Hen goes broody days before new chicks arrive.

[Firk07]

Right now I have 4 hens that just turned a year old in April. I have 6 chicks on order, and they should be arriving Tuesday (5/16) Today when I went out to collect eggs, one of my hens was in the nesting box and got very defensive when I went to remove the eggs. I'm thinking she is going broody. Would letting her raise my new chicks be an option? I have been thinking of how I want/can raise the new chicks and introduce them to the flock. If I have a broody hen raise them, that answers most of my problems. If she is broody, how do I get her to stay like that until chicks show up? Do I need to segregate hen & chicks? My nesting boxes are about 2' off the floor of the coop, not somewhere chicks would be able to in and out of. Any help here is appreciated!!

 

[nchls school]

Right now I have 4 hens that just turned a year old in April. I have 6 chicks on order, and they should be arriving Tuesday (5/16) Today when I went out to collect eggs, one of my hens was in the nesting box and got very defensive when I went to remove the eggs. I'm thinking she is going broody. Would letting her raise my new chicks be an option? I have been thinking of how I want/can raise the new chicks and introduce them to the flock. If I have a broody hen raise them, that answers most of my problems. If she is broody, how do I get her to stay like that until chicks show up? Do I need to segregate hen & chicks? My nesting boxes are about 2' off the floor of the coop, not somewhere chicks would be able to in and out of. Any help here is appreciated!!

This would be an option if the hen had brooded longer. Next Tuesday is four days away. Very likely the hen would not accept these chicks. She may even attack and kill them. You can give the hen dummy eggs and try to see if she will accept chicks so soon after starting to brood; but only with the strictest observation until your are sure the chicks have been accepted.