Broody Hen Thread!

[langfordcr]

@langfordcr

Hi

It is really important not to add anymore eggs regardless of when they were laid. The eggs all need to hatch within a day or two at most of each other to be successful, that means they need to start the incubation process at the same time. That is why it is important to mark the ones you set her on and remove any others. A staggered hatch will almost certainly lead to heartache. Also if she is a first time broody, a dozen eggs is a lot. If you are in winter....you profile doesn't show your location???.... she may have difficulty keeping them all warm enough. That jeopardises all the eggs as the ones on the outside can die of the cold and then get rotated into the middle and others moved to the edge and chill.
I know how easy it is to get carried away with broody hens and setting eggs under them but please listen to those of us who have made these mistakes and don't repeat them.

Best wishes

Barbara

Thank you Barbara. I need all the advice as this is my first go 'round!

The 2 I added from the previous day were added the same day all the others were laid and placed with her. Is that okay? They had been on my counter at room temp since the previous day. My understanding is that they are all on Day 1 that way. Please correct me if I don't understand. Should I remove the 2 I added?

She is a first time broody. She's been broody before but this is the first time to let her sit.

I marked all the eggs and will be removing any new ones from here on out to avoid the staggered hatch you referenced.

As far as temps, I'm in Texas where we are experiencing above normal high temps in the 70's. Although I believe in a week or so we are supposed to get a cold front which will take us into 30's & 40's.

 

[rebrascora]

As long as all the eggs were "set" under her the same day (or some a day later, at a push) they should be fine. It really doesn't matter too much when they were laid as long as they were less than a couple of weeks old. The clock doesn't start ticking until she sets tight and starts cooking them, so yes, I guess this is day 1 for you....there was a little confusion with the international dateline as I read your first post yesterday.
Ordinarily when a hen starts to go broody, she will make a nest and lay an egg a day into it until she has a clutch of a suitable size and then she will stop laying and start incubating them....so the oldest eggs in the clutch may be as old as two weeks or even a little more sometimes. Spring/summer is the natural time to do this when conditions are favourable, but I guess the climate in Texas means it's not unreasonable to do it now and maybe preferable to summer when it's perhaps too hot.

What breed of hen is she? (Sorry I can't remember if you said) If she is a large fowl, with your climate, you might get away with a dozen, but if any eggs get rolled out of the nest I would probably be inclined to ditch them rather than put them back, as you would in warmer weather....Or if you have an incubator, put them in there and check for development/movement after a few days.

Good luck with her. It is great that you are giving her a chance to be a mother this time. I absolutely love broody hens even if they do result in me being knee deep in chickens!! Beware Chicken Maths!!

Best wishes

Barbara

 

[langfordcr]

As long as all the eggs were "set" under her the same day (or some a day later, at a push) they should be fine. It really doesn't matter too much when they were laid as long as they were less than a couple of weeks old. The clock doesn't start ticking until she sets tight and starts cooking them, so yes, I guess this is day 1 for you....there was a little confusion with the international dateline as I read your first post yesterday.
Ordinarily when a hen starts to go broody, she will make a nest and lay an egg a day into it until she has a clutch of a suitable size and then she will stop laying and start incubating them....so the oldest eggs in the clutch may be as old as two weeks or even a little more sometimes. Spring/summer is the natural time to do this when conditions are favourable, but I guess the climate in Texas means it's not unreasonable to do it now and maybe preferable to summer when it's perhaps too hot.

What breed of hen is she? (Sorry I can't remember if you said) If she is a large fowl, with your climate, you might get away with a dozen, but if any eggs get rolled out of the nest I would probably be inclined to ditch them rather than put them back, as you would in warmer weather....Or if you have an incubator, put them in there and check for development/movement after a few days.

Good luck with her. It is great that you are giving her a chance to be a mother this time. I absolutely love broody hens even if they do result in me being knee deep in chickens!! Beware Chicken Maths!!

Best wishes

Barbara

She is a Gold Laced Wyandotte. She is puffed up pretty big and I don't see any straggler eggs yet. I'll keep my eye out. I just think it's so cool that she is incubating. I know it's nature and all natural. But still so cool! This is our first year of living on a ranch and having chickens so it's a learning experience.

 

[langfordcr]

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[langfordcr]

 

[melliston]

Not sure if this has been asked or not, don't feel like reading 13,000 posts to find. I have a broody, and eggs in the incubator due to hatch in a week. Should I move some eggs under her the morning they are due? Would this allow an easier way to introduce the rest of the batch?

 

[redsix]

Not sure if this has been asked or not, don't feel like reading 13,000 posts to find. I have a broody, and eggs in the incubator due to hatch in a week. Should I move some eggs under her the morning they are due? Would this allow an easier way to introduce the rest of the batch?

Having a mother hen to protect the chicks from the other adult chickens is the way to go when introducing new ones. I tried to let the chicks stay with the hen and feather out some before introducing them. It worked well. Why wait until the morning they are due to hatch to move the eggs? How many eggs are there? Could she cover all of them?

 

[melliston]

Having a mother hen to protect the chicks from the other adult chickens is the way to go when introducing new ones.  I tried to let the chicks stay with the hen and feather out some before introducing them.  It worked well.  Why wait until the morning they are due to hatch to move the eggs?  How many eggs are there?  Could she cover all of them?

I have 16 due to hatch on the 3rd. I'm not sure if she is sitting at night, and with a first time mom, I don't want to risk losing the entire batch,

 

[nchls school]

Quote: Giving a broody hen a few eggs to finish hatching will allow you to give her more chicks as they hatch in the incubator without having to wait for night or worry about the chicks being rejected. However, you need to be sure she is broody. A hen that does not brood her eggs at night is not suitable for motherhood; check to ensure she is brooding her nest at night before giving her any eggs or chicks. A broody should have been setting for at least a week before being given chicks to foster. Hens that have been brooding less than a week often kill the chicks because their biological clock is not set for chicks yet. Good luck!

 

[nchls school]

We brought this silkied serama hen into the house when it became obvious her feathering did not hold in heat as the weather became colder. She continued to lay eggs and last week became broody-in a 25 gallon plastic tub with a salad bowl for a nest. The hen is brooding four eggs; her first brooding attempt.

Tennessee-temps as low as 14 degrees F. Several of my hens have chicks ranging in age between two months and two weeks. Five more hens are brooding. The next clutch is due to hatch 1/1; New Year's Day. Winter has not slowed broodiness in my flock at all.