her chicks to jump. They did and bounced up when they hit the barn floor and ran to her. They were not hurt. My broody hens often hatch in nests 3' to 4' above the coop floor. When the hen brings them off of the nest they jump down. Anything can happen with living animals but I've never had one hurt from that. At night she settles down on the coop floor and the chicks sleep under her. If you put a nest on the coop floor she might use it or she might ignore it. Those broody hens do what they want to do, they don't care what you want.

Many people relocate their broody hens, some for incubation and some just for hatch. That does not automatically mean she will break all the eggs. If you are going to move her you need a predator proof pen big enough for a nest, food, and water and not much else. A broody hen should know instinctively to not poop in her nest but she does not know that about food and water. Give yourself access as you may be cleaning as well as changing out food and water.

I find it is best for the nest to be relatively dark, that seems to calm them. To move them it's probably best to do it at night after it is dark, using as little light and commotion as possible. Usually they wake up on the new nest and stay. The big risk in moving a broody hen is that she will reject the move and break from being broody. Most broody hens aren't that hard to move but some just will not accept the move. They imprint on the nest location, not the eggs.

The pen needs to be secure so she cannot get out to return to her old nest until the eggs hatch. Since other hens cannot get in to lay eggs you don't have to worry about checking under her for fresh eggs. Your daily worries are just keeping her food and water clean.

If you do build a pen to isolate her make sure no baby chicks can escape. As long as the broody hen can protect them the other hens aren't a problem for mine. But if that broody is locked in the pen and a chick gets out it is at risk.

The ideal way as far as I am concerned is to gather all the eggs you want a broody to hatch and start them at the same time. If you move a broody it's good to use fake eggs or a couple of sacrificial eggs to see that she has accepted the move before you give her eggs to hatch. I do the same thing when I let her hatch with the flock, use fake eggs until she gets the real eggs. You can still do that and toss whatever eggs are under her now or try move those eggs with her. Your choice.

I know this is long but I've tried to give you options and explain why I do certain things so maybe you can make an informed decision. Just because I do things one way doesn't mean you have to do the same. There are many good ways to go about hatching with a broody hen. Good luck.

 

[FlipFlopFarmer6279]

Ok that was a lot of information, but thank you! I just checked under her and she is sitting on seven of my Ameraucanas eggs and none of hers. I've seen her get out of the nest once and get some food and water, so I think she's doing ok! When I pet her or pick her up to check on the eggs she doesn't peck at all! That's a plus! I'm excited to watch the process of a mamma hen raising her chicks!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Let's start at the beginning. I'm going to say a lot of things different from what some others have said. We all have our own goals, experiences, and set-ups. That means there is no one right way to do any of this that is right for all of us. There are a lot of different ways that work quite well, but because of our differences some might work better for some of us than others. That's one of the problems on here, trying to figure out which comments actually apply to how you do things and your set-up.


We all do this different ways. For their own reasons some people do take the chicks away and raise the chicks themselves. Depending on their goals or set-up this can make sense. Some people isolate a broody hen from the flock during incubation, hatching, or when she raises them, any one or two of these or all three. Some of us let the hen incubate, hatch, and raise them with the flock like they have been doing since before they were domesticated. I don't consider any of these wrong, for different reasons some ways might make more sense for certain people.


This presents a few problems. I think this is the one of the few things the vast majority of us will agree on.. It is best that all eggs start incubation at the same time. Otherwise you can get what we call a staggered hatch. All the eggs don't hatch at the same time which creates a lot for stress for you and the hen. The hen has to decide whether to take the first ones to hatch off the nest to look for food and water or let them die while trying to hatch the other eggs. She almost always chooses the ones that have hatched. You have living chicks in eggs that won't hatch unless you put them in an incubator and raise them yourself.

It's pretty common for other hens to continue to lay in the broody hen's nest which gives you the staggered hatch. Also if she gets so many eggs that she can't cover them all some can get pushed out from under her, cool off, and die. Then those get pushed back under her which pushes others out to die. This is one reason many people isolate a broody hen during incubation. I handle it a different way. I mark all the eggs I want her to hatch (I use a Sharpie) and check under her daily after all the other hens have laid to remove any that don't belong. As long as you remove them daily they are good to use.

Some people pick the broody hen off the nest and set her on the coop floor to check the eggs. I reach in and lift her up so I can see the eggs. Some can peck pretty hard, for these gloves and long sleeves might be a good idea. Most of mine don't even peck me, those that do it's usually not that hard. So what if she gets mad? She'll get over it. If she is a committed broody hen this will not break her from being broody. Sometimes you need to do what you need to do.


A good broody hen hatches her chicks and takes care of them until she decides they can take care of themselves. Not all broody hens are good but the vast majority of them are. I've never had a broody hen fail to do this but some people I trust on here say they have. You don't get guarantees with living animals and any behaviors, you never know for sure what they will do. I've had some broody hens wean their chicks after as little as three weeks, I've had some continue to care for them for over 2 months.


Broody hens have hatched chicks in temperatures below freezing. Broody hens can keep their chicks warm enough if there is snow on the ground. This is something you don't need to worry about.

I never put food or water near a broody hen. Before a hen even starts laying eggs she builds up excess fat. I've butchered enough males an females to see that amount of fat, the difference is sometimes unbelievable. This fat is mostly what she lives on while broody. This way she can stay on the nest and incubate her eggs instead of having to be off looking for food or water. A broody hen will lose weight while broody, no big deal. It is weight put there for that reason, it does not hurt her.

Broody hens will occasionally leave the nest to eat, drink, and poop. Maybe take a dust bath. I've seen a broody hen come off the nest twice a day and stay off for over an hour each time. I've seen a broody hen that came off her nest once a day for only 15 minutes. Often I never see a broody hen off of her nest at all but I know she is coming off because there is no poop in the nest when I check for extra eggs. This is one reason some people take a broody hen off of the nest when checking for new eggs. Usually the hen squats for a bit then either goes back to her nest or she leaves to eat, drink, and poop while she is off of the nest. If she is a committed broody she will go back to her nest.

I've seen a broody hen get her chicks out of a 10' high hay loft. She hid a nest up there and hatched out chicks. She flew to the barn floor and told her chicks to jump. They did and bounced up when they hit the barn floor and ran to her. They were not hurt. My broody hens often hatch in nests 3' to 4' above the coop floor. When the hen brings them off of the nest they jump down. Anything can happen with living animals but I've never had one hurt from that. At night she settles down on the coop floor and the chicks sleep under her. If you put a nest on the coop floor she might use it or she might ignore it. Those broody hens do what they want to do, they don't care what you want.

Many people relocate their broody hens, some for incubation and some just for hatch. That does not automatically mean she will break all the eggs. If you are going to move her you need a predator proof pen big enough for a nest, food, and water and not much else. A broody hen should know instinctively to not poop in her nest but she does not know that about food and water. Give yourself access as you may be cleaning as well as changing out food and water.

I find it is best for the nest to be relatively dark, that seems to calm them. To move them it's probably best to do it at night after it is dark, using as little light and commotion as possible. Usually they wake up on the new nest and stay. The big risk in moving a broody hen is that she will reject the move and break from being broody. Most broody hens aren't that hard to move but some just will not accept the move. They imprint on the nest location, not the eggs.

The pen needs to be secure so she cannot get out to return to her old nest until the eggs hatch. Since other hens cannot get in to lay eggs you don't have to worry about checking under her for fresh eggs. Your daily worries are just keeping her food and water clean.

If you do build a pen to isolate her make sure no baby chicks can escape. As long as the broody hen can protect them the other hens aren't a problem for mine. But if that broody is locked in the pen and a chick gets out it is at risk.

The ideal way as far as I am concerned is to gather all the eggs you want a broody to hatch and start them at the same time. If you move a broody it's good to use fake eggs or a couple of sacrificial eggs to see that she has accepted the move before you give her eggs to hatch. I do the same thing when I let her hatch with the flock, use fake eggs until she gets the real eggs. You can still do that and toss whatever eggs are under her now or try move those eggs with her. Your choice.

I know this is long but I've tried to give you options and explain why I do certain things so maybe you can make an informed decision. Just because I do things one way doesn't mean you have to do the same. There are many good ways to go about hatching with a broody hen. Good luck.

This was amazing. I first clicked the ❤ button but then thought better of it and clicked the "i" button as it was so informative. Thanks, @Ridgerunner !