Does anyone out there just leave their broody in the coop?

[NoseyChickens]

I have read so many threads about people who move their broody into the house during incubation. I have my very first broody silkie pullet

I don't quite know what to do with her. She is in the main coop with all the big birds. I do have a small coop and run that I use for my babies just out of the brooder. I have three 10 week old silkies in there right now. I tried to move my broody in there thinking it would be safer for her, but she freaked out and got off her egg. So I put her back in the big coop. I had food and drink next to her all day and she is eating and drinking fine during the day. But at night all of her silkie friends pile on top of her! Will she be alright? Should I move her?

 

[NancyinAlaska]

I don't know if I did what's "right" but I had a hen go broody last spring, I put a few eggs under her, and marked them. I left her alone until the eggs finished hatching and then I immediatly moved her and the chicks and to a separate place, once they started hatching she didn't move off of them and the chicks didn't come out from under her. Right or Wrong..........................................That's what worked for me and I'll possibly do the same thing again

 

[Mahonri]

The one time that I left a broody in the coop, out of 8 eggs only one developed and it died somewhere around day 21.

I'd never leave a broody in the coop again, even though we did it successfully when I was a kid. We'd put a cloth over the top of the nest and let her out once a day for water, food and to poop and put her right back on.

 

[Sjisty]

When one of my girls went broody last summer, I put nine dark Brahma eggs under her. She hatched eight of them. We left her in the coop. She was very protective - nobody was going to mess with her or her eggs! When they eggs hatched, we put a kennel in the coop on the floor and moved her and her babies into it. Again, nobody messed with her or her babies. At one point our Australian Shepherd decided to go inside and check out the new noises. She came back out in a hurry with a sore nose! We kept two pullets out of her brood. I'm looking forward to her going broody again - she's better than the incubator!

 

[sonew123]

I have a broody silkie in her breeding pen--she eats and drinks just fine--Its perfect for me because I collect eggs a few times a day and withthese temps outside she keeps those eggs nice and warm for hours until I take the eggs I have never let a broody hatch the eggs though-not yet

 

[NoseyChickens]

Well I think I am going to move her over to the little coop today. Sadly she was knocked out of her box by the other silkies trying to pile together to sleep last night. I found her and her cold egg on the floor just outside of her nest box this morning. So I will put her in the little coop and her box and if she still wants to be broody I will give her a couple of eggs if she does not lay her own. I took her egg away this morning. It was really cold to the touch.

 

[92caddy]

When I get a broody in the main coop, I will put a screen or something in front of her nest box to keep the others from getting in with her and everyevening or morning I open it up and let her out so she can do her thing and then when she goes back in the nest, I close her up again. Thats what works for me.........................

 

[NanaKat]

Quote:
What do you do for the babies when they hatch to protect them from the cold?

 

[NoseyChickens]

What kind of feed do I put out if she does hatch out chicks? Medicated Starter feed? Can she eat that? Now that she is all settle and content on her egg I have all these questions running through my head!

 

[Tanichca]

My broody was put in a dog crate after a few hours of me trying to get her out of the nest.... I used food and water and everything i could think of to check if she was really broody or not. When I put her in the crate she walked around for less than a minute before sitting on the eggs again. Its day two and she has not moved from where I put her. And I still am going to feed her the same Layer/scratch mix that I do the other birds.