First time broody hen sitting on eggs. Nervous!

[Lucy4]

So we bought 4 chicks a few years ago, and have a variance for exactly four. Last year, a coon got one of them. The boys have been begging for a chick. Well, our favorite girl Rosie is consistently broody. We usually break her of it, but my farmer friend wanted some new layers and said to let that poor girl finally do her job! So she's sitting on 8 eggs from her farm.

I feel like I don't know what I'm doing though! I worry about Rosie... should I be moving her off the eggs once a day to encourage her to eat and drink? She is definitely more of a pet than a farm animal, and I don't want her body to get stressed out.

We set up another nesting box for the two other girls, but they refused to use it and seem to have stopped laying. I looked for eggs everywhere but nothing.

I read a post here that a mama hen attacked her chicks once they hatched. And I'm also wondering about the other two girls. Are attacks against chicks common?

Thanks so much for any input.

 

[woolwell]

I'm no expert -- my hen Lulu has only hatched a few times -- but here's my experience. My chickens free-range during the day or hang around inside my sheep barn. They lay in the barn, and when Lulu is broody she nests in the there. I move her, along with the nest and eggs, into a large dog crate. During the day I leave the door to the crate open in case Lulu wants to leave. At night I close up the crate to keep Lulu safe from predators.

Lulu shows very little interest in regular chicken feed or cracked corn when she's setting. To keep up her strength I feed her mashed hard-boiled eggs every day. She'll go for the eggs even though she ignores other food. And I make sure she's got water available to her.

After the chicks are born I move Lulu and the babies into a separate house. I don't let the other chickens interact with the chicks while they are still under Lulu's care. Lulu is a Buff Orpington and a great mother. She's never shown any aggression toward her chicks. In addition to chick starter, I feed the babies and Lulu mashed hard-boiled eggs frequently. Good protein for the little ones.

When the chicks are feathered out and it's warm enough outdoors, I begin putting Lulu and the babies in a separate area fenced off with some 4' hardware cloth. This way, the other chickens get to see the chicks for awhile before they can interact with them. I keep the chicks penned until they are pretty large. Once Lulu tires of them, I put her back out with the rest.

Don't know if this helps, but good luck. And enjoy!

 

[Judy]

Usually a broody gets up once a day, poops an obvious, large, smelly "broody poop," eats and drinks, and moves around a bit, then goes back to the nest. Or a nest -- she may choose the wrong one.

Any number of things could be happening. The others are probably trying to use the nest they're used to, and the broody is probably trying to run them off. It's very common for other hens to lay eggs in the nest where a broody is setting. If you can't tell the fertile eggs from your own, there's no telling what she is sitting on now. It could be that yours are laying and their eggs are getting broken.

To be safe, many people separate the broody at least until the chicks hatch. If the chicks are going to live elsewhere, I'd probably continue to keep them separate, with the mama, until the mama is through being a mama, usually around 4-5 weeks. She is likely to grieve if the chicks are taken from her right after they hatch.

 

[Lucy4]

Thanks Woolwell. That helps. I'm leaning toward separating her out then before the chicks arrive. Rosie is also a buff orpington. I think she'll be a great mom. And I will try the hard-boiled eggs, good idea!!

Thanks too, Flockwatcher. No, I haven't seen any huge poops, that's why I was concerned. But I'll keep an eye out. As for where the other girls are laying, I'll check under Rosie today. I did pencil mark the fertilized eggs.

I have no plans to take the babies from her right away. Going to wait a month before sending them to my friend (and hopefully will be keeping one girl!)

 

[Judy]

I have read of cases where a broody never got off the nest, or at least not enough, and occasionally one will die when setting. Even if they do get up once a day, they lose weight and muscle mass, and I would think also suffer some from the limited exercise. I pick up my broodies at least once a day and set them down off the nest, prod them til they get moving, eating, etc. Maybe unnecessary, but I figure it won't do any harm.