Broody Hen Q's

[lovethepeep]

Hi all, it's been a while since I've posted! One of my Buff's has been in a nesting box for 4 days now... guessing she's broody!

. We have a rooster, so I'm assuming all the eggs under her are fertilized (?). I have a couple questions, as this is our first run with broody hens!

#1- Do I really need to separate her, and for how long do they have to be separate from the rest of the flock?I have a big and mean rooster... hoping he doesn't cause trouble...

#2- does she need food and water close to her? or does she leave the box and eat and drink? I've not seen her leave the box!

#3- what happens if only a few of those eggs hatch? will she sit on those bad eggs just waiting??

#4- should I remove some of the eggs under her? there are probably 9 or 10!

THANKS!!!

 

[NotAFarm]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=457488

Here is a link to a broody hen thread that should be of interest to you.

1. Separating her will a) keep other hens from laying in her nest b) make it easier for her to get off her nest and do "her business" and return to the correct nest c) keep others from bothering her while she sits d) keep the chicks away from those in the flock that may want to do them harm. I separate my broodies, you don't have to, some people do not. I let my broody and her chicks out when they are four days old and then gradually she will bring them closer to the flock when she feels they are ready.
2. I put food and water near her, but she must move off the nest to get to them. She needs to get off the nest far enough that when she "does her business" she doesn't soil the nest and eggs. If you leave with the rest of the flock, she may get off the nest and while she is off, someone else may enter the nest and she may not return to the right nest.
3. My broodies seem to know if the eggs are good or not. They will push the undeveloped eggs out of the nest, or sometimes eat them to keep them from contaminating the nest. Usually, the broody will hatch any thing under her that she can feel or hear is developing ,even if they are a few days apart. If you let eggs accumulate after she has started sitting (like when other hens visit the nest and leave eggs) the spacing may be too far apart and she may leave unhatched eggs in the nest.
4. If she is a standard size, also known as large fowl, she should easily handle 9 or 10 eggs. My broody Silver Laced Wyandotte sat on 14 and hatched 12, one died shortly after hatch. I don't know what happened to it but she buried it in the bedding near the nest. One egg was left in the nest, it started to develop but quit. The 14th egg just disappeared one day during the second week, I think she ate it.

Good luck with your broody. I think it's the best way to hatch!!

 

[debilorrah]

1) If you don't seperate her, then make sure to mark the eggs under her and remove the unmarked ones daily. Other hens will lay behind her and push them under her.

2) You will have to watch her behavior. Some broodies NEVER leave and some leave a few times a day and some leave once every few days. Being broody is hard on a hen, so make sure you know what kind she is.

3) No, she will know when the hatch is over and kick them out of the nest. As a matter of fact, she will know ahead of time and toss them.

4) That, my dear, is up to you!!

 

[mmaddie's mom]

#1- Do I really need to separate her, and for how long do they have to be separate from the rest of the flock?I have a big and mean rooster... hoping he doesn't cause trouble...

I would separate an inexperienced broody. I usually move broody & eggs into a large closed dog crate as soon as she is fully, solidly broody (usually a week to 10 days into broody mode). The move should be done in the dead of night... in the dark... everything as quiet and calm as can be done... I try to set her right on top of the eggs and very gently hold he in place until she feels the eggs under her tummy... this seems to calm and settle her.

After hatching, provide fresh water and chick starter... they don't need it for the first few days but will copy mom as she begins to eat and drink again.
I keep them all together in the crate for at least 4-5 days to give them time to bond, mom to babies and babies to mom... sound, smell, sight, touch. After they are bonded, let them out for short supervised times to see how she handles it and how the flock reacts. After several days of that , and things are going well... mom and babies should be good to join the flock... but she will probably take them back to her small pen at night... and eventually she will one evening take them into the big coop with the flock... integrated!

I'd get rid of the big mean roo.

#2- does she need food and water close to her? or does she leave the box and eat and drink? I've not seen her leave the box!

Yes, provide fresh water and food... I place this in the far front of the crate so she will stretch her legs to get up and eat.

#3- what happens if only a few of those eggs hatch? will she sit on those bad eggs just waiting??

After the first few chicks hatch, she will eventually just leave any unhatched eggs.

#4- should I remove some of the eggs under her? there are probably 9 or 10

How big a girl is she? I've had a Banty hatch 13... 9-10 seems just fine to me.

Good luck with your broody!

 

[Mallory]

Quote:
Good advice. I'll tuck that one away to remember.

 

[debilorrah]

Quote:
Good advice. I'll tuck that one away to remember.

I think the only reasons to seperate is the number of hens you may have setting behind her and a mean or nasty rooster. Other hens, for the most part, are understanding of a broody, yet they want their eggs under her too. And sometimes a broody has a very protective daddy who winds up hurting other hens. Otherwise, they are fine where they decide to sit.