Broody Hen Thread!

[PD-Riverman]

Can someone put my mind at ease? I live in sunny Florida but we're experiencing a cold blast last night and today--in the mid 30's (don't laugh, those of you from up north!). My broody hen has been on eggs for a little under a week. Can she keep them warm enough in those temps?

Should Not Be a Problem as long as they stay dry!! Good Luck

 

[vpatt]

Well....sigh.....lthis morning I gave my broody her water and feed and opened her door so she could stretch her legs if she wanted. She wanted......I went an hour later to see if her water was frozen....she had trekked across the yard back to the coop and her original nest. I checked the eggs, found them warm so I took them to her.....it will be a miracle if any of the four hatch, I think. I moved her to the dog crate because the coup is raised and I didn't want the chicks to fall. If any hatch I will close the coop in the daytime so they can't fall and see how it works. She thinks she knows better than me, lol, I bet she's right, too.

 

[Angie16hearts]

5/10   Much warmer here today - it was -7 F when I woke up this morning but it's now up to 18.  Guess I'd better break out my shorts!  Scout now has his own page, if you are following him.  The link is in my signature - or whatever that thingy at the bottom of the posts is called.

Now that you say that about her comb. I think back, she never really got red at all and now her comb is the lightest of the ladies. Even my non- layers ( who are days away) have dark red.

 

[Angie16hearts]

Now that you say that about her comb. I think back, she never really got red at all and now her comb is the lightest of the ladies. Even my non- layers ( who are days away) have dark red.

Sorry wrong person

 

[PD-Riverman]

Well....sigh.....lthis morning I gave my broody her water and feed and opened her door so she could stretch her legs if she wanted. She wanted......I went an hour later to see if her water was frozen....she had trekked across the yard back to the coop and her original nest. I checked the eggs, found them warm so I took them to her.....it will be a miracle if any of the four hatch, I think. I moved her to the dog crate because the coup is raised and I didn't want the chicks to fall. If any hatch I will close the coop in the daytime so they can't fall and see how it works. She thinks she knows better than me, lol, I bet she's right, too.

If the nest is like 6ft high or less, they will be fine---even if the nest was 8ft tall and "I" was worried about it---I would spread a little hay on the dirt/floor to dampen their fall a little. BUT, I move ALL my broodys to hatching pens---which has a nesting box close to the dirt and a 2ftx4ft area she can stretch her legs when she wants. Maybe you can make-shift a small area with the dog pen you got now so you do not have to worry about them falling out the nest.

 

[vpatt]

. Next spring I am enclosing underneath the coop for a broody to hatch her young and I can leave the door shut except for when I am feeding or cleaning. Then when the eggs hatch i can open the door and the chicks will only need to walk through their gate. Do you think three feet is not too high for them? The nest is on the floor of the coop.....but if they try to go out of the coop to the ground it is a three foot drop.....and would they be able walk up the ramp to go back inside......when do they begin flying? They would have been ground level in the dog crate...I wish she would have stayed in it.

 

[cafrhe]

PD-Riverman-how long do you keep your mama in the hatching pen with the chicks? Our BO hatched 2 chicks last Friday and she still acts like she is sitting on eggs. Granted it is cold now, but gosh she seems determined to hatch something else...

 

[PD-Riverman]

PD-Riverman-how long do you keep your mama in the hatching pen with the chicks? Our BO hatched 2 chicks last Friday and she still acts like she is sitting on eggs. Granted it is cold now, but gosh she seems determined to hatch something else...

I keep them in the hatching pen for 2/3 weeks unless I need it for another broody----If I do--I have about 10 more bigger pens I move them into. These pens are made of 1/2" hardware cloth too to keep the chicks safe from snakes etc. Here is what I do----all my hens nesting boxes are made using modified plastic milk crates. When I set the hen---ALL the eggs are fresh and marked. Each day I collect eggs I check under the broody and remove any eggs that are not marked.

When she has been setting about 3 to 4 days I move her at night----nesting box and all---she just stays in the nest as I walk to the hatching pen. I place this nest into the hatching pen------that I already got fresh food and water in the exercise area for her. Now I do not have to look under her any more for "other" eggs. I just keep feed and water for her. If I see her off the eggs during the day to get some food, water, etc I lift the lid and look at her eggs, count them etc.

I know when she is due to hatch and I check on her more often during the day---not bothering her---just looking to see if she is bringing them off the nest which is usually the day after the due date. The day before the chicks are due to hatch I change the waterer to a chick waterer and place some chick feed in the pen----NEVER in the nesting box area. The first time I see her off the nest I open the top and Remove the plastic milk crate---I pull the hay/bedding out the crate and place it back into the box where the crate sat. I do this to make it easier for the chicks to get into the nest and also so none of them get behind the milk crate and get trapped.

If there are eggs that did not hatch I remove them. All the eggs should hatch within a days time because they were set the same day. If you allow other hens to keep laying eggs in her nest while she is setting----then you got problems. I NEVER allow that. In the beginning--to see what is going on---I use to crack eggs open that did not hatch----none of them would have hatched-----I just quit cracking them open. She usually comes off the nest on day 22----if there is a egg or two that has not hatched or pipped---even in the incubators by day 22----The hogs get them.

 

[PD-Riverman]

. Next spring I am enclosing underneath the coop for a broody to hatch her young and I can leave the door shut except for when I am feeding or cleaning. Then when the eggs hatch i can open the door and the chicks will only need to walk through their gate. Do you think three feet is not too high for them? The nest is on the floor of the coop.....but if they try to go out of the coop to the ground it is a three foot drop.....and would they be able walk up the ramp to go back inside......when do they begin flying? They would have been ground level in the dog crate...I wish she would have stayed in it.

When they hatch and she brings them off the nest down to the dirt--(the 3ft drop will be no problem)--I would keep checking on them---to make sure all are together----she will probably stay on the dirt for a few nights till they can get into the coop, BUT she might not---she might go into the coop and some chicks make it in, some don't. The ones that don't will die if you do not help---put them with Mom. Most chicks can start flying a little by 3 to 4 weeks old they got to get some wing feathers first---some longer, some sooner. I do not want to loose any chicks so I build a place for them/her so I do not have to worry if they make it in----I try to do anything/everything I can to keep from Loosing ONE!

 

[3 Chicks]

As long as a hen has a reasonably secured (draft free and dry) area she will have no problem with keeping the eggs warm as long as she has a reasonable nest.  A bird's body temperature is the same no matter if they are north or south and as long as there is no way for outside temps to directly contact the eggs then there should be no problems with the hatch related to the temps.  When it is extremely cold I do make sure the nest has additional insulation in the bottom of it by making the nesting material deeper, this helps reduce heat loss and therefore will aid the hen in maintaining a more constant nest temperature.   A nest on bare wood (such as a coop floor) or bare plastic (tub or bucket) without nesting material would be much more susceptible to heat loss with temperature swings.

We have had many successful hatches during the winter with average coop temps in the teens...  I do make sure the hen has plenty of high quality feed during cold winter hatches in particular because maintaining good heat levels takes a lot of calories!

Thanks for the reassurance! I keep adding shavings and she has it all built up around the nest but not much under the eggs. I did add a thick blanket around the nesting box (where her nest is) to try and add a little layer of protection and keep any draft from the door from getting in. During the day it warmed up nicely but tonight we're in for more 30's. I didn't get home early enough to check on her other than with a flashlight. Tomorrow I'm hoping to offer her some food and see if she'll take it.