Broody hen getting up day 19

[Jaimes09]

I have a 5k sweater hen or what you call game hen and she has been doing great but i know that day 18+ they go into lockdown mode and don’t move or get up but i came o ir today day 19 and found poop and since she’s alone in a pen she obviously got up. Should i be worried or is it fine to a certain point?

 

[Yardmom]

Hens do not go into lockdown before hatch. That is for incubators where humidity needs to be controlled.

 

[Yardmom]

After the chicks start hatching it is like a lockdown for them. A good broody will sit continually through hatching and an additional day or two while the chicks get strong enough to follow her.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Trust your broody hen. They know more by instinct than we will ever know. You don't get guarantees with living animals and their behaviors, about anything can happen, but the vast majority of them will know what to do. The more I interfere the more likely I am to cause harm so I just leave mine alone as much as I can.

i can have rooster in there with her correct? Their a pair but i moved her to new pen because the pen they were last in wasn’t chick friendly. So you think i can put him into that new one tomorrow?

What a question. I don't know what your facilities look like, how many other chickens you have, anything like that. It sounds like you isolated the hen from the rooster and the rest of your flock (if there is a rest of your flock) while she was incubating the eggs. I don't do that. My broody hens incubate and hatch with the flock. The hen, eggs, and chicks are never isolated so I really don't have your kind of experience. My dominant roosters have never harmed baby chicks. Sometimes they will help Mama raise them but usually they just hang out with the rest of the flock and ignore the chicks and broody.

I've read several stories on this forum where people have had just one hen with a rooster and he helps her while she is incubating the eggs and especially helps her raising the chicks. Not all roosters behave that way but a good rooster should.

Since you did keep them isolated I'm a little nervous. I just haven't experienced that. With the vast majority of roosters I think you'd be fine letting him in there now, let alone tomorrow, but if you want to wait until the hatch is over and she's brought them off of the nest I won't criticize you. Don't wait too long, the chicks should be young enough that he assumes they are his, whether they are or not.

@Shadrach got your ears on? I know this is not exactly how you did this when you were in Spain but I immediately thought of you when I saw this. Your experience in "small" flocks exceeds mine.

 

[Yardmom]

Normally my broodies are in sight of the flock, but when they take the chicks off the nest the hen will have a few scuffles with other hens as the try to protect the chicks. The other hens and roosters ignore the chicks. I would guess that the more separated the hen was the more scuffles that might occur, but most roosters are not a problem.

 

[Shadrach]

I have a 5k sweater hen or what you call game hen and she has been doing great but i know that day 18+ they go into lockdown mode and don’t move or get up but i came o ir today day 19 and found poop and since she’s alone in a pen she obviously got up. Should i be worried or is it fine to a certain point?

It's not something to worry about. I've had broody hens leave the nes for a quick stretch and snak while chicks are hatching. I think every broody I've known still got up on day 21, usually just before she thought the chicks were going to hatch.
Even if she's got off and means to stay off the nest, there isn't much you can do about it, unless you fancy taking her place.
So, without wishing to appear rude, what you know is wrong. Hens will and do if they have the opportunity leave the nest every day to poop, eat and really important, dust bath, right up to hatching time. It's only incubators that go into lock down and this is when it should stop turning the eggs.

 

[Jaimes09]

UPDATE: i ended up moving rooster in with her. Before i did i seen a small chick poking his head out. I left door open for him to come out if he liked but never did other then to walk around and watch the other 3 chicks. The young rooster came to the hens door and the mate rooster came running back and blocked his path. Seems like he likes them!! I set up a roost for him as he was hopping on top of her nesting box. As the day was going more chicks came out and before i came inside i seen 6 chicks out of 14 or 15 eggs(i kinda forgot how many i counted) but all the other ones seemed to have pip. Going great so far!!

This a picture of early this morning after the 2nd one cane out.

 

[Jaimes09]

Hens do not go into lockdown before hatch. That is for incubators where humidity needs to be controlled.

Oh okay yeah my first time having broody hen so didn’t know. Last year she only laid 3 so i used incubator But thank you! Is there any moment where she does go to lockdown? Or is that completely not a thing for hens?

 

[Jaimes09]

Trust your broody hen. They know more by instinct than we will ever know. You don't get guarantees with living animals and their behaviors, about anything can happen, but the vast majority of them will know what to do. The more I interfere the more likely I am to cause harm so I just leave mine alone as much as I can.


What a question. I don't know what your facilities look like, how many other chickens you have, anything like that. It sounds like you isolated the hen from the rooster and the rest of your flock (if there is a rest of your flock) while she was incubating the eggs. I don't do that. My broody hens incubate and hatch with the flock. The hen, eggs, and chicks are never isolated so I really don't have your kind of experience. My dominant roosters have never harmed baby chicks. Sometimes they will help Mama raise them but usually they just hang out with the rest of the flock and ignore the chicks and broody.

I've read several stories on this forum where people have had just one hen with a rooster and he helps her while she is incubating the eggs and especially helps her raising the chicks. Not all roosters behave that way but a good rooster should.

Since you did keep them isolated I'm a little nervous. I just haven't experienced that. With the vast majority of roosters I think you'd be fine letting him in there now, let alone tomorrow, but if you want to wait until the hatch is over and she's brought them off of the nest I won't criticize you. Don't wait too long, the chicks should be young enough that he assumes they are his, whether they are or not.

@Shadrach got your ears on? I know this is not exactly how you did this when you were in Spain but I immediately thought of you when I saw this. Your experience in "small" flocks exceeds mine.

Yes so i have a small flock. But they have never gotten along. As of now i have 6 older ones. 1 broody hen. 1 the mate of that hen. Another rooster that is 8 months old. And 3 5 month old chicks that were from the one hen. They were incubated so momma and dad never get along. When I’ve tried putting them all in same pen they start pecking and fighting. So i have all them split but they see each other when i take them out to free range. I will let momma and chicks get out some time whole im there to watch over her and everyone.

 

[Shadrach]

Awesome, and another question i can have rooster in there with her correct? Their a pair but i moved her to new pen because the pen they were last in wasn’t chick friendly. So you think i can put him into that new one tomorrow?

You could have, not that he would stay if he could get out. I don't confine broody hens so they go and see their roosters most days.
Roosters are uncomfortable being confined with a broody hen. You can sometimes see this in free range flocks where a hen has decided to hatch her eggs in the same coop as the rooster. There have been a few occasions when I've had to put the rooster in because he was initially reluctant.
However, given you've kept the broody hen seperate I would now wait for the chicks to hatch. What should happen if the hen can is at some point she will want to rejoin the rest of the group. At that time or before, the rooster imprints the chicks. Once he's done that and accepted the chicks the hen with her chicks should be fine.