HELP!! How long can a broody hen safely leave her nest?

[sylviethecochin]

Sounds like a fairly good sign. Maybe think about a brighter flashlight?

 

[LovinThisFarmGirlLife]

Sounds like a fairly good sign. Maybe think about a brighter flashlight?

I was using the flashlight on my cell phone. I would definitely like to get a better light for candling though! What would I be missing without something brighter?

 

[LovinThisFarmGirlLife]

I candled the remaining eggs last night and all had movement! I’m not touching her or the eggs again. Hatch day is the 5th!

 

[PouleChick]

Exciting! I have only candled the once on day 10 (and not sure how good I was anyway!), mine are due Wednesday

 

[LovinThisFarmGirlLife]

Exciting! I have only candled the once on day 10 (and not sure how good I was anyway!), mine are due Wednesday

I was thinking about you earlier today, wondering if you had chicks yet! I’m so excited to see them!

 

[PouleChick]

I was thinking about you earlier today, wondering if you had chicks yet! I’m so excited to see them!

Me too although now I'm worrying about when they will come as I read on another thread about chicks hatching as early as 17 days and we've had some super hot days last week so I'm thinking I may need to be watching out (day 18 today eek!)! I still need to go and buy chick crumbles too!

 

[LovinThisFarmGirlLife]

Me too although now I'm worrying about when they will come as I read on another thread about chicks hatching as early as 17 days and we've had some super hot days last week so I'm thinking I may need to be watching out (day 18 today eek!)! I still need to go and buy chick crumbles too!

EEK!!! That''s both exciting and terrifying!! How fun it would be if they came early! Better go get that crumble Do you have your hen separated from the rest of the flock? Mine's not yet. I'm trying to leave her as natural as possible....its been HARD!!! But if I would have just backed off from the beginning we wouldn't have lost as many chicks so early on . Anyway, I'm concerned about the chicks once they're born....I don't want the other chickens picking on them!

 

[PouleChick]

Yes my hen is seperated, she was in with the other silkie - I'd only just got them intergrated in the day with the other 3 (pullets) when she went broody. Doris kept sitting on her to lay her eggs. Then the others started coming in and pecking her in the head so I put Doris full time with the others and shut her little run within the big run off so that she has her own space and own little mini coop (it's one of those rabbit hutch things really) to brood and have the chicks in. They'll all be able to see the chicks. I'm worried as they were pretty mean to poor Hermione before she went broody and we'll have to go through it all again with the chicks in tow - so not looking forward to it so get how you are worrying. Although I need to get a bigger coop built for them all to fit in (have only built a small / temporary / secondary coop so far which is more than big enough for the 4 that are in there and probably a few more until the autumn but depends a bit on what chicks I end up with! Logistic not fully sorted but they'll be right I'll sort something out!
Went to buy crumble (after ringing to check they had it - which they said they did) and they were out (after driving 20kms each way!) public holiday tomorrow so will be Wednesday before I can get some!

 

[bruceha2000]

I'm worried as they were pretty mean to poor Hermione before she went broody and we'll have to go through it all again with the chicks in tow - so not looking forward to it

Don't worry about it. She will turn into the hen from he11 with regard to protecting them when the chicks hatch. None of the other hens will dare get near the Tasmanian Devil.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

This is the best argument for a separate but small coop or pen for your setting hen to incubate in. Hens do have a instinct called imprinting that supposedly binds the setting hen to her nest but like all "instincts" in the animal world the imprinting instinct sometimes goes wrong. In nature (real free range) every hen will establish her own natal nest and she will stay committed to it. That is why no chicken keeper can claim to be raising real free range eggs if they keep a multitude of nests or only one nest in a coop full of chickens.