broody hen

[nickrex98]

my broody hen is laying on some eggs should i leave her out there with the flock?

 

[The Chickeneer]

You need to separate her and put her in her own little pen with food and water. Once, when I left my broody to be out with the flock and still keep her hidden nest, she was killed by a fox and all of her eggs were eaten ecxept three. So put her in a nice secure place with her own nest box, she wont need much space since she'll be sitting down all day.Good Luck with the hatch

 

[nickrex98]

ok thanks but my chickens don't free range i just don't have enough room for that, so any more advice for confined chickens

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Some folks will tell you that they never separate their broodies and everyone does just peachy. While that is possible, I think it's ideal to move a broody to her own separate quarters. Or make a barricade around her. She'll certainly need to be protected from predators like foxes & raccoons. And protected from interruptions & interference from her flockmates, who will want to push her off the nest so they can lay their own eggs there. It's also helpful if the broody is confined to her nest area so she won't get misdirected on her way back from her daily coffee break, and go to set in another nest, leaving her egglings to cool.

She'll just need a square foot or two of space to get up, stretch her legs a bit, get some food & water, and take a big poop. A wire dog kennel could be used, even placed indoors or in a garage. Or stretch a bit of wire around & over the area in front of her nest box.

If you plan to move the broody from her current nest, do it quietly well after dark for best results. Some broodies don't like to be moved, but if you do it after dark they may not notice the change.

 

[poseygrace]

She's probably OK with the others until her eggs hatch, then you will need to separate her with the babies so the others don't pick on them. Plus, they will need a different type of feed and that's hard to do when they are all together. I just bought the "Ware Mini Coop" for my broody and babies, it's a VERY small coop and run, and fits inside my other coop so they will have protection but still be near the others. Good luck! Let us know how it goes.

 

[nickrex98]

well you see im going to be a breeder so once the chicks are all hatched and dry there being shipped to Florida