Broody hen sitting on 26 fertile eggs. What do I do when they hatch?

[Georgetownchick]

I had a hen go broody and she is sitting on 26 eggs. They should hatch in about a week. What do I do when they hatch? She has made a nest away from the coop and the rest of our flock. I hatched eggs one time from an incubator last winter. What do I put her and the babies in when they hatch? We live in Texas so it is warm outside. What do I do to care for them or will she care for them? When I hatched last time I only had six and we had them in a plastic box inside the house since it was cold outside. What if they hatch in the middle of the night? Thank you!

 

[bobbi-j]

Relax and let the mama do her job. 26 is a lot of eggs for one hen - they may not all hatch. If they hatch at night, she will keep them under her for a bit, just like she will if they hatch during the day. You can separate her from the flock, or trust her to raise them with the flock. I have always separated for the first month or so, but with my next batch, plan on letting the hen raise them with the flock. I have read on BYC that it is easier than trying to integrate them later, and they learn about flock dynamics at an earlier age. I would make sure that you have a waterer available that is small enough that they won't fall in and drown, and have chick feed out for them. I think it's better for the whole flock to eat chick feed for awhile, than to have the chicks eat layer feed. Good luck!

 

[Georgetownchick]

She has already separated herself from the flock. She built her nest by our pool equipment. She is fairly safe where she is but I do worry about her being out of the coop at night when there are more predators out. I don't think I should leave her where she is after the eggs hatch because the babies could wander out of the nest and fall into the pool. So, I need to figure out where to put her and the babies so they are safe. Should I build something onto to my existing coop to keep them?

 

[bobbi-j]

Do you have a run? If you're concerned about them wandering around the yard, that's what I would suggest. I have two coops, both with attached runs. It's very helpful when we're going to be gone for extended periods or I want to separate flocks for some reason or another.

 

[Mama2B&D&...Chickens]

I would move her at night or dusk so it's not as noticeable to her...I only let our broodies sit on 10-12 because that way I know they can get pretty evenly heated...she might could do more but I don't want to chance a few being on those outer edges and not hatching in time