help please!!!

[amydzek]

One of my hens has gone broody... She sits in her nesting box all day and night... We only have hens... There is no chance of her hatching a chick... One of the people at the feed store mentioned it might help her if I got her some fertile eggs and let her hatch them... I ordered some, they should be here any day now... Now here is my problem, I have never had a chicken hatch an egg, I don't know if she should be separated while she tries to hatch the imposter eggs, I don't know how to keep the little peepers alive once they hatch, how long they need to be kept separate from the rest of the flock so they don't get pecked to death... Basically I jumped the gun ordering fertile eggs for snowflake because I feel bad for her and I don't know what to do next we have a total of 6 hens and I ordered her 10 eggs... Help!!

 

[SmokingPistol]

Relax she will be fine. While im no expert I have let hens hatch eggs without ever separating them. In my experience my hens protected their chicks and I never had to intervene except putting chick mash feed in the pen when I saw them. Good luck with the new family

 

[bobbi-j]

If you do decide to let the other hens have access to your broody, I would suggest marking the eggs you want her to hatch so that if other hens get into and lay in the nest, you can take them out.

 

[amydzek]

Thank you!!

 

[Sphinx]

Yes, if you do keep them together, definitely mark your hatching eggs. The other hens will try to lay eggs in her nest and it'll get very confusing otherwise.

I personally keep a broody hen separated. I've seen tragedies happen when I don't. For example, my friend had a broody hen sitting on eggs. The day before the hatch, another hen muscled her way into the box and laid a monster egg (seriously, it was a triple yolker) and it landed on the hatching eggs. Crushed one to death, and seriously damaged another (though it survived, which was amazing). Over the course of the 21 days, she lost half of her eggs to the other chickens messing with them.

 

[JanO]

I've never had a reason to move a broody hen and her nest. There's too big of a chance that they will abandon the nest entirely. Assuming that she will hatch the imposter eggs, just leave her alone and let her raise them. She'll protect the chicks and keep them warm. In fact, don't even bother her while she's sitting on the eggs, and definitely don't bother her once the chicks have hatched. She'll bring them out on her own time in a day or tow after they hatch. Just leave her alone and let her do her job. She will come out to eat and drink when she wants, and there is no need to check the eggs or candle them every few days. She knows what to do and does not need help doing what comes naturally.