Do I need to move my hen? HELP HELP HELP!!!!

[tombola51]

Hi, apologies for my naivety but I'm a complete novice when it comes to chickens. One of my hens is broody, she has been sitting on her eggs for about 10 days now. I have 2 problems, firstly my boy is only a bantam and I'm not sure he's got it in him to fertilise anything. Secondly if he has done a job and the eggs are going to hatch I think I'm going to have to move her. At the minute she is in a small nest box on the top of a pile of wood in my wood shed, this shed doesn't have a door so I have to block the entrance up each night to stop and predators getting in. I do have a spare coop that I use during the winter (it's a bit smaller than the summer one so keep them a bit warmer I think) could I put some hay in there and then lift the whole nest box (with chicken and eggs still in) and put it straight into the coop. I could put food and water in the coop and also leave the door open so she could get and poo each day. Would she be ok to raise the chicks in here for an amount of time? If so how long would they be able to stay in there and would I need to do anything else? I'm reluctant to take them when they hatch as 1) I don't know what I'm doing and 2) I think the hen would do a better job.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Regards

Tom

 

[Judy]

Many here let the mamas raise their chicks in with the flock. If she is a good mama, she will protect them from the others. Also, she will stop mothering at some point, usually around 4-6 weeks, before they are adult size. If they are already in with the flock, you don't have to worry about integrating. They will probably hang around with each other, a bit off from the flock, but the should be accepted well enough. If you have her raise them in a separate place, when she is through mothering, you will probably have to keep the chicks separate till they are adult size, then go through the hassles of integration.

I usually separate the mama while she is setting so she will always go back to the right nest and so she doesn't steal other eggs, also so the others don't lay their eggs in her nest. In my setup I have about a 5x5 pen in the coop where I can do this. By the time the chicks are up and about well, around 2-3 days old, everyone is trying to get out, into the regular coop, so I let them. Never had a problem doing it this way. And I never take chicks away from a broody -- I'd much rather she raise them! It's easier, and better for the chicks. She gives them some immunities, and teaches them how to forage, etc. I think you will find that broody raised chicks are healthier and grow faster, if you get a chance to compare.

It's anyone's guess whether the eggs are fertile. You can candle the eggs to see if they are developing if you wish. I've never done this, but I know there are good instructions and pics about it in the Incubating and Hatching eggs forum. Check out the stickies first -- that is the links in the blue box at the top of the forum. You can also check for whether the egg is fertilized by what is called the "bullseye" or white spot on the yolk -- of course you have to crack the egg to do this. There are some good pics linked in the sticky in the same place that show this -- here, I'll give you a link:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/16008/how-to-tell-a-fertile-vs-infertile-egg-pictures

And for candling:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...g-candling-pics-progression-though-incubation

BTW, no need to apologize for naivete. We were all beginners once, and I daresay no one knows it all, anyway.