Broody hen sitting on eggs

[leah_c]

I have a 6 month old hen sitting on eggs for about a week now. My question is can I candle them to make sure they are fertile? If so, gonna have to have the hubby get them out to do so cuz she won't let me in.

If they're fertile, they should be hatching around the end of Oct -beginning of Nov.!!!

 

[math ace]

yipee ! ! I have 36 eggs in the incubator right now - - due to hatch Nov 4. They are in the incubator because none of our hens wants to go broody. I have 11 hens between the ages of 7 - 12 months old and none broody!

I would wait to day 7 - 10 before candling.

Good luck.

 

[b&b's barnyard]

Have simular problem have 2- 6 month old cochins 1 buff and 1 silkie all broody right now all under 8 months first chick hatched yesterday so I would say you could candle them if you have to many problems gettin eggs I started petting them with the sleeve of my sweat shirt to protect me then slowly pushed my hand out now I can pet all 4 and ck the eggs this processes took me about 3 days. Like you live in wi hope we have a gentle winter. First winter for me havin outdoor animals in about 10 years and never had chicks this time of year before...Good Luck

 

[leah_c]

We are new to chicken (got them this spring) so it will be our first winter too. Kinda flying blind as to what to expect. Hope we have everything ready for them and a little nervous about this winter. Hope it doesn't get too cold! Now I get to figure out if I should move the hen and her chicks (when they hatch) in the house or leave them in the coop. The nesting boxes are off the floor about 3 ft. Thinking on making something up on the floor for them. Any ideas?

 

[mstricer]

Quote:
Is she in a coop by her self?

 

[leah_c]

She is not in the coop by herself but the others leave her alone. The roosters will stand in front of her on the roost as if they were guarding her.

 

[Ridgerunner]

You might want to read this thread. It not only talks about isolating broodies, but also has some help for what you need to do if you do not lock her away from the rest of the flock. Please pay attention to the part about marking the eggs and checking under her daily for new eggs. That can save a lot of heartache.

Isolate a Broody? Thread
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=213218

When I was growing up, one of my chores was to collect the eggs. Some broodies were pretty mean and I did not really want to do that, but no way was I going ot tell my father that I was afraid to check under a broody. Long sleeves and gloves can help, but when you take on the responsibility of keeping animals there are some things that you just have to do.

 

[math ace]

I use my husbands flannel shirt. I don't wear it in our hot summer temps. . . I just wrap it around my arm. . . .
Works GREAT on those nasty broodies . . .

 

[leah_c]

Thanks for the info!!! My 6 month old Golden Seabright uses a different nesting box to lay her eggs so I don't have the issue with them crowding my broody. Wanting to candle them but not too sure if I have a strong enough light to do so. Any other ideas? My other ? is, my nesting boxes are about 3 ft. off the floor. I don't wanna disrupt her and move her now (its been about 9 days) and risk her stopping the broodiness. Will the chicks, if they hatch be okay or once they hatch do I need to move them to the ground?

 

[math ace]

Quote:
I marked the eggs my broody was sitting on. Then daily I removed any additional eggs that other hens laid in the box. THE LAST WEEK - - around day 14 - - - I moved to broody to a new place (with eggs). You will want to move her to PROTECT the chicks from the other hens. . . .