Broody hen - close cage door or not?

[imacowgirl2]

Broody hen is setting on eggs in our broody nest, which is in a small dog crate on floor of the coop. First three days she was in the nest we locked her in other than a morning break, to graft her firmly to this new nest. Since then we’ve been leaving the door open every day. My original thoughts had been that when she got to lockdown, I would leave the door closed, since that's what I see a lot of people here do from lockdown until hatching is complete...however, I'm a slacker, and am not 100% sure on what date I put them in the incubator. I wrote 3/24 on the eggs...I can't remember if that's the day I collected them and I put them in the incubator a few days later or if I collected them a few days prior and that's the day I put them in the incubator. So, hatch day could be any time from today to 5-7 days from now. Also, the broody hasn't been setting on the eggs the entire 21 days, she's only been setting on them for about two weeks...

So in this instance, would it be better to leave the crate open so she can continue to take her daily breaks since she may not feel like its lockdown time yet? Or close the crate door for lockdown? I'm leaning towards leaving it open, especially since myself and my daughter, who are the main chicken caretakers, will be out of town the next three days; other daughter will be caring for the chickens while we're gone, but not to the level that me and usual daughter do and it will be easier all around if I can just leave the crate door open. Will it hurt anything to leave the crate door open if she happens to hatch while we're gone? If it matters, she is pretty high in the pecking order, and has been getting mad whenever most of the other hens peek their head in the crate, though there is one hen she has been letting come into the crate.

 

[Shadrach]

Broody hen is setting on eggs in our broody nest, which is in a small dog crate on floor of the coop. First three days she was in the nest we locked her in other than a morning break, to graft her firmly to this new nest. Since then we’ve been leaving the door open every day. My original thoughts had been that when she got to lockdown, I would leave the door closed, since that's what I see a lot of people here do from lockdown until hatching is complete...however, I'm a slacker, and am not 100% sure on what date I put them in the incubator. I wrote 3/24 on the eggs...I can't remember if that's the day I collected them and I put them in the incubator a few days later or if I collected them a few days prior and that's the day I put them in the incubator. So, hatch day could be any time from today to 5-7 days from now. Also, the broody hasn't been setting on the eggs the entire 21 days, she's only been setting on them for about two weeks...

So in this instance, would it be better to leave the crate open so she can continue to take her daily breaks since she may not feel like its lockdown time yet? Or close the crate door for lockdown? I'm leaning towards leaving it open, especially since myself and my daughter, who are the main chicken caretakers, will be out of town the next three days; other daughter will be caring for the chickens while we're gone, but not to the level that me and usual daughter do and it will be easier all around if I can just leave the crate door open. Will it hurt anything to leave the crate door open if she happens to hatch while we're gone? If it matters, she is pretty high in the pecking order, and has been getting mad whenever most of the other hens peek their head in the crate, though there is one hen she has been letting come into the crate.

Ime broody hens don't do lockdown. I've had broody hens leave the nest while chicks were hatching for a quick snack and bath. Granted she was a bit of a nutter but the chicks she hatched were fine.

To me, the whole point of having a broody hen sit and hatch is provided they can and will get off the nest daily to poop, eat and bathe, the keeper doesn't have to do anything apart from make sure food and water is available (away from the nest).


No it won't hurt anything that wouldn't get hurt anyway by letting her come and go as she pleases. Every now and then, although ime it's very rare, a hen will change her mind and abandon the clutch. I think I've had two do this out of perhaps 50 full sits and one was because the nest got discovered by a weasel and the other because none of the eggs were viable.

Leave the door open. Tell your second daughter not to mess about with the broody hen and that includes trying to handle any chicks that hatch. Make sure your daughter understands she needs to supply chick feed as soon as the hatching starts and that chick feed needs to be at the nest site where the chicks can get at it. Also, make sure you have water at the nest site and the water is in a shallow bowl with clean rocks or similar in it so the chicks can't drown in the water.

 

[Moose364]

The only time I will close up a hen and chicks is after they hatch and then I move them to there own pen, and thats only for a couple of 3 to 4 weeks to let the chicks get stronger and fast enough to get away from any other hens or Roos and to let them have there own feeder with chick starter

 

[Yardmom]

They should be fine. Hatching in the flock is not uncommon. I think this is a case where a more dominant hen will protect the space better than one at the bottom of the order. I personally would not feed near the chicks. That will invite other hens in. This is a case where I would use an all flock feed(currently I'm using a grower called flock maker by Kalmbach for this) with oyster shells on the side. The hen will bring the chicks out as needed, but still be able to retreat when other hens are feeding if needed.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Normally I shut the door from roughly lockdown to after they're all hatched. That keeps intruders out and gives mama a chance to bond to the chicks better than when I don't. Plus then the chicks can't get lost before I can look and pull any I want to raise myself.