Broody Hen

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Buttercupp Farm

Buttercupp Farm

In the Brooder
5 Years
Mar 9, 2014
33
1
26
MA
If I have a broody hen do I need to separate them from the others or can I just let her be?
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If I do need to separate her what should I put her in? Any recommendations for that?
 
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Make sure she is not bothered by the others and has her own corner, food and water. When the time comes for the babies to hatch, just watch to make sure the other birds don't try to make trouble. If they do, you can wire off her area to make the momma and babies their own space around the nest box. Also, make sure the nest box is big enough and deep enough so when the babies are really little, they don't fall out.

Good luck with your broody and welcome to BYC!
 
Oh, and use a flock raiser feed for the newly hatched babies. Don't let them eat layer feed. :)
 
Hello :frow and Welcome To BYC! there is a nice broody hen article in the Learning Center https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/broody-hens I like to keep my broodies in a separate cage where the other birds can't bother her or chase her out or try to lay eggs in her nest, or bother the chicks until they are a little older... some broodies will be perfectly fine with the flock the whole time, but if there are problems you may have broken eggs etc before you know it. I usually use a cardboard box as a nest box, I leave a pretty high lip on it so the eggs don't accidentally get kicked out, then when the chicks hatch I can cut it down to ground level so they can get in and out of the box no problem.
 
Hello!
Usually it's best to let a broody hen do her thing. Nature knows best! She probably won't eat/drink as often while sitting on eggs, but she'll be fine. Once the chicks hatch and start running around, roosters can be a problem. I used to have multiple roosters in my flock (5 or so) and they harassed/killed a few chicks. I had a rather aggressive bunch of roos. I've heard others say that one rooster will not be a problem. I hope to be finding out soon :)

One thing you can do to help mom & chicks without being too invasive is once the chicks hatch, make sure they have a nest the chicks can get back into once they get out. Mom will decide to introduce chicks to the world outside, even if the nest is up high. Chicks always seem to make it to ground safely, but can't get back up. You can make a ramp or fix a nest box on the floor. If you have chicken snakes (also called bull snakes or rat snakes), use the ramp idea and have the nest off the ground and check on them everyday to make sure a snake hasn't found them!

One more thing...I don't know if this is needed but the hens seemed to appreciate it. I cut the bottom out of a 20 oz plastic bottle and used it as a bowl for water in the nest. Some of our hens were sitting on nests in the hot TX summer and this seemed like a good idea!
 

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