Broody Hen in hot summer months.....

[16 paws]

Hi everyone, I have a question about broody hens in the summer months. The weather here gets into the high 90's in the summer and sometimes in the 100's. I have a hen that is maybe going broody and I was wondering, do they sit on their eggs all day if it is over 95 degrees out? Wont the eggs get too warm? Just want to know what to expect if she is serious about this since we are coming up on the hot months. Anyone know?
Thanks,
Marie from Vista, Ca

 

[sumi]

I've had broody hens hatch chicks in very hot summers in Africa without problems, except once when we had a heatwave and temperatures over 120* for days on end. Most of their eggs went off after that one. Your hen may get up and stay off the eggs longer if it's really warm, but as long as you make sure her box is in a coolish area and she has water available when she needs it, it should work out o.k.

 

[16 paws]

I've had broody hens hatch chicks in very hot summers in Africa without problems, except once when we had a heatwave and temperatures over 120* for days on end. Most of their eggs went off after that one. Your hen may get up and stay off the eggs longer if it's really warm, but as long as you make sure her box is in a coolish area and she has water available when she needs it, it should work out o.k.

Ok, Thanks....
Also I had read that it is good to separate them so I made a real nice broody coop with a comfy nest and moved her and her eggs at night. She did not sit on the eggs and she was very unhappy. I left her there overnight but in the morning she was pacing back and forth frantically trying to get back to the shared nest boxes. So I let her back there. I guess I will just let her be for now unless anyone has any other good ideas. Maybe she knows better. I just don't want the other hens messing with her eggs and her forgetting which box has her eggs.
Marie

 

[CAjerseychick]

Ok, Thanks....
Also I had read that it is good to separate them so I made a real nice broody coop with a comfy nest and moved her and her eggs at night. She did not sit on the eggs and she was very unhappy. I left her there overnight but in the morning she was pacing back and forth frantically trying to get back to the shared nest boxes. So I let her back there. I guess I will just let her be for now unless anyone has any other good ideas. Maybe she knows better. I just don't want the other hens messing with her eggs and her forgetting which box has her eggs.
Marie

Newbie here, but what worked for us-- get those eggs marked asap (or you wont know which are which and you end up with eggs a week or two behind in development which doesnt work for a broody hen )-- and remove all the fresh eggs daily or even twice a day to reduce her confusion (the only eggs to sit on are the right ones0... And, we let ours hatch out in the nest box (she wouldnt stay either when we tried to move her)-- we ended up with a small hatch of 4 (2 were broken, and fairly right at the end-- day 18 or so) 2 were "bad", and 2 were a week or two behind the others (got laid and snuck in there before we got around to marking them)...
But hey 4 is better than none.... And she seemed right content in that nest box...

 

[nomes4]

We put ours in a dog cage and locked her in when we moved her. She settled down and hatched them out. My question was whether to worry if they don't sit all day. Mine keeps leaving not sure if she is giving up or not