broody question

[lovinlife]

I've never had a hen go broody when I know she's been exposed to the rooster. This particular hen is my roo's favorite, so I know her eggs are fertile. She's sitting on eggs from other hens also. I have no idea how the eggs got under her since I removed all the eggs three days ago. Bad news is I removed her eggs, too. Now she's not laying and I won't get any more eggs from her as long as she's broody.

I need advice on what to do. I'm open to letting her hatch out some eggs. It'd be fun, I think. My roo is a splash Ameraucana. One of the hens he loves is my Black Australorp, the others are EEs. I looked under my hen and both are under there. I think I'll get some chicks if I let her sit on them. How many eggs should I let her sit on?

Right now I don't have a place to separate her from the others. I can get a small cage (3'x4') from my brother this weekend. Until then, the other hens could lay more eggs under her. Will they all hatch at different times? Is it okay to let that happen? Is a cage that size okay for a broody to stay in?

How long do they sit on the eggs?

 

[Mrs. K]

Mark the eggs has been the words of wisdom on this site, and check each day and remove (and eat) the eggs not marked.

Eggs do not begin to develop untill, the hen settles down on them and heats them up. Eggs added later, are behind, and will be left at the end when the earliest hatching eggs hatch out. I think the reason to seperate her is so that other hens do not continue to add eggs to her.

I am so jealous, I want a setter so bad, and all of mine just shake their tail and leap off the nest when done laying!

mk

 

[CalebtheChicken]

What is it with australorp hens? They always seem to be the rooster's favorite in any flock!
My New hampshire red adors my astralorp! He fallows her everywhere, even when she goes to lay an egg.

 

[lovinlife]

Good news is that someone has offered to take my four useless bantams that can't/won't integrate into my full-size flock. Once they're gone, I can put my broody in that pen.

I will mark the eggs tomorrow. I agree that's a wise thing to do.

 

[Chick N Ug]

We had our first Broody hen this spring (Buff Orp) and after sitting on the eggs for 3-4 weeks, we have 9 baby chicks!

She stayed in her nesting box the entire time, and the other hens used other nesting boxes. She hatched eggs that were a combination of hers and our Brahmas since we have chicks with feathered feet. It was a shock!

The chicks are a week old and doing well in the coop with the regular flock. We put some wiring across her nesting box and she stays in there with them, but she also has an area to get out. We put a small waterer and medicated chick food for the babes as well.
If this is your first time, I would just take a stab and see what happens. We didn't stress about it at all, but I know the chicks will quickly outgrow the nesting box. I will have to move them to a brooding box very soon, but I would love to see them stay with Mama. That's how it is in the wild, isn't it?

 

[lovinlife]

If I wanted to move her now that she's sitting on eggs, how do i do that? Do I try to pick up the nesting material (hay) that the eggs are in and move them all at once into the new box? Or do I create a new nest and move the eggs into the new setting. My instinct is to move them with the hay. Is the hen going to be okay with the move?

 

[kano]

Quote:
The second one. I always do that. Prepare a brand new nest with NEW eggs (because I do not know how long those other eggs had been under her), and put the hen there, hopefully during the nigth, and place a box over her, and I keep her that way all that nigth and the next day. This is to avoid her desire to go back to his primitive location. (99 % success)