Broody Hen Thread!

[fisherlady]

A couple of pictures from the coop today...we have 3 hens with week old chicks. in our coop they normally get a few days of privacy and then are able to rejoin coop life with a broody area to retreat to when they want quiet time. Our hens tend to share chicks and it is common to see one broody with all of the chicks while the other broody is dusting or eating at the adult feeders.

One of our senior roosters and oldest hens (the brown one) with one of the broody hens, Bess. You can see the chicks in front of Bess.

One of our little mixes

Grayson standing watch while Janeway takes a break with the little ones.

Grayson watching over the next generation.

 

[Robbo]

My Broody. First time with a Broody, very excited. Her eggs will be here Tuesday.

Some more Silkies coming.

Our rooster isn't mature yet.

 

[fisherlady]

My Broody. First time with a Broody, very excited. Her eggs will be here Tuesday.

Some more Silkies coming.

Our rooster isn't mature yet.

Congrats!! It will be wonderful and nerve wracking all at the same time! She does look very determined.

 

[JoPop]

Hi All,

New to the site and very excited! I have 1 hen, 1 rooster, and 4 pullets, who are in a small coop at night and in a large run (50' x 12') during the day. My hen went broody 2 days ago, and I'm interested in letting her hatch her clutch! (Note: I live in the tropics, so the temperature is between 70 - 85 this time of year).

I've read some competing info online and would love your advice on a few things:

* Coop vs. broody box: A lot of articles online seem to favor a separate broody box, but since she is my only layer (nobody competing for nesting space) is it OK to let her hatch inside the coop? Does that make intro to the flock easier? I have a dog crate that can easily be turned into a brooder if needed or if there is any hostility after hatching.

* Egg Collecting: She's my only layer, so all of the eggs will be her own. Should I collect them every day and then set them back under her all at once to start germinating, or should I stop collecting and let her do her thing? She seems to be spending more time in the nesting box than usual -- a few hours after laying and now she is sleeping there on today's egg -- but she still spent most of the day in the run. (I collected yesterday but did not collect today.)

Thanks for your help!
- Joanna

 

[fisherlady]

Hi All,

New to the site and very excited! I have 1 hen, 1 rooster, and 4 pullets, who are in a small coop at night and in a large run (50' x 12') during the day. My hen went broody 2 days ago, and I'm interested in letting her hatch her clutch! (Note: I live in the tropics, so the temperature is between 70 - 85 this time of year).

I've read some competing info online and would love your advice on a few things:

* Coop vs. broody box: A lot of articles online seem to favor a separate broody box, but since she is my only layer (nobody competing for nesting space) is it OK to let her hatch inside the coop? Does that make intro to the flock easier? I have a dog crate that can easily be turned into a brooder if needed or if there is any hostility after hatching.

* Egg Collecting: She's my only layer, so all of the eggs will be her own. Should I collect them every day and then set them back under her all at once to start germinating, or should I stop collecting and let her do her thing? She seems to be spending more time in the nesting box than usual -- a few hours after laying and now she is sleeping there on today's egg -- but she still spent most of the day in the run. (I collected yesterday but did not collect today.)

Thanks for your help!
- Joanna

Welcome to the site!

Your hen sounds like she is starting to be broody but hasn't become dedicated yet.... so now is definitely the time to start collecting eggs. You will want to remove them daily (preferably within a reasonable time of being laid) and store them with round (air) end up in an egg box which you tip slightly side to side a couple of times a day. Store them in a cool place such as a dark closet or basement stairwell.
You should give her back the eggs as a complete clutch after she has spent a couple of days sitting both day and night in the nest. You can give her fake eggs to keep her interested while you are collecting the eggs you want her to hatch.
You may not get very many more eggs from her before she goes totally broody and quits laying, depending on how many you want her to hatch you may want to find another source to get a few fertile eggs, especially if there is another breed you are interested in.

Many folks choose to separate the broody to avoid competition with laying hens for nest space and the risk of broken eggs or even the hen getting confused and getting back into the wrong nest box after being out for her daily break.... separating her would remove these common coop risks. Other folks choose to leave the hen brood where she chooses and they accept the risks already mentioned. This can succeed quite well when the coop attitude is laid back, the broody is near top in the pecking order and/or/if there are plenty of nest boxes to avoid competition for nest space.
I usually have my experienced broodies and top hens hatch in the coop, I move them to a secure corner for a couple of days after hatch so the little ones get some bonding time with mama and then open up their space to allow the mama to introduce them to the rest of the coop.

Choosing whether to let her brood where she is or move her to separate quarters is up to you... your set up doesn't sound very high risk but I would definitely still mark her hatching eggs and watch daily for signs of any competition issues or signs the hen is easily confused about what nest she should use. If there is only one nest box then that eliminates the wrong nest issue and if no other hens are laying you can even block off any other nests with chicken wire to eliminate them from causing confusion also. You can even do this before you give her any good hatching eggs...
Good luck and hopefully we will be seeing some pics in a few weeks!

 

[Lady of McCamley]

A couple of pictures from the coop today...we have 3 hens with week old chicks. in our coop they normally get a few days of privacy and then are able to rejoin coop life with a broody area to retreat to when they want quiet time. Our hens tend to share chicks and it is common to see one broody with all of the chicks while the other broody is dusting or eating at the adult feeders.


One of our senior roosters and oldest hens (the brown one) with one of the broody hens, Bess. You can see the chicks in front of Bess.


One of our little mixes

Grayson standing watch while Janeway takes a break with the little ones.

Grayson watching over the next generation.

I always love seeing your communal brooding
LofMc

 

[Rocky64]

Last year I had a hen go broody so I put some pheasant, isa brown, silkie, and her own (well she put that there) eggs under her. Some of the pheasants hatched and the Isa brown hatched, but nothing else. Hope she goes broody again this year, more pheasant and silkie eggs on the way.

 

[PD-Riverman]

Last year I had a hen go broody so I put some pheasant, isa brown, silkie, and her own (well she put that there) eggs under her. Some of the pheasants hatched and the Isa brown hatched, but nothing else. Hope she goes broody again this year, more pheasant and silkie eggs on the way.

Pheasant eggs take longer to hatch than chicken eggs, so if you going to use the pheasant eggs---you should put them under her a few days(look up your breed of pheasant eggs hatching times) ahead of the chicken eggs. Also if she is where other chickens can get in her nest you should mark the chicken eggs you use----so you can remove any fresh layed eggs "Daily". "I" like to move my broodies to a private hatching pen (I move during the night) so I do not have to look under her and don't have other hens getting in her nest---messing her up. I have Had great success doing this.

 

[Rocky64]

The hen was in a separate pen and I have been raising ring neck pheasants for many years so I knew to put them under her a few days before the other eggs. Thanks for sharing your set-up, I bet it will help other people if they have a broody but don't know what to do with her.

 

[Angie16hearts]

My broody is due to hatch Saturday.
I have kept her with the flock and she is left alone for the most part. She's head hen and I divided the coop. While Waiting for my husband to get home and build a broody coop.

The coop is built and ready for her to be moved. In the same nesting box she has been in.

Since the date is coming soon! Saturday- is it to late to move her?I'm worried she will abandon the clutch. However, I want her and the babies safe. Just bad timing! I wasn't ready for a broody but welcome this experience!
She's been a good broody! Only off the nest once a day. I brought her out twice this weekend to give her treats and check her weight.
I feel she will freak out! Assuming it's not to late too move her. How long should I let her freak out intel I put her back with the flock ?