Broody

[Cluckapalooza]

I have a broody lady. No rooster so she’s wasting her time. I also have three other hens. If I got some fertilized eggs and let her have at it, will the other hens be accepting of the chicks? Or will I have to separate them?

 

[All4Eggz]

It's generally best to separate the broody with the chicks, in most flocks. How many hens do you have total?

Try closing off an area of the run with some shade, feed, and water (when the chicks hatch) and make sure the rest of the flock can see the chicks, but not be able to touch them. It's always risky when the chicks are only a couple days old, because they are really fragile and could die even from a few aggressive pecks from the other hens.

Once the chicks reach 8-10 days old, it's safer to let them join the flock, if you have a big enough run. If you free range, even better.

Good luck! Let us know what you decide to do!

PS. What state are you in? I have some hatching eggs for sale (pickup only) in MA/CT.

 

[Cluckapalooza]

It's generally best to separate the broody with the chicks, in most flocks. How many hens do you have total?

Try closing off an area of the run with some shade, feed, and water (when the chicks hatch) and make sure the rest of the flock can see the chicks, but not be able to touch them. It's always risky when the chicks are only a couple days old, because they are really fragile and could die even from a few aggressive pecks from the other hens.

Once the chicks reach 8-10 days old, it's safer to let them join the flock, if you have a big enough run. If you free range, even better.

Good luck! Let us know what you decide to do!

PS. What state are you in? I have some hatching eggs for sale (pickup only) in MA/CT.

I’m in Louisiana. A friend of mine has a large flock with several sitting on eggs now. She’s hookiing me up. I have 4 hens total. I have a smaller coop with its own run attached to my larger coop and big run. So I can easily put a piece of chicken wire blocking the way between the coops. I wasn’t hoping for a broody hen but since I was already scoping out Tractor Supply’s baby’s this was perfect timing. And hatching your own would be so much more fun.

 

[svh]

I just leave the broody / chicks in with the flock, just like in nature, and integration is seamless. Momma usually takes care of them just fine.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have a broody lady. No rooster so she’s wasting her time. I also have three other hens. If I got some fertilized eggs and let her have at it, will the other hens be accepting of the chicks? Or will I have to separate them?

In my opinion the question is not how many hens you have but how much room do you have and what does it look like. I let my broody hens hatch with the flock and raise the chick with the flock but I have an 8' x 12' coop, two other shelters, and over 3,000 square feet outside. It doesn't sound like you have that much room. But with that second coop it sounds like you are set up perfectly to isolate that broody while incubating and hatching. If the hen has room to work in the coop and run I like keeping the broody hen with the flock, but if room is tight that can lead to problems. So how big in feet is your main coop? How big is your run? A photo to show how they are tied together and that second coop would be great. Broody hens have been hatching and raising chicks with the flock for thousands of years and they are not extinct yet. But they typically have plenty of room.

If you decide to let her hatch with the flock, you need to mark the eggs and check under the broody hen every day to remove any that don't belong. If you decide to go that route we can discuss it in more detail, especially if we know what your coop and run look like.

If you decide to isolate her in that small coop, I'd move her now before you get the eggs. The risk in moving her is that she may break from being broody so find that out before you get eggs. Again we can discuss that in detail once we know what your small coop looks like.

I really like letting a hen raise the chicks with the flock. That way she handles integration, I don't have to. The chicks will still have to manage the pecking order by themselves after she weans them, to me this time period is more critical than when the hen is actually still taking care of them. I've had a couple of broody hens wean their chicks as young as three weeks, with all the room I have they managed fine. Yes, at three weeks.

People do this all the time, usually very successfully. But what techniques you might need to try will depend on what your facilities look like. Once we know how much room you have and what it looks like we can go into details.

Good luck and enjoy the adventure.

 

[Cluckapalooza]

In my opinion the question is not how many hens you have but how much room do you have and what does it look like. I let my broody hens hatch with the flock and raise the chick with the flock but I have an 8' x 12' coop, two other shelters, and over 3,000 square feet outside. It doesn't sound like you have that much room. But with that second coop it sounds like you are set up perfectly to isolate that broody while incubating and hatching. If the hen has room to work in the coop and run I like keeping the broody hen with the flock, but if room is tight that can lead to problems. So how big in feet is your main coop? How big is your run? A photo to show how they are tied together and that second coop would be great. Broody hens have been hatching and raising chicks with the flock for thousands of years and they are not extinct yet. But they typically have plenty of room.

If you decide to let her hatch with the flock, you need to mark the eggs and check under the broody hen every day to remove any that don't belong. If you decide to go that route we can discuss it in more detail, especially if we know what your coop and run look like.

If you decide to isolate her in that small coop, I'd move her now before you get the eggs. The risk in moving her is that she may break from being broody so find that out before you get eggs. Again we can discuss that in detail once we know what your small coop looks like.

I really like letting a hen raise the chicks with the flock. That way she handles integration, I don't have to. The chicks will still have to manage the pecking order by themselves after she weans them, to me this time period is more critical than when the hen is actually still taking care of them. I've had a couple of broody hens wean their chicks as young as three weeks, with all the room I have they managed fine. Yes, at three weeks.

People do this all the time, usually very successfully. But what techniques you might need to try will depend on what your facilities look like. Once we know how much room you have and what it looks like we can go into details.

Good luck and enjoy the adventure.

The main run is 9x8ft. The bigger coop is 3.5x3ft raised with run underneath and an extended run portion that is 3x3ft. The smaller coop is 2.5x3ft raised with a run underneath. I am halfway finished building my new coop. It will be 4x9 ft and 4 ft tall. She put herself in the small coop that’s how I figured out she was broody. Caught her in there at bedtime when she’s always gone in the big coop. I also let them free range everyday. Backyard’s about 3500 sq ft.

 

[Ridgerunner]

She put herself in the small coop that’s how I figured out she was broody.

Then I'd mark the eggs you give her (I use a black Sharpie) and let her brood in there. Check under her every day to make sure the others aren't laying with her. That way when she comes off the nest to eat, drink, and poop she'll still be with the others, probably means no reintegration when she hatches. When she hatches you can either lock her in there with the chicks for a few days or just let her handle it. They can see each other through the fence.

Since the coop is elevated you need to check at dark to make sure the chicks are where they need to be. Ramps can be confusing at first but they will soon get the hang of it.