Broody Hen Thread!

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2 months ago my austrolorp hen went textbook broody. It was my first time and at first I thought something was wrong with her until I joined this website and learned what a broody hen does. In the past 3 days she has started to exhibit the broody behaviors again. She i s growling at the other hens, puffing up her feathers, and sitting on the nest for longer periods of time. Last night she stayed in the nest but she isn't staying in it all day like she did the last time she went broody. My questions are, 1. Do hens sometimes just go "a little broody" sometimes because the weather is colder and her body heat won't get as high?and 2. Is this the normal pattern of behavior during the onset of the broodiness? After her first time I plan on being ready for ir again by buying some eggs since I have no rooster. Thanks y'all, I know this is a long message!
 
I have been thinking of building some hatching pens myself. Do you have any suggestions or pics you would like to share? I was planning on designing it to go inside the coop with the other hens. Are you're hatching pens completely separate structures from the hen house?
 
A6chickenhome said:
I have been thinking of building some hatching pens myself. Do you have any suggestions or pics you would like to share? I was planning on designing it to go inside the coop with the other hens. Are you're hatching pens completely separate structures from the hen house?
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To answer your first post.... yes it sounds like the hen is trying to go broody again, though to be on the safe side you should check her vent area for any mites/lice (which can cause some lethargy and explain her just wanting to lay around) and check her poo for any blood or worms.
Some hens just don't care about outside temps when they are in the mood to hatch chicks!

To answer your second question... every one of us use different methods to give our broodies a place to raise their little ones. Some are still in the coop, others are separate coops altogether and every combination in between.
The easiest way to get visuals on how we are set up is to go to the right side of the page where the 'recent images' are shown. At the top of it you will see a link for 'view all'. This will give you a good view of thumbnails for all pics posted and you can scroll through them and look at the many, many set ups folks use. Some are very simple, others more involved but they all work for the individual's set up.
You can also check the 'old fashioned broody hen' thread and do the same.
 
roostersandhens said:
I have a hen hiding eggs and hatching them right now.. I can't have more chicks, but I can't find the hen.. I just find a broody hen poop every day. She'll have been on the eggs for 2 weeks on Tuesday. If she successfully hatches the eggs, when do you think she'll leave the nest w/ her babies? 
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I would expect her to show up with brood in tow about day two or three. She will be needing an easy source of food and water for them by then...unless she has an easy source for them elsewhere on the property.
 

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