First time broodies

[Hopeful homesteader]

I have 3 girls that have gone broody at the same time. Last Thursday after I'd determined they were set on staying in the nests I gave them 13 eggs, the biggest girl I gave 6 eggs, medium I gave 4 eggs, and the smallest I gave 3 eggs. Tonight I candled them and 12 have veins and moving babies, one looked empty so I pulled it and cracked it and sure enough it was never fertilized so the biggest girl has 5 eggs now. I plan to candle again between day 10-14 and then just leave them be until hatching which is May 19th. I have no way of incubating eggs but I do have a brooder box they were all raised in so if any come off their nest early I plan to put their eggs under one of the other girls. I've placed a bowl of chick feed in each nesting box so moms can eat if they want plus feed and water in the coop and outside, they nibble at the food in their nesting area but they prefer to come out mid day to eat and dust bathe but since they don't come out some days I wanted to offer them something accessible. I won't be taking them out of the main coop, once chicks hatch I'll move them down from the nesting boxes to a sectioned off area of the floor cause I know the chicks wont be able to get up into anything right away. Is there anything else I should be prepared for?

 

[sylviethecochin]

First, I'd take the food out of the nest box. It's better if they get out and about for about half an hour every day, because they need to poop, drink water, stretch their legs, etc. Also, it can attract rodents, and in some areas, insects, neither of which are something you want near the eggs.

Are they all going to be in the same sectioned-off area? Broody mamas will often fight each other, and they're all first-timers, which counts against them in two ways. One, you're not sure what their mothering personalities will be, and two, they're more crazy the first time they go broody.

I've only had this happen once, but I did have a (first and only-time) broody scalp two foreign chicks that got too close to her brood. Mine free-range, so they weren't in close quarters; she was just really hormonal, and mean. I'd definitely not pen them all in the same small section.

 

[Hopeful homesteader]

First, I'd take the food out of the nest box. It's better if they get out and about for about half an hour every day, because they need to poop, drink water, stretch their legs, etc. Also, it can attract rodents, and in some areas, insects, neither of which are something you want near the eggs.

Are they all going to be in the same sectioned-off area? Broody mamas will often fight each other, and they're all first-timers, which counts against them in two ways. One, you're not sure what their mothering personalities will be, and two, they're more crazy the first time they go broody.

I've only had this happen once, but I did have a (first and only-time) broody scalp two foreign chicks that got too close to her brood. Mine free-range, so they weren't in close quarters; she was just really hormonal, and mean. I'd definitely not pen them all in the same small section.

Does behavior during brooding give any idea what they'll be like after chicks hatch? I ask because they were all crammed in the same nest box sitting on fake eggs for a week until I separated them and gave them real eggs and they didn't fight or try to steal each others eggs so does that count towards anything? I've never done this so I'm going entirely off of what I've learned from reading books and links I've gotten from here. Ideally I'd like to leave the flock together but I've got 2 mini coops all my older ones grew up in that I can move some to but I'd have to leave them out in the covered portion of the run cause they wont fit in the main coop and leave 1 in the main coop. Should I leave them together and monitor or move them as soon as chicks hatch? I don't want to move them while they're on the eggs cause I don't want to cause them to abandon them, at least not on their first round, I'm trying to be as hand off as possible and let them do their thing while I watch through a window.

 

[sylviethecochin]

If they were all friendly before, you've got a greater chance of them being nice to each other, but I would monitor the situation once they have chicks (and, as always, multiple feed and water stations are helpful). It's likely you'll have to separate out at least one of them, so if you need to set up the other building beforehand, I'd do that, just in case. My two co-broodies get along great, but I've heard stories on here of other people's co-broodies fighting over the chicks.

My opinion of broodies that break as soon as they're moved is that they probably weren't going to be great setters anyway.

On a related note, my chicks actually do fine with the layer flock after they're a couple days old. The roosters and other hens don't bother them much, except if they get in between them and the feed. It's only the broodies that've ever been overly aggressive to chicks.

 

[Hopeful homesteader]

A few questions I have, after reading through other posts last night I noticed a few others asking if they should assist with hatching and now I'm wondering if momma hens ever assist their chicks or do they just sit there until they hatch on their own and the rest are left for dead if they aren't out yet?
In other posts it was mentioned loud cheeping from the chicks before hatch and I would like to know if as soon as chicks start cheeping inside their eggs does momma hen communicate back to them at all? It was mentioned that loud cheeping was so momma can hear them through her fluff and know they are still hatching and her getting up to soon could be fatal but I wondered if it also is the beginning of bonding vocally if momma does chirp back?
I'll probably ask more questions, I'm really curious about the whole hatching process.

 

[Hopeful homesteader]

Update: Warning for graphic details! I candled the eggs tonight and found one had quit early, was only small veins and no development beyond that so I'm assuming it quit just after candling on day 6. The other egg was crushed earlier today and I think it was caused by another hen jumping in the nest to lay an egg as I found an unmarked egg under momma hen. One of them ate the shell but I found the chick under momma with bedding stuck to it. It looked fully developed to me but tiny with pink skin and it had just started growing black fluff, I think it would have been a healthy chick if this hadn't happened. I have 10 remaining eggs with wriggling chicks inside. I think it's going pretty well considering it's these ladies first time hatching eggs and my first time too but I'm not doing any of the work so idk how much that counts lol.