First time Broody Questions

[Jlwarn92]

Hello everyone! After hours of internet scouring and research I still find I have questions regarding my first time broody. My black Orpington/ Welsummer cross has gone broody a month after she started laying. After a few (albeit haphazard) attempts to break her broodyness, I caved and found a local breeder to get 6 fertile eggs from. Being her (and my) first time I didn’t want to get too many to see how the process goes. The breeder I got the eggs from said at Day 16, move her to a dog crate and allow her to hatch the chicks in there.

A little background about our set up. We have 4 girls in a raised 3x5x3 coop, and a 8x8 run. They free range a couple hours a day while we are home. The Broody in question is top of the pecking order and none of the other ladies mess with her. They all lay in the nesting box next to her and don’t invade her nest (as far as I’ve seen). She does typical broody behaviors and at the moment we are on Day 13. I have not candled the eggs as I really don’t want to disturb her or them.

On to my questions. Should I move her at Day 16? From what I’ve read I risk the chance of breaking her broodiness and her abandoning the eggs. Where she is top of the Flock is safe to at least allow her to hatch in the nesting box? If she does when is the right time to move her and her potential chicks?

My next question is about the brooder box. my neighbor was getting rid of this box completely wrapped in hardware cloth. It has a hinged door and I think with a little creativity I could turn it into a brooder box within the next couple of days. It measures 40” long, 24” inches high, and 30” wide. Other than putting a shelter inside and a roof does it need anything else for a hen and (potentially) 6 chicks? Should I add legs to it to raise it off the ground a bit? Is the hardware cloth floor okay? I’d like to keep it outside and next to our current run and coop so that everyone can still see and interact with each other.

Thank you for taking the time to read and helping this broody beginner out!

 

[TheFatBlueCat]

I'll tell you how I do it, and you can take that how you wish! I've hatched many many clutches with many many broodies under many many circumstances .
Since you already have the eggs, and she has already committed to a nest site, I would leave her there until she has hatched her chicks. Try to make a way to block the nest off once the hatching starts, so she isn't interfered with by curious flock members. Move her and the chicks after hatching has finished.
You may not need to use that brooding box at all. If you do I would use it for a maximum of a week and then let mama and babies out to get on with life. Have it on the ground, the wire shouldn't be a problem but if you're concerned then cover the wire with straw or shavings.

My preferred method (it makes my life easier and my hatch rates better) is to move the hen to a set up broody hen pen before I set any real eggs. If the broody breaks, so be it. If she accepts the move then I give her fertile eggs about a day after the move. I wait a bit longer for pullets as they can be a bit flaky. I let mama and babies out of the pen at about day 3 after she leaves the nest.
I've had many hens sit and hatch where they originally choose, and take their chicks right out and get on with it. It works mostly fine, it's just harder work for me, and tends to result in more eggs getting broken overall.

 

[Jlwarn92]

I'll tell you how I do it, and you can take that how you wish! I've hatched many many clutches with many many broodies under many many circumstances .
Since you already have the eggs, and she has already committed to a nest site, I would leave her there until she has hatched her chicks. Try to make a way to block the nest off once the hatching starts, so she isn't interfered with by curious flock members. Move her and the chicks after hatching has finished.
You may not need to use that brooding box at all. If you do I would use it for a maximum of a week and then let mama and babies out to get on with life. Have it on the ground, the wire shouldn't be a problem but if you're concerned then cover the wire with straw or shavings.

My preferred method (it makes my life easier and my hatch rates better) is to move the hen to a set up broody hen pen before I set any real eggs. If the broody breaks, so be it. If she accepts the move then I give her fertile eggs about a day after the move. I wait a bit longer for pullets as they can be a bit flaky. I let mama and babies out of the pen at about day 3 after she leaves the nest.
I've had many hens sit and hatch where they originally choose, and take their chicks right out and get on with it. It works mostly fine, it's just harder work for me, and tends to result in more eggs getting broken overall.

Thank you so much! Honestly I was not prepared for a broody so soon and really jumped in when I probably should have waited. Next time I’ll definitely be moving her before she gets settled and before giving her eggs.

If I leave her and the babies with the flock will she continue to bring them back to the nesting box at night? Or sleep on the coop floor with them?

Thank you again!!

 

[TheFatBlueCat]

Thank you so much! Honestly I was not prepared for a broody so soon and really jumped in when I probably should have waited. Next time I’ll definitely be moving her before she gets settled and before giving her eggs.

If I leave her and the babies with the flock will she continue to bring them back to the nesting box at night? Or sleep on the coop floor with them?

Thank you again!!

She could make either choice. Hens are a rule unto themselves. Generally most of my hens return to their nestboxes. If the nestbox is too high for chicks to get back into easily they will often choose another spot. I've got several little nestbox hutches dotted around my yard and they often pick one of those. Make sure you clean up the nestbox really well after hatch, as hens don't generally want to go back to an uncleanned nest.
I wait either 3 days after hatch or until the hen gets up and takes her chicks out, then I swoop in and clean up. Whichever comes first. Usually the hen gets up before 3 days is over.

I gently remove the hen from her nest once each day to check the eggs. Run your hands along the inside of her wings before you lift her as hens often pin eggs against their bodies and these can fall out as you lift. I do this in case an egg breaks, so I can clean up as quickly as possible. If I've seen her get up to take her dust bath and food break, I check then instead. I stop doing this on about day 18, or when I see that she has stopped getting up. Hens will stop getting up once the eggs start to hatch. It's a positive sign!

 

[Jlwarn92]

She could make either choice. Hens are a rule unto themselves. Generally most of my hens return to their nestboxes. If the nestbox is too high for chicks to get back into easily they will often choose another spot. I've got several little nestbox hutches dotted around my yard and they often pick one of those. Make sure you clean up the nestbox really well after hatch, as hens don't generally want to go back to an uncleanned nest.
I wait either 3 days after hatch or until the hen gets up and takes her chicks out, then I swoop in and clean up. Whichever comes first. Usually the hen gets up before 3 days is over.

I gently remove the hen from her nest once each day to check the eggs. Run your hands along the inside of her wings before you lift her as hens often pin eggs against their bodies and these can fall out as you lift. I do this in case an egg breaks, so I can clean up as quickly as possible. If I've seen her get up to take her dust bath and food break, I check then instead. I stop doing this on about day 18, or when I see that she has stopped getting up. Hens will stop getting up once the eggs start to hatch. It's a positive sign!

Thank you for all your help!! I ended up moving her on Day 17 to her own area due to a hurricane moving through the state. She hatched out two beautiful all black chicks this morning! We lost a third during hatch and she is still sitting on two eggs but I don’t know if they were duds or not. I have not touched them or moved her to check their progress

 

[TheFatBlueCat]

So gorgeous