Do i have a Broody Hen

[Weiden Farm]

I have one of my girls who has been sitting in one of the next boxes for about a week. She is not moving from there and she is sitting on several eggs.

i have 10 hens and a Roo that we have had since April. So im new at this - so not sure what i do. i assume i leave her alone.

Any thoughts are welcome.

 

[math ace]

What does she do when you go in there? When you stick your hand under her - - - do her hackles go up while she fusses at you?
If that is how she acts THEN YOU HAVE A BROODY!

She will eat and drink more if you move the food close to her so that she doesn't have to get off the eggs.

Being a broody is HARD on the hens. . . They loose a lot of weight when they go through the process.

If she is in FULL BROODY mode, you can move her and the eggs to a new location and she will continue with the sitting.
I've used dog carriers as temp broody units. That way I could keep the mother with the group right up til the day the chicks were due to hatch.


Good LUCK .. Having a Broody, a REALLY GOOD ONE, is a very special thing. I have a really good one that is still mothering her chicks and they are 13 weeks old.
They free range with the main group of birds. Then at night the mother takes her chicks to their own Broody Hotel for the night. The next day... her and the babies hit the ground and hang out with the rest of the flock.

She is such a GREAT mommy. A couple of days ago, her and the babies got separated. She went to the main coop with the main flock. The babies went another direction. Come bed time, EVERY ONE in the main flock had gone to bed EXCEPT the mommy who was pacing and squwaking because her babies were missing. As soon as we let her out of the main flock's coop, she RAN to the Broody Hotel to find her babies SAFE and waiting for her. Awwww, it was soooo sweet.

I hope you have a good mommy hen!