Broody hens kicking babies out of nest

[Shaw Stine]

Hello everyone, I am a newbie to allowing my hens to hatch there own eggs. They did great sitting on the eggs but now that some have hatched they seem to kick them out of the nest and not stay with them. I have had to bring three into the house to save them because they are not protecting them from the rooster. It's like there missing the step of showing them where to eat and drink. They get out of the nest do there business eat and stretch there legs and fight to keep the rooster off them but go right up into the nest without the babies. I thought they would make another nest lower so the peeps can get back under them and they didn't. Any suggestions?

 

[centrarchid]

Something is not correct. First rooster is generally not an issue. Black him off to be sure. Secondly, where eggs deposited into nest by other hens after hen started brooding? If so she is still talking to chicks yet to hatch.

 

[Shaw Stine]

Your right there are still eggs to hatch. I had one become broody then two more followed 3/4 the way through. They did great and didn't break any eggs, I was worried because they all are in the same roost. What they did close to the end was rotate coming off the nest, but for the last three days only one has come off to do her business and this is when they get pushed out. Yesterday she pushed or he jumped out and was trying to eat and run around and this is when the rooster started jumping on him, lucky my daughter was there to get him out because the hen left him and went back to the nest. I do feel the ones coming out are ready because when we bring them inside they eat and drink like they are starving

 

[centrarchid]

More likely than not. you will have to remove the early hatching chicks and rear them without aid of that hen. In the future, work to make so only one hen deposits eggs in a given nest if broody activity expected.

I would go ahead and fire up the brooder.

 

[Shaw Stine]

Thanks, they had 13 eggs under them and I have three inside and I seen another baby tucked up under Stella, I did leave that baby alone because it wasn't coming out and being real curious. Do u think once the bulk of the eggs hatch they will make a nest lower for those babies?

 

[centrarchid]

Yes, hen will come off brood with chicks and not be able to get up high again until chicks can fly a bit.

I sometimes relocate a hen and clutch once eggs start hatching to a lower location. Care taken so chicks that come out can get back in. This assumes hen is at proper point in broody cycle to imprint on hatching chicks. If hen is not the first hen to get broody on that clutch, then she may not be ready to imprint.

Putting nest down lower can be supplemented by providing chicks with water and feed. Make certain ground level safe from predators. I have also cheated by placing a brooder right next to a broody hen so she can bond with early hatching chicks as well.

 

[Shaw Stine]

Thank u so much great info!

 

[centrarchid]

You are welcome. Good luck! I have a similar problem coming down the pipe. It will result in a brood with too many chicks. Also a headache.

 

[Shaw Stine]

Yep I know how you feel, at ten days I checked on my first broody and god love her she had eggs all around her because the other hens kept laying in her box so we candled the eggs and allowed her to have thirteen. The next couple of days I had to check under her and remove the ones I hadn't put an x on. After that the other two hens became broody and all my hens have stopped laying.