Does a broody hen go into lockdown?

[lazy gardener]

You are talking to a candling addict! Yeah, I did. I candled around day 7 by sneaking them out from under her at night. I candled around day 12 when she came off the nest for her walk-a-bout. If I have them in an incubator, I MUST candle at least one egg/day.

 

[lazy gardener]

Yes, I talk with her daily on her forum. PM if you want more info.

 

[MaryZoe]

So I assume you never candled the eggs under the broody.

I've had lots of broodies, and if I can help it, I do not candle their eggs. I do, however, perform "sniff checks" from time to time. If I smell something untoward, I find and remove the egg so it cannot affect the others in case it breaks.

 

[centrarchid]

I can usually move a hen and her clutch about day 19 of incubation where she will then stick with her young. By that time she and chicks are talking to each other through the shells. Care must be taken not to stress the hen during the move. I like to make a nest placing in some thing like a cat carrier to place hen and clutch into. If hen is flighty, then approaches suggested by others to contain hen used.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I have a broody sitting on four eggs in the main coop. She rarely leaves the nest, so I've been taking her off the nest once a day. I'm wondering at what point I should stop taking her off the nest as hatch day approaches....

You should never remove a setting hen from her nest for any reason what so ever. The only exception is if or when you have personally sat on, and successfully incubated a clutch of chickens yourself. A mother hen knows what is going on with her children much better than you do.... or for that matter much better than I know. Birds have been hatching eggs for millions of years and we humans not nearly that long. Just be sure that she is setting in a pen where she is buy herself. Then keep a cup of food and one of water where she can find it and then leave her and her eggs alone.

It always amazes me when new chicken keepers want to do things naturally then can't or won't keep their hands off their sitting hen and continually bother and harass her supposedly to help her.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I can usually move a hen and her clutch about day 19 of incubation where she will then stick with her young. By that time she and chicks are talking to each other through the shells. Care must be taken not to stress the hen during the move. I like to make a nest placing in some thing like a cat carrier to place hen and clutch into. If hen is flighty, then approaches suggested by others to contain hen used.

Moving a sitting hen who has or is hatching is easy and fool proof if your natal nest can be picked up, hen, eggs, chicks, bedding, and all then moved to a new location, preferably after dark. I also like to have a way to keep the hen in total darkness and to also close off the nest entrance until enough time has passed for the hatching process to be completed.

 

[Carolei]

Thank you all for your comments and advice! I had a broody once before. I don't have a rooster, so I have to import eggs. I gave my previous broody 5 eggs and was able to move her pretty easily because she was in a box and i was able to pick up the entire box with the hen and eggs in the dark of night. All 5 hatched, and my current broody is one of those babies! This broody (her name is Alice) is on a shelf where I would have to pick up the hen and each egg separately and I'm nervous that she might abandon the nest in the new spot. Also, things haven't been going as well with this hatch. I gave Alice 6 eggs and one of them was broken about day 6. I've candled the eggs and only 3 of the remaining 5 appear to be developing. I removed one that I was sure was not doing anything. I'll recheck the other soon and remove it if I'm sure it's not viable. Is there consensus that I shouldn't take her off the nest if she doesn't leave on her own? I've been doing that because I read that advice. I think it's a good idea to move her before the hatch, if I can do it without too much distress for her. She's really not in a good location. Thank you all again!

 

[Carolei]

This is Alice. She's a lavender mottled English Orpington.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

People often report 100% hatches when a hen steals her nest away in some lonely location and the chicken keeper thinks that something has run off with their hen. Only 3 weeks later the wayward hen reappears with about 15 baby chicks in tow.

 

[Carolei]

I can usually move a hen and her clutch about day 19 of incubation where she will then stick with her young. By that time she and chicks are talking to each other through the shells. Care must be taken not to stress the hen during the move. I like to make a nest placing in some thing like a cat carrier to place hen and clutch into. If hen is flighty, then approaches suggested by others to contain hen used.

Do you use a cat carrier to keep her in a smaller space? I was planning to eventually move her to a wire dog crate that is 2' x 3' and I am worried that the space is big enough that she could set herself down off the eggs if she is upset by the move. I like your idea of doing the move on day 19, at night, but I'm nervous about it too. I have a cat carrier I could use and then move her to the bigger space after they hatch. Does this sound like an okay idea?