Chicken started to "sit"

Mark the eggs you want her to hatch with a permanent marker so you can remove any new eggs laid in her nest. If you don't, she eventually wont be able to cover all that are laid and the developing embryos will die or your hatch rate will be severely affected. You could move her into a separate cage inside the coop to give her some peace and quiet, though its not necessary. I found when my hens sat in the nest boxes they weren't sure which box to go back to when they took their break everyday, which resulted in alot of wasted egg. Other than that, you don't need to do anything. She'll do all of the work. Good luck!
Nikki

 

Yep, we "set up" a hatch with our broody by giving her all the eggs we wanted her to hatch, none of which were actually hers. We marked them because her "sister" hen will sometimes sneak an egg in her nest when she's up. We had 9/9 hatch and survive this time. We moved her and her eggs to a bin right near where she was sitting on her own, then as soon as they all hatch we put them in a cage together. The bin keeps any chicks from falling out of the nesting boxes and getting lost, dying, etc. We had that happen once, but depending on your nesting boxes you might not have that problem.

 

i'm glad to see this thread. i've had my chickens a year now. i want my girls to sit on eggs. i take the eggs everyday, because none of them stay in the nest box - they just go about their business. am i inhibiting them from "getting in the mood" to sit on the eggs by taking them out?

once they start staying in the nest box, how do you mark the eggs - you just reach under her, take it out, mark it & put it back? - or do you wait & try to catch her off the nest?

i have one each, barred rock, buff orp, black aust, and silver laced wyandotte. i would have thought one of them would have become broody by now. here it is the 10th of march & nothing. is that normal?
thanks