Broody Hen

[jemagsy]

We are on day 7 with our broody hen, she has 5 eggs under her, no smell as of yet to indicate they are bad and they all looked fine today when she got some food & water. So I've been looking on here, but have not really seen that many people who have let their broodies hatch out in the coop. She's quite a mean bird (not to us, but she doesn't take anything off any of the other birds and is quite high in the pecking order), so nobody else has been giving her any trouble, however, I am wondering what is going to happen when the eggs hatch. I guess there is no real to know ahead of time, but am just wondering who all has had broodies hatch eggs before and what their experiences were as well any advice. I know typically people like to move the broody to a different place but I am afraid she'll stop sitting if we do.

Thanks for your help and advice!

 

[erthymom2]

I too have a new broody - golden laced wyandotte sitting on 8 eggs. All my other girls stay away from her and she gets that broody growl/squak goin' on if i try and peek under her at the eggs.
She's on day 7 and i think i will build her a little apartment in the garage away from the rest so she has space and can do her mom-thing undisturbed. my other girls might be more relaxed also w/o her in the coop.

 

[chickens asome]

once your hen hatches eggs dont every toch the chicks and stay out of the pen as much as posible my hen hatched eggs last year and she was nice untill her eggs hatched and one of the eggs started to hatch late so we took it and put it in the incubater and then we put in back in the pen with the hen and she killed it. for the first few days if she is a first tim mom she will not even let you see the chicks depending on hpw protective she is

 

[kelliepulido]

I had 2 pullets hatch out 3 eggs ea this past fall with chicks in the winter.They both did well the chicks were 1 wk.apart.The mama that was less hyper took over the whole brood.Mama 1 is a bantam smooth leg mix maybe brahams oeg,but she likes to be on the move so the other mama is a bantam cochin polish mix I think and she did a better job she had more patience and was a lot slower more content to stay in a small area not wander all over the coop constantly.Anys both sets of babies are 5m old now and made is through a bitter winter in the coop.Once the babies were hatched I put them on the floor of the coop with mama in a secure area like a corner lot of straw etc.

 

[Crazy4cochins]

I also am not finding alot of info on broody hens that hatch in the coop. I had 3 hens sitting on one clutch, in Jan I got one to finish and hatch 2 baby's,had to bring them in it was winter... The baby fell out of the nest and so I brought them in,now they are outsiders and keep to themselves.
Anyways the same hens are setting again
Questions
1. Is this normal it's only been 3 mos.
2. Two of the 3 are still setting, should i leave them all together?
3. should I make a new box for the two moms to share?
Here's my ladies causin me all this baby momma hen drama:/

 

[chickens asome]

i had that happen before none of the eggs hatched but the hens would fight alot

 

[Lollipop]

Broody Hens;

http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Broody-Hens-1.html

 

[huntermett]

ive had the same kind of thing happen with silkies. i had a trio and one went out to find one missing. looked inside nest box, and sure enough she was setting on 15 eggs . the next day she was out and the other hen was missing .they did this until all 15 had hatched ,and both were pretty good moms to all those chicks

 

[pbjmaker]

I had a pair of frizzle cochins hatch out three chicks recently - they had been co-nesting this whole time. We started bringing them in at night though because that is the time we seem to have problems with chicks in the coop. We take them back out during the day and they do well...

Until today. These girls sat for 4 weeks together and have co-parented the three chicks for two weeks. Now they have decided that only one gets the chicks and there was a big fight. We even seperated them with a fence and they kept fighting. So mom 1 got two chicks and we left her outside, mom2 got the bigger single chick and she is back inside in a big cage.

Not sure where we are going to go from here.

As for leaving them in the coop - make sure that mom will sit on them at night and that they have their own safe area. The bigger chickens seem to jostle around for position at that time of day and thats when the chicks can get hurt.

 

[RioLindoAz]

Move her at night. When she wakes up, she'll think she's in the same nest.