Broody Hen

[leec]

Should I separate my broody hen from the rest of my flock (6 hens, 1 rooster)? Either the other hens are shoving her off the nest to lay their eggs, or she's gathering the eggs under her because they are next to her. Thank you for any and all advice!!

 

[nuthatched]

Yes, giver her some space to her self.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Some if us let broody hens incubate, hatch, and raise chicks with the flock. Others isolate the broody for some or all of these. What your coop and nest look like can influence which is best. In general the less space you have the more likely isolation is a good idea. A community nest usually isn't great for broody hens either.

If you let her hatch with the flock, mark all the eggs you want her to hatch and start them at the same time. Then every day check under her after the others have laid and remove any that don't belong. As long as you remove them daily you can still use them.

If you isolate her fix up a pen with a nest, food and water, and not much else. Lock her in that pen until she hatches. Make sure she can't get out and no other hen can get in.

If you need more details on any of these let us know, but some knowledge of what your coop, run, and nest look like could be very beneficial.

 

[leec]

Some if us let broody hens incubate, hatch, and raise chicks with the flock. Others isolate the broody for some or all of these. What your coop and nest look like can influence which is best. In general the less space you have the more likely isolation is a good idea. A community nest usually isn't great for broody hens either.

If you let her hatch with the flock, mark all the eggs you want her to hatch and start them at the same time. Then every day check under her after the others have laid and remove any that don't belong. As long as you remove them daily you can still use them.

If you isolate her fix up a pen with a nest, food and water, and not much else. Lock her in that pen until she hatches. Make sure she can't get out and no other hen can get in.

If you need more details on any of these let us know, but some knowledge of what your coop, run, and nest look like could be very beneficial.

Thank you for taking the time to reply. My coop is 8x12. My husband thinks we should let her be. I've been going back and forth because of the idea of reintroducing the hen and her chicks to the flock if I isolate her. I really don't want or need any more chickens but a couple of my grandsons are very interested in this event. I guess I'm a very casual chicken owner but try to do my best (without going overboard) for my small flock.

 

[leec]

Thank you for taking the time to reply. My coop is 8x12. My husband thinks we should let her be. I've been going back and forth because of the idea of reintroducing the hen and her chicks to the flock if I isolate her. I really don't want or need any more chickens but a couple of my grandsons are very interested in this event. I guess I'm a very casual chicken owner but try to do my best (without going overboard) for my small flock.

 

[Ridgerunner]

8x12, same size as my coop. That is a walk-in, probably not elevated too high. You can always run into issues no matter what you do but it sounds like you have a decent chanced of her hatching with the flock and certainly raising them with the flock. Even if you isolate her to hatch you can still let her raise them with the flock.

 

[Shadrach]

Possibly the most important point in your situation is to mark the eggs (a permenant marker stays on) so you can identify and remove any "donations" you get from other hens.
You may get egg breakages if the nest is open to the rest of the group. If you're relaxed about whether you get chicks or not then this shouldn't be a problem and I would let her sit where she is and let her get on with it.
If on the other hand you are desperate to have new additions to your flock then a seperate broody coop of some sort would be best. I have prefered in thhe past to let hens sit and hatch where they want and just make sure they are getting off the nest to eat, drink and bath once a day.

 

[leec]

8x12, same size as my coop. That is a walk-in, probably not elevated too high. You can always run into issues no matter what you do but it sounds like you have a decent chanced of her hatching with the flock and certainly raising them with the flock. Even if you isolate her to hatch you can still let her raise them with the flock.

THANK YOU! I'm definitely still learning even after a lot of years and chickens.