First broody hen

[mi2bugz]

So my 8 mo New Hampshire red hen has gone broody. She used to do half days but all of a sudden it's been 5 days she's been sitting on 6 eggs. I guess she got off long enough to eat, drink and go potty and some of my other hens laid eggs while she was off. My question is.,,,is she apt to be in it for the long haul? We have to get separate facilities ready for her and the eggs and we don't have a lot of time. I am going in for a cardiac catheterization Wednesday and my parents are coming in from the east coast next week. So should I start building or do they usually get off the first batch of eggs before the 21 days?

Ok so I have another question sorry . If the eggs are from different days is it ok for a couple to hatch one day and a couple the next? I haven't candled them yet to know if they are viable. Have to go look up all this info because I never expected her to go broody so soon so I don't know the first thing about broody hens and the whole process lol, thank you in advance for any and all assistance!

 

[Judy]

5 days would indicate she is in it for the long haul. You don't really have to do anything for a broody except provide chick feed rather than layer for the chicks -- which you can do now, as it is fine for the layers to eat it, too. Two days might work out fine, or she may abandon the least developed egg or two; hard to say. Normally they stay on the nest after the first chick hatches for 24 to 48 hours, then leave to raise the chicks.

One article about broodies:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/guide-to-letting-broody-hens-hatch-and-raise-chicks

 

[Mountain Peeps]

5 days would indicate she is in it for the long haul. You don't really have to do anything for a broody except provide chick feed rather than layer for the chicks -- which you can do now, as it is fine for the layers to eat it, too. Two days might work out fine, or she may abandon the least developed egg or two; hard to say. Normally they stay on the nest after the first chick hatches for 24 to 48 hours, then leave to raise the chicks.

One article about broodies:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/guide-to-letting-broody-hens-hatch-and-raise-chicks

X2. 4 days to a week marks that she is serious. Switch her to the chick feed if you are wanting her to have babies. (Layer feed will damage a chick's inner organs, reproductive system and kidneys.)

 

[mi2bugz]

Thank you for the info! I thought I read that the chicks should be hatched out in a different pen then the flock? How do I go about moving the broody hen as we are on day 8 and the new broody pen is going to be ready tomorrow.

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Thank you for the info! I thought I read that the chicks should be hatched out in a different pen then the flock? How do I go about moving the broody hen as we are on day 8 and the new broody pen is going to be ready tomorrow.

Yes, you should put her in something such as dog crate until the chicks are about a week old.

 

[mi2bugz]

So at a week they can go in with the rest of the flock because mom is there to protect them? One of the first thing the breeder told me is chickens the same size go with each other. So if I was introducing new chicks that I bought then I would want them to be the same size roughly before introducing them to the rest of the flock because mom wouldn't be there? I hope that made sense lol.

 

[Mountain Peeps]

They usually stay in their cage with their mama for about a week. This time is spent bonding. But after that they can join the other birds as mama will protect them.

 

[mi2bugz]

She has 6 eggs under her. It appears that 3 are fertile. If we wanted more chicks could we purchase day old chicks and would the broody mom take them in with her others?

 

[lazy gardener]

If you can get a few day olds, and time it so you get them when the broody's eggs hatch, then you can tuck them under her at night. Good luck. This sounds like fun. Good luck with your heart cath. Have you had it yet?

 

[mi2bugz]

Thank you! We are close to a breeder that has chicks year round so hopefully can get some day olds! I did have the cardiac cath and they didn't find a blockage (which I agree is good) BUT they still need to find the reason it is weak! Thank you for your concern .