broody leghorn

[LordUria]

One of my hens has started to sit on the eggs. This is now the 2nd day that she won't leave the nest except to do her business. I dont want to move her as she seems comfortable but im worried because 1 she is a leghorn (not supposed to be broody) and 2 its October (winter is approaching) I have already winterized my small coop (2 floors, 8x6ft) as well as stocked up on extra winter feed (sunflowers, alfalfa, corn still on husks, millet cones, and dried bsfl, with 10% total weight in white oak acorns). Anything else I can do? Should I prepare anything for chicks or get an incubator incase she abandons nest?

 

[red horse ranch]

It's always handy to have any incubator around if you have poultry. It doesn't need to be expensive unless you plan to incubate a lot. But you will need to have a good thermometer and a way to measure humidity.
Hopefully you hen will stay broody and you won't need these things but it's always best to be prepared.
I've never had a leghorn go broody. I'll be curious to know if she stays with it. How many eggs is she on?
As far as preparing for chicks, you still have plenty of time to see if you will even need to.

 

[LordUria]

She's currently sitting on 8 eggs and 1 golfball

 

[Tanichca]

She'll be fine. I've heard of successful natural hatches happening in Alaska in the dead of winter, just make sure she has a place to be that's out of the wind and weather. As for her breed, it's rare for a leghorn to go broody, but not unheard of. All chickens can brood, some are just less likely to do it as often as others. Are her eggs fertilized?

 

[LordUria]

I believe they are, she's been kept in a community with 2 other hens and 3 roosters.

 

[DanEP]

I had a leghorn go broody too and she did fine at hatching a few eggs. I will say that she was only sitting on about 5 eggs tho.
While this is not the best time of year to hatch chicks it will be fine. I have a bantam cochin that for 3 years now has decided that you can only go broody in late fall and has always done just fine at raising her chicks. Last year she took them outside for the first time while it was snowing, and their all running around free ranging right now. I would just watch her for awhile and let her go if you want more chicks.

 

[LordUria]

Update
we had the chicks hatch, we now have 5 new babies and they are really colorful

 

[red horse ranch]

Update
we had the chicks hatch, we now have 5 new babies and they are really colorful

Wonderful!

Thanks for letting us know. Good luck with the babies.

 

[DanEP]

That's great now you will have new layers come spring,hopefully their not all cockerels. And best of all mom will do all the raising and integrating to the flock for you.