Hen brooding for 2 weeks, what now?

[coffee_and_quail]

We have an outdoor ground aviary with quite a few hens and 2 roos. There have been a few times that some hens have gotten broody but it's never lasted more than a day or two. On May 14th we noticed one of our older hens hoarding eggs in a turned over pot (a lot of the hens like to lay there). We left her alone, figuring she would get bored. Fast forward 2 weeks and she's still there with the eggs. Not all the eggs are hers...it seems like the other hens are laying them around the pot and she randomly takes some in and kicks some out of her little nest.

What do we do? I'd love to let her hatch them on her own but have read horror stories about other hens attacking newly hatched chicks or trampling them. We could sort of cordon off the corner she's in to give her space. We'd rather not move her inside and disrupt what is clearly her preferred area. The other hens aren't bothering her, and she hasn't been aggressive with any that have come to hang out/dust bathe nearby. Any advice??

 

[scyllarus]

It sounds like you want her to raise chicks. I would block off her area - obviously make sure she's got access to food and water, preferably water that new chicks can't manage to drown in - and remove most of the eggs around her, leaving just her nest. The constant change in eggs means she's likely not incubating any single egg adequately, so there's probably a lot of non-viable eggs now in the mix. In the very small chance one egg has managed to be fully incubated, it should be hatching in the next few days, so I'd keep an eye out for baby chicks and have some chick food on hand.

She might not know how to raise chicks, btw. I'd also keep a brooder prepared in case of emergency chick rescue.

 

[coffee_and_quail]

It sounds like you want her to raise chicks. I would block off her area - obviously make sure she's got access to food and water, preferably water that new chicks can't manage to drown in - and remove most of the eggs around her, leaving just her nest. The constant change in eggs means she's likely not incubating any single egg adequately, so there's probably a lot of non-viable eggs now in the mix. In the very small chance one egg has managed to be fully incubated, it should be hatching in the next few days, so I'd keep an eye out for baby chicks and have some chick food on hand.

She might not know how to raise chicks, btw. I'd also keep a brooder prepared in case of emergency chick rescue.

Thanks. I'll make sure I have the brooder set up and ready, as well as the incubator in case I need to pop them in last minute. Would it be safe to go out at night and check them with a light to see how far along they are?

Luckily it's been hot as hell out so if one hatches and she isn't attentive enough, it will be ok for a few hours if it's in the middle of the night.

If they hatch and I bring them in, should I bring her in as well? If not, how long should I wait to reacquaint them?

 

[Nabiki]

I would start by candling all of the eggs she has under her and throwing away any that are dead or haven't developed. Once the chicks hatch, see how she behaves with them. If she's a good mother, keep her with them. If not, remove them as soon as you can.

 

[igorsMistress]

I’ve had many broody girls and they will protect their babies from the rest of the flock. And help them integrate as well. The horror stories always get told because they are uncommon.

 

[coffee_and_quail]

I would start by candling all of the eggs she has under her and throwing away any that are dead or haven't developed. Once the chicks hatch, see how she behaves with them. If she's a good mother, keep her with them. If not, remove them as soon as you can.

Thanks! She's the sweetest of all our hens, and has been my favorite girly since we hatched her so I really hope she sees this through.