*Day 20 Update & Pic* A pen of 13 broody hens can cover how many eggs?

[Dipsy Doodle Doo]

Hi! I'm hoping 8 dozen!
All but 2 of the 15 girls in my Frizzle pen are broody on the coop floor. I HAD to take out the nest boxes, because of them piling.
Last year they did great hatching my duck eggs for me. I just put down new duck eggs on the coopfloor every week and collected the ducklings every week as they hatched.
I took a brave step and gave the 13 Frizzle girls (sitting on nothing) 8 dozen Ameraucana eggs to tend tonight.
I know some may be lost in the shuffle, but looking back at last year and how well they did with a big communal nest on the floor --- I'm willing to chance it.
Wish me luck!

Lisa

 

[chickenlittle32]

Good luck! Hope they all do well...don't you just love how they all end up broody at one time..?

 

[georgialee]

That's amazing! I would love to see a pic if you're able to take one!

 

[ThePamperedPullet]

Oh my, and we thought we had problems with two girls going broody at once. I would say that as long as they can cover them then they can hatch them. Like you said, you might loose a few in the shuffle. It would be better if they would stay on their own nest but we all know that that just doesn't work.
Have Fun and keep us posted.

 

[shortcake1806]

WOW that's alot of broodies. I'd think they'd be able to handle that many easily. Especially if they'll stay in their own nest.

Good luck, talk about an easy button I think you just found a giant one.

 

[Dipsy Doodle Doo]

Hi! Oh no, no nests for these girls. They are all brooding on the coop floor. When they had nestboxes, they would double or triple-up in the nest boxes and one smothered hen was enough for me to take out their boxes and leave them to sprawl out on the coop floor.
They can cover the eggs on the floor just as well as they could in a nestbox.
What I saw last year was, there is a constant movement of eggs under those hens and a high hatch rate (except for the occasional broken egg, because they do squabble sometimes over eggs).
Last year, I had 23 broody hens at peak.

Lisa

 

[okiehen]

Lisa you have to get some pictures of all those ladies doing there job. That has to be a sight to see.
Best of luck on the broody hatching.

 

[nivtup]

WOW, 23 broody at once. I suprised you survived the EVIL STARE.

We have a few broodies, plus a duck and 2 geese.

Things out to be very interesting for you when the hatching begins.

 

[walkswithdog]

LOL 13??? Oh my. I have one broody hen, the least tame of my PRs whose hiss I can hear about six feet from the coop. 13 would be scary if they weren't frizzles. Pics definitely need to be taken.

 

[Southernbelle]

Wow! I love it! The most I ever had was 8 of 10. I bet the broody poo stench from 13 girls is a lot of fun