Broody Hens

[ShriversRocks]

I just had a hen go broody. She seems to be sitting on 11 eggs. She tends the nest by herself all day but at night is getting help from another chicken. My three questions are; 1. is 11 too many 2.should I partition off the coop to separate her from the rest of the flock 3. is this nighttime assist something anyone else has seen.

 

[sourland]

If she is effectively covering the eggs, 11 is not too many. If possible I would separate her from the flock. Two hens sharing a nest sometimes leads to fighting and broken eggs. Good luck.

 

[Queen of the chickens]

Good luck with your Broody. I have a Banty that has been sitting on way more than that. I thought there were about 12 in there, but apparently the other hens have been "sharing" the box from time to time and depositing eggs. So one hatched three days ago and she is still sitting. I candled the entire lot tonight. 4 looked close, but have not pipped, I put them back under her. I brought 6 in and stuck them in my incubator. They were all about 1-2 weeks in development. I pitched the rest. They either showed no movement or were barely developed. Next time I will separate mine. Live and learn.

 

[ShriversRocks]

Update. The second hen is now full broody they have both been setting about 2 weeks now. They were both off their nests to eat yesterday and each of them have 14 eggs. I haven't candled them I just figure i will wait and see what happens.

 

[ShriversRocks]

Ok I partitioned off the coop so the two hens have privacy. I guess they do still share a nest but are doing a good job working together and I have not seen any fighting. Besides If I had to sit on a pile of rocks for 20 days I would like some company. Today two little peeps apeared who seem very healthy and are already scratching for food. I hope to see more successful hatches as I would like to add about 5 hens to my flock. I have done my research and have formulated the best plan I can. I have one remaining question. Should I provide a light in the part of the coop where the moms and chicks are?

 

[TenOC]

I put a small cheap 4 watt (?) night light (like one use in a home bathroom/hall) in my coop for my chicks. It comes on automatically and provides enough light for the girls to move if necessary but does not cost much $ to run.