Broody Hen Info for Beginners

[ChickensForEggs2500]

Hello! I have a bantam broody, and I am considering making use of it (she won't break) to hatch a couple eggs! Please share tips, suggestions, experience, and anything that could help us out.

This is her 3rd(ish) time being broody, so I bet she has some great maternal instincts. She's been broody for almost a week now, so I think she's reliable!

Oh quick sidetrack. Last summer Clover (the broody) went missing and we all though she was a goner. Nope! She shows up three days later, eats and drinks like she's never seen food, and disappears by the time I put the chickens back in their coop from free-ranging. This happens twice more, then I decide to follow her. I follow her to the small strip of woods between my neighbors house and mine and assume there is some partying going on with their rooster. (They have chickens). The next night, coyotes are spotted in our neighbor's yard. She is announced eaten. Next time she comes back, we all rejoice and I follow her again, and she leads me to the same woods. I almost turn back, but then I can't find her! It turns out that Clover had made a nest in the woods out of mud, feathers, and grass. It was hidden under a large fern, and she had made a clutch of 12 eggs!!! Anyways, she's ok now, but broody again.

I'm planning on giving her one nest box and about 9 feet of henhouse to brood and raise the chick(s). How long do I keep them separate? Is it ok for her to hatch only one or two eggs? I don't have a rooster, but if we decide to hatch, we're picking up a few from our neighbor with 300+ chickens. Thanks!!

 

[CrazyChicken Lady]

Hello! I have brooded chicks lots of times and my first tip, DONT let other chickens in the nesting area, last time I made that mistake and lost 4 fertile eggs to some monster hen klonking around in there! Also never start hatching a brood unless there is only ONE broody hen, or the other one will get jealous and fight for the eggs, resulting in a injured hen and broken eggs. I personally would not hatch one egg because it seems pointless for 3 weeks of sitting and if it dies then that was a waste of time Also chicks do poorly alone most of the time. There you go my suggestions and tips! Hope this helps!

 

[ChickensForEggs2500]

Hello! I have brooded chicks lots of times and my first tip, DONT let other chickens in the nesting area, last time I made that mistake and lost 4 fertile eggs to some monster hen klonking around in there! Also never start hatching a brood unless there is only ONE broody hen, or the other one will get jealous and fight for the eggs, resulting in a injured hen and broken eggs. I personally would not hatch one egg because it seems pointless for 3 weeks of sitting and if it dies then that was a waste of time Also chicks do poorly alone most of the time. There you go my suggestions and tips! Hope this helps!

Thank you! We will be putting up walls in the henhouse to block of her nest box and some room for feed and water. I plan on hatching two now!

 

[Cattle dog Mom]

I would also do more than 2. What if neither or only one hatches? If you are going to do this, make it WORTH it.

 

[CrazyChicken Lady]

I agree with @Pencilled Palm...... two isn’t a very good idea, since almost always one chick dies, I have rarely heard of ALL the babies hatching healthy and living. So I’d do 3-4

 

[ChickensForEggs2500]

I can't house more than 2 more right now. If I end up with extras, what do you suggest?

 

[ChickensForEggs2500]

Also, what do I do with eggs that don't hatch?

 

[Cattle dog Mom]

I can't house more than 2 more right now. If I end up with extras, what do you suggest?

Sell or give them away. Have you thought about just trying to give her day old chicks rather than eggs? Are you able to have roosters?

 

[NatJ]

You don't have a rooster, but are you allowed to?

About half of chicks will be male. But it's not rare to hatch two or three chicks and have them all be one gender--so there's a chance that you will get multiple males and no females. (Equally good chance of getting all females, but that wouldn't be a problem.)

I agree that buying chicks for her to raise might be a good idea, especially if you only want females. Let her sit in a safe place for about three weeks before you try it, because she's not ready to take care of them yet (hormones change during broodiness.)

For how many eggs or chicks: it's not good to raise a baby chick all alone, with no other chickens. If it's being raised by a hen, I wouldn't worry about it, because it clearly has Mom for company. So I would say to not do more eggs or chicks than you can keep, unless you are willing to later butcher some, or have a plan to rehome them.

 

[Chicken Heel]

Nothing cuter than a mama hen with diddles whether it is two or twelve. I especially enjoy watching a game, bantam or mixed game/bantam hen with them because they are generally great mothers and very protective of their brood.