Broody Hen

[Frost Homestead]

sometimes mine would get up off the nest to eat and then when she would go back she would lay in the wrong nest box and I would have to go and put the eggs back under her. Also nearly every time she would get up one of the other hens would go an lay more eggs in her pile...so now she's got eggs incubating that will hatch on different days! I solved all these problems by isolating her. I took the whole nest box and put it in one of my pens. This way there's only one nest, no confusion. I put some feed and water in there with her and locked her in, she's been in there for days and seems a lot happier since the other birds can't mess with her. If you do move her, try to do it at night when she's calm.

 

[HollyOsborn]

I just checked my broody hen this morning and all her eggs are cracked and most are gone.. she had 8, then 12, then 8 yesterday... is SHE cracking them or are the other hens? Im thinking I need to Isolate her like frozen said??? This is my first time ever raising chickens and first broody hen..

 

[Wayne&Kim1963]

I always set a setting hen alone. Sometimes to put golfballs under them at first to save broken eggs. I also will take easter eggs and put rocks in them and tape around them to keep them together.and set a hen on them few days till she is setting good and moved to nest alone then give her eggs. My favorite thing is to put her in milk crate place board or several pieces of cardboard together and put over it and let her off of it once a day to pottty and eat and drink then put back on with cardboard or board over top with weight so she cannot get off. A cage works too away from everyone and let her off it. To have her in dark helps her settle down at first so to put her on new nest is best by night and flashlight. I will shine flashlight light on eggs and let her see them before I cover her up. Anyways that is what I would do.
A little funny thing happened to me over putting rocks in plastic easter eggs. When my niece and nephew came over and went in chicken house and grabbed EASTER EGGS out of nests and peeled tape off and excited to find candy only to have handful of ROCKS. Alix said to me" Aunt Kim this easer bunny must not have had any money he only left us rocks!" I explained to him that I put rocks in there for weight adn the chickens needed them to lay in their nests then he understood.

 

[southdakota]

I have a broody black copper maran that was going to the wrong nest box after getting off to eat and drink. I keep golf balls in all the nest boxes normally. I removed all the golf balls and made sure to collect eggs several times a day. She has not made that mistake again.

 

[Wayne&Kim1963]

Hens setting can be funny too. Breaking eggs is what they do when they are upset or other hens are bothering them. Sometimes they will break eggs in storm. The best thing about setting hen is when you get them in spot that they are comfortable and nto upset they are the best thing to hatch babies.

 

[HollyOsborn]

Thanks everyone... I think I will construct a Birthing center for Matilda and any other future hens...!!!

 

[mrsviolet]

How's it going? I have a hen in a similar state and am trying to determine what to do with her..

 

[HollyOsborn]

Matilda ended up cracking all her eggs.... so i gave up on her... NIMROD went broody and just hatched 5 babies this morning!!!!! So excited... just posted pics in raising chicks

 

[HollyOsborn]

by the way, i ended up just fencing Nimrod off in the coop where she was quite happy... the others were NOT happy cause apparently that nest is THE place to lay... lol..

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Although you'll hear some folks say how they keep their broodies in with their laying flocks and everything turns out fine, I really think it's ideal to separate them either in their own private quarters or barricade their nest from the flock. Other hens will usually want to lay their eggs in a broody's nest, and broody hens are often misdirected when they return from their coffee breaks. I make the move/changes well after dark so they don't realize they're in a different place.