First broody hen.

[flytpm]

I have my first broody hen, a bantam. She just started staying on the nest yesterday. She normally lays eggs with another bantam in the same box. Will the other hen change boxes or what and when do I start counting the 21 days til she hatches? There are two other bantam hens and a rooster in my 4 x 8 coop, will she and the chicks be ok with the others or do i have to move them when they hatch? Thanks for your advice.

 

[NewGuineaChooks]

Yay! I always think broody hens are fun. It's sort of like surprise presents that you get in 3 weeks when the chicks hatch.

Most broody mama's take good care of their chicks and will make the other chickens keep out of the way. Just make sure that yours isn't one of the rare ones that ignores the chicks after they are hatched. They should be able to stay in the same coop.

How many chicks do you want? Our broody bantam just hatched out 5, which was about all she could easily sit on. Choose how many eggs you want your hen to try to hatch, and use a pencil to mark on the shells. The other hen will probably still lay in the same box. So, each day you should lift up the broody and remove any eggs that aren't marked as her clutch. (gloves are handy).

The 21 days starts the day that the hen sits on the egg permanently, keeping it warm all the time.

What kind of bantam is she? Do you know?

 

[flytpm]

They're Buff black-tailed Japs, or so I was told and they appear to be. Thanks for the advice.

 

[flytpm]

She's only got a couple eggs now, so if there are 6 eggs in there and they're from both hens should they be fertile too since they're both with the rooster, or are just the setting hen's eggs fertile?

 

[austinhart123]

all the eggs have a fair chance of being fertile including the eggs from the other hens. just remember due to their short legs, breeding is flawed and fertility is lower than average, but i am sure u will have a great hatch.....post pics!
edited to fix my spelling errors.

 

[cajunlizz]

Quote:
I have no idea , BUT I have read several places best if you separate her from the other hens , that way you don't have to move her and her lil family once they hatch . I know I would NOT had wanted another

pregnant woman in the same BED with me when I was delivering . LOL LMAO