Help! Helping a broody hen be a first time mom?

[kat_and_hens]

Hey all! I know this has been a well rehashed topic but i was hoping for some feedback.

I have a hen (Belinda) who is, I think, officially broody. After a week or so of extended nest-sitting, she camped out all night in the nest box and has not gotten up for breakfast today. She is a new layer, only about a month and a half.

Coincidentally, we are getting new chicks expected to be delivered next Wednesday. I planned for them to go into a brooder but now I’m wondering if it would be better to let Belinda take a crack at being a mom if she continues being broody.

Questions:
1) is it too soon to introduce chicks, since she’s only been sitting on the nest seriously very recently and not the 21 days it would take to hatch eggs naturally?

2) should I put her in a dog crate now with a nest and see if she still is broody, to keep her and potential babies safe from other hens? (We don’t have a rooster)

3) is this fresh a layer too new to be a mom? Am I courting disaster?

I am okay breaking her broodiness if that is the best bet, but I also would be happy to try letting her raise chicks. Just want to be sure I’m not setting us up for failure if I do. Thanks for the feedback!

 

[Stipenvlerk]

If I'm understanding correctly, she is 1,5 month old?

 

[Egg Snatcher]

Hey all! I know this has been a well rehashed topic but i was hoping for some feedback.

I have a hen (Belinda) who is, I think, officially broody. After a week or so of extended nest-sitting, she camped out all night in the nest box and has not gotten up for breakfast today. She is a new layer, only about a month and a half.

Coincidentally, we are getting new chicks expected to be delivered next Wednesday. I planned for them to go into a brooder but now I’m wondering if it would be better to let Belinda take a crack at being a mom if she continues being broody.

Questions:
1) is it too soon to introduce chicks, since she’s only been sitting on the nest seriously very recently and not the 21 days it would take to hatch eggs naturally?

2) should I put her in a dog crate now with a nest and see if she still is broody, to keep her and potential babies safe from other hens? (We don’t have a rooster)

3) is this fresh a layer too new to be a mom? Am I courting disaster?

I am okay breaking her broodiness if that is the best bet, but I also would be happy to try letting her raise chicks. Just want to be sure I’m not setting us up for failure if I do. Thanks for the feedback!

She needs to be really broody before u move her. U can give her her chicks, I've done this many times. Just slip the chicks under her so she thinks they are hers. U should do just fine.

 

[kat_and_hens]

If I'm understanding correctly, she is 1,5 month old?

Sorry, I was unclear. She is 6 months old. Has been laying 1.5 months.

 

[Stipenvlerk]

Sorry, I was unclear. She is 6 months old. Has been laying 1.5 months.

Hi Kat, Maybe I didn't understand because english is not my first language.
1.5months old would have been way to young to be broody! I hope she will be a good first time mom...

 

[DobieLover]

When a pullet/hen goes broody they graft more to the nest than the eggs. When you try to move them from that site, that very often breaks them unless they are VERY determined. She does not sound very determined, and she's very young.
If she were mine and based on my experience with broodies, I'd toss her in a crate and break her and brood the chicks myself.
Any chance of you brooding the chicks in a sectioned off area of the coop? That would be ideal and they integrate much better into the flock when raised in view of them.

 

[kat_and_hens]

When a pullet/hen goes broody they graft more to the nest than the eggs. When you try to move them from that site, that very often breaks them unless they are VERY determined. She does not sound very determined, and she's very young.
If she were mine and based on my experience with broodies, I'd toss her in a crate and break her and brood the chicks myself.
Any chance of you brooding the chicks in a sectioned off area of the coop? That would be ideal and they integrate much better into the flock when raised in view of them.

If I give them to mama, I could cordon off an area of the coop for them, but I would have to move her to do it - she’s in the nest box closest to the roosts but I could brood the chicks on their own in the coop with a heat plate. I have a setup ready to go for them that is pretty portable.

 

[DobieLover]

If I give them to mama, I could cordon off an area of the coop for them, but I would have to move her to do it - she’s in the nest box closest to the roosts but I could brood the chicks on their own in the coop with a heat plate. I have a setup ready to go for them that is pretty portable.

I don't think she's ready. But you can take a chance with her. You'd have to give them to her where she is and block off the nest so the chicks couldn't fall out. I'd do it after full darkness and slip them under her from behind and pull the eggs out as you do this. Be back out there well before dawn to monitor the situation as the she and flock becomes active and get the chicks away from her if things go south.
If she does accept them, you don't need to isolate her. She would protect the chicks. I have had many broods hatch under broody hens and not once has another flock member tried to hurt the chicks. They express curiosity in them and sometimes peck them to check them out. Mom let the hens she trusted do this and the chicks were fine. If she didn't like or trust the hen/pullet that came to near her chicks, she drove them off.

Your entire flock would need to be on Flock Raiser or All Flock or even just feed them all unmedicated chick starter. Keep a container or two of oyster shell on the side for the active layers. This is the way I've always fed my flock. Flock raiser with OS on the side as there are always times when you don't want your birds eating all the excess calcium that is in layer feed.

Do you have enough room for chicks? Is your coop elevated or ground level? How much space do you have in the run? Do they free range? More space always makes everything easier.

 

[kat_and_hens]

I don't think she's ready. But you can take a chance with her. You'd have to give them to her where she is and block off the nest so the chicks couldn't fall out. I'd do it after full darkness and slip them under her from behind and pull the eggs out as you do this. Be back out there well before dawn to monitor the situation as the she and flock becomes active and get the chicks away from her if things go south.
If she does accept them, you don't need to isolate her. She would protect the chicks. I have had many broods hatch under broody hens and not once has another flock member tried to hurt the chicks. They express curiosity in them and sometimes peck them to check them out. Mom let the hens she trusted do this and the chicks were fine. If she didn't like or trust the hen/pullet that came to near her chicks, she drove them off.

Your entire flock would need to be on Flock Raiser or All Flock or even just feed them all unmedicated chick starter. Keep a container or two of oyster shell on the side for the active layers. This is the way I've always fed my flock. Flock raiser with OS on the side as there are always times when you don't want your birds eating all the excess calcium that is in layer feed.

Do you have enough room for chicks? Is your coop elevated or ground level? How much space do you have in the run? Do they free range? More space always makes everything easier.

Thanks for all this info Dobie! Very helpful points to consider. I booted her off the nest this afternoon and she went right back on. I’m going to see how she does over the weekend and go from there.

I’ve ordered 9 chicks, hopefully they will all arrive alive - 9 might be too many for her?