Broody Hen Questions

[BarredRocks3]

My barred rock hen finally went broody, now how would I go about caring for her?
Should I keep her on the coop or move her? Now she sits on about nine eggs and I'm worried she'll move if I remove the about 5 of the eggs.

 

[iwiw60]

Lucky you having a broody!! I would leave her alone with her 9 eggs. There's nothing for you to do...broodies already have that mentality built right into them. If you have other hens that are, or might start, bothering her, you should probably move her to her own area...still in the coop so she isn't totally alone, but in something like a dog crate.

If you do move her do it at night, wear a long sleeve shirt and gloves (trust me, you'll be glad you did!). Then after you have your new area all set up pick up the entire nest, eggs and all, and move it to the new area. Your broody will be right there most likely bawking away. Make sure she settles down and gets comfortable, have food and water for herself, and then start counting the days til they hatch! Here's a great page with a wealth of information for you:

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/search?q=broody+hatch

Wishing you all the best, and keep us updated please!!

 

[centrarchid]

Do not move her. Consider making so other birds do not disturb her. If practical feed and water her at least 20 feet from nest. Leave clutch alone unless you suspect a dud.

Assuming she can cover eggs during brooding, she can rear nearly a dozen chicks consistently if you baby her a bit.

Make so feeding area for chicks is protected from other adults which can important when feeding needs differ or disease management is involved.

Effort to learn interaction patterns between brood, broody hen and other flock members.

Sometimes you will get to see something special where mother gets an assist from father.

See following link for details.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/882368/what-to-look-for-in-a-broody-rooster

 

[iwiw60]

Quote: I didn't advise her to move her. What I said was:

Quote:

 

[centrarchid]

I didn't advise her to move her. What I said was:

Note are posts are less than one minute apart. I was not responding to yours rather saying much the same in parallel.