broody hen

[farmboy22]

Hello, fellow BYC er's. For the past week I have had a broody hen that would sit on both her's and the other hen's eggs. I have seen the rooster mount all of them. After several straight days in which I just took the eggs, I decided to let her keep a clutch of 6 maybe 4-5 days ago. I am not going to separate her because 1. she is comfortable where she is. 2. The other hens free range so its not like they are going to bother her. I had candled the eggs and did not specifically see anything so I decided to sacrifice one. I cracked open and found the blood veins and a small embryo. I have several questions. Would it be bad to add more eggs to the ones that she already has'? Is there a specific way to encourage other hens to go broody. Can two hens share the responsibility of incubating. Is it more reliable to purchase a incubator or having hens that you accumulate over the years for laying. What is the most eggs a hen can lay on? BLaaaaaaaa. What a mouthful!!!!

Thank you very much for your time and just answer the questions you feel you have the most expertise in.

 

[wowmanacat]

I can not answer all of the questions but I know that right now my broody hen is on 14 eggs and could have as many as 20 under her. I did have two hens that were broody at the same time and they did share and switch nest all the time and them stayed close together after the hatch. I did have two nest of eggs for them I don't think two hens will take turns sitting on a nest. I have used both a incubator and my one broody hen for this year and both have done me good. Now that I am not really wanting anymore chickens I let my broody do all the work, if they make it great if not no big lose to me it is the way nature does things.

 

[bobbi-j]

It would not be a good idea to add more eggs at this point. The earlier eggs will (obviously) hatch sooner, and then the broody will most likely take those babies and leave the nest because she'll think the others aren't going to hatch. There is no specific way to encourage other hens to go broody. It happens when their hormones tell them it's time. Incubator vs. hen is a personal preference thing. If you want chicks at a certain time, you should plan on using an incubator. It's the only way to ensure that you'll get them when you want them. If you really don't care when you get chicks, wait until you have a broody hen. She does all the turning, temperature and humidity are always perfect, and she will raise them for you, too! A hen can set on lots and lots of eggs, but if she has too many, she may not be able to effectively cover them all. So, when you put eggs under your broody, make sure that none are sticking out anywhere and she's got them all tucked in under her.

 

[stuckinthecity]

Hello, fellow BYC er's. For the past week I have had a broody hen that would sit on both her's and the other hen's eggs. I have seen the rooster mount all of them. After several straight days in which I just took the eggs, I decided to let her keep a clutch of 6 maybe 4-5 days ago. I am not going to separate her because 1. she is comfortable where she is. 2. The other hens free range so its not like they are going to bother her. I had candled the eggs and did not specifically see anything so I decided to sacrifice one. I cracked open and found the blood veins and a small embryo. I have several questions. Would it be bad to add more eggs to the ones that she already has'? Is there a specific way to encourage other hens to go broody. Can two hens share the responsibility of incubating. Is it more reliable to purchase a incubator or having hens that you accumulate over the years for laying. What is the most eggs a hen can lay on? BLaaaaaaaa. What a mouthful!!!!

Thank you very much for your time and just answer the questions you feel you have the most expertise in.

1. They can, but one hen might kill the other's chicks or vise vers. It's better to just separate them in their own nest.
2. It just depends on how much work you want to put into raising the chicks. You generally will get a higher yield of chicks from incubating and brooding yourself, but if momma hen sets and raises them you don't have to worry about heat for them AND the chicks are usually smarter because they are learning "chicken skills" from the hen.
3. Anywhere from 8-24 depending on how big she is, how big the eggs are, and how much fluff she has. I knew a guy who had a buff orp or buff rock mix who could cover 20 easy. And then there's the hens who can hardly cover 6 like a little EE hen I had.

 

[xx Georgina xx]

Hello,
Yeah I have the same problem,
My 2 were quite bad until I let them out a bit longer they seemed less broody, My Mum is getting a wire cage for my hen's I am not sure how it would help.

 

[wowmanacat]

I am going ot have to move mine again her next tuesday and bring her into the house for two days. I have to go out of town and I do not want to leave her in the garage where it could get to hot for her. After getting back home I will move her back out to the garage to finish.. This way I will have some time to set up a bit of a better set up for her in the garage.

 

[farmboy22]

Well, I did what my instincts told me and now I have two hens with families and I am content that I am not dealing with the problems others are facing.