Broody sitting on 14 eggs!!! HELP!

[RoosterPecked]

Since getting my chickens last year, I finally have a hen that has become broody and is sitting on eggs. She started about 4 days ago and every time another hen comes into the hen house to lay her egg the broody gets up and allows the other hen to deposit her egg in the community nest. Once the other hen leaves the broody sits back down on them. I moved her nest into a pen (still in the hen house) and made a nest for her with her eggs in it and put the broody in the pen along with food and water. Now what? This is all new to me. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Should I, once the eggs hatch, move her and the chicks to another area? Do I keep the momma with the chicks or not? What is the best advise for this VA. newbie here?

Thanks,
RoosterPecked

 

[Clay Valley Farmer]

If you have other hens jumping in to lay in her nest, it will be a good idea to block her nest off somehow to keep the other hens out. Otherwise, mark the eggs you have in there now and keep pulling any new eggs.

Ideally I think it is best to give the hen her own space to raise the young ones, but chicken moms often do a pretty good job of protecting her chicks from the rest of the flock. The more chicks she hatches though the more the new chicks will be at risk as she will simply have a tougher time keeping track of them all .

 

[henney penny]

You never said but I asume you have a rooster in with the hens.She will hatch them out in 21 days and let her take care of them,they are great moms and know what to do.But I would keep her and the chicks away from the others for a week or so,I keep mine in the same coop only protected from the others either in a seperate cage or fencing put around them untill the little ones are a little stronger and they have bonded with each other.Dont worry when you let them out she will be lkie a tiger if anyone bothers her babies at least mine are like that.Good luck,I just love to watch mama`s and babies.

 

[RoosterPecked]

Thanks for the replies!

.....and yes there is a rooster that my broody "belongs" to. There are actually 2 roosters that have their own flock of hens and each other respects that which is kind of unusual according to some of my friends who have flocks.

 

[Chihuahuamom444]

Mine are hatched out there with mama and raised with the rest, Ive never had a prob and don't separate her from the rest, they do a fine job watching their babies.