First time attempting to use brood hen to hatch eggs

[ricon farm mom]

I have 11 eggs I want to have hatched. I have read up on how to pick the right hen to use for the brooding. I determined which hen to use. She sat on the eggs at first and after 15 minutes she started freaking out in the brooding pen. I let her out and tried another hen. She did the same thing. I assumed it was because the other hens and rooster were out of the coop. I left the eggs where they were hoping one of the hens would sit on the eggs when they came in for the night. No one sat on them so I took the first hen and put her in the pen. First question: How long should I leave the eggs before one of the hens sits on them? 2. Do I leave her locked up with the eggs 24/7 or should I let her out when I let the other chickens out to free range? 3. Does the brooding hen sit on the eggs 24/7 and not want to leave them?

 

[Suburban chick farmer 09]

You can't make a hen go broody.

 

[ricon farm mom]

Thanks for the reply but it didn't answer any of the questions I have.

 

[morelcabin]

Depending on what breed of hens you have, none of them might ever sit...some are bred strictly for laying and won't set. And you can't force a hen to set...they decide when, and they will let YOU know when they are ready, not the other way around. Try getting a egg from under a broody hen:>)

 

[SallyF]

Hens go broody when they want to, and many modern breeds don't want to; it's been bred out of them. Guess it must be a hormonal change or something that makes them want to do it, since they also stop laying when they're broody. They will sit on the eggs 24/7, except during the first couple of weeks when they may get off for short periods to eat/drink/poop and then they get right back on the nest. You can leave the eggs out until next Christmas, and if no one is "in the mood" to go broody, no one will sit on them. Usually we wait until a hen shows that she's broody, usually by staying on the egg/eggs all day and not getting off. Then you quick shove eggs under her and hope for the best! Hope this answers your questions.

 

[morelcabin]

And yes, a brooding hen will want to sit on the eggs 24/7, you won't be able to stop her.

 

[ricon farm mom]

Thank you for the replies. You all helped me out a lot.

 

[FarmerDenise]

I agree with what has already been said.
When I want to encourage a hen to go broody, I leave fake eggs in the nest. That way I don't waste any good eggs. When a hen stays on the nest for several days nonstop, I figure I might have a broody. I take her off the nest and she heads back in shortly after, I think I have a broody. I'll replace the fake eggs with real ones, if I want her to hatch our own eggs. I have learned to mark my eggs that I want hatched, because the other hens sometimes continue to lay eggs in the same nest. This way I know that the unmarked eggs are fresh and I remove them.

 

[dacjohns]

Quote:

 

[speckledhen]

Sent you a PM.

However, to add to what I wrote in the PM, a sitting broody hen will not leave the eggs except once, sometimes twice a day, for usually no more than 30 minutes, no matter what. You won't have to lock her in with eggs, which won't make her go broody anyway if she isn't already. She'll eat, drink, poop, sometimes dustbathe a bit, then get back on her eggs.