Broody hen questions

[Chickiechickieboomboom]

My 8 month old hen has been broody for 6 days now. I moved her nest to her own little coop 2 days ago, and she has water and feed in it. I know not everyone separates a broody hen, but i was more comfortable with this.

She is only leaving her nest once a day, when I pull her out of her nest box in the morning and put her out on the grass. I give her about 15 minutes to eat, drink and scratch with the rest of the flock, then I put her back in her coop and she goes right back to her nest.

During the day I am keeping her coop door closed so the other hens stay out of her area and give her peace. But, this doesn't allow her to leave the coop at all during the day. I occasionally open the door and try to entice her out with mealworms, but she won't leave her nest unless I pick her up out of it.

I am wondering if i should let her stay outside longer than 15 minutes? Or take her out more often? The eggs aren't fertilized so I'm not worried about viability. Also, even if I put treats and water directly in front of her nest (so she wouldn't even need to get up), she doesn't eat or drink while on the nest. Is that normal?

Ps my new chicks arrive in 7 days and I'm hoping she will raise them for me. That's why I'm encouraging her to stay broody.

Thanks for any and all advice!

 

[featheredplanets]

Is there no way to attach a run to the coop? Or fence off an area for her to roam on her own? She’ll still go back to the nest, you don’t need to keep her confined for her to stay broody, but then she has plenty of daylight and can relieve herself when she needs to. It’s normal for them to go hours and hours without drinking or eating, it’s why you have to watch a broody hen’s health closely. I would move the water/food away from the nest so she has to get up though.

 

[Chickiechickieboomboom]

Is there no way to attach a run to the coop? Or fence off an area for her to roam on her own? She’ll still go back to the nest, you don’t need to keep her confined for her to stay broody, but then she has plenty of daylight and can relieve herself when she needs to. It’s normal for them to go hours and hours without drinking or eating, it’s why you have to watch a broody hen’s health closely. I would move the water/food away from the nest so she has to get up though.

I didn't even think of adding a run! I do have a bit of fencing I could prop up temporarily. My hens free range so I don't have a run, just the coops.

 

[aart]

How big is the broody coop, pics please?
Setting up a run would be good, make the mesh small enough that the chicks can't get out.

Is she sitting on fake eggs?
She really should get up on her own, if you give her a chance she probably will.
I smooth over the feed dish and mark the water bottle so I can tell if she's eating/drinking.
Then there's the telltale broody poop which is hard to miss

 

[Chickiechickieboomboom]

How big is the broody coop, pics please?

This is the brooder coop. It's pretty small, maybe 12 sq ft. I put the water and food in one of the nest box areas. I attached a very small run today, but she still hasn't left her nest.

Is she sitting on fake eggs?

She is sitting on 3 real eggs I let her keep.

Then there's the telltale broody poop which is hard to

Oh, yes, the broody poops have definitely been the worst part of my chicken keeping experience by far!

 

[aart]

This is the brooder coop. It's pretty small, maybe 12 sq ft. I put the water and food in one of the nest box areas. I attached a very small run today, but she still hasn't left her nest.

That should be big enough for her to get up and poop with out the run.
If she hasn't gotten up after a couple days, then prompt her.
I usually pull them out on day 3-4 if they haven't gotten up on their own, after that they usually do it themselves.

She is sitting on 3 real eggs I let her keep.

Did she get right back onto the new nest when you moved her?
Have you candled yet to see if they are developing?

Oh, yes, the broody poops have definitely been the worst part of my chicken keeping experience by far!

They are definitely a milestone in chickeneering!
Why a run is a good idea.

 

[Chickiechickieboomboom]

I usually pull them out on day 3-4 if they haven't gotten up on their own, after that they usually do it themselves.

I've been pulling her off the nest every morning so she doesn't poop in the coop. On day 3, I didn't let her out in time and oh my goodness, the stench in the coop .

Did she get right back onto the new nest when you moved her?
Have you candled yet to see if they are developing

I moved her entire nest box from the big coop into this little coop while she was in it (at night). She didn't seem to mind. The eggs aren't fertilized, I don't have a rooster. But I have 3 chicks arriving next week (it'll be day 13 of her being broody). My plan is to bring her the chicks at night and obsessively check on them every 20 minutes to be sure they survive .

 

[Mrs. K]

You definitely want her to go out and stomp around at least every other day. This is when she scares the bejesus out of the layers. She will even stomp around a rooster if you have one. You want that. This is gaining her respect, and therefore distance from the layers. Then when she comes out with the chicks, they will think, "what are those strange things at her feet, might give a interested peck, but Broody will take their feathers off, and they think, "Well what ever they are, she can keep them".

I am envious of you, nothing is more fun than a broody hen with chicks, all of the fun, none of the work!