Hen trying to hatch eggs on soil

[Ursuline Chick]

I feed my broody hens chick feed as well. I think it is best for them, since they just sit for most of 3+ weeks.

 

[Silexian]

Every year I have at least one hen sneak off and hatch chicks on her own. I have found nest where they have successfully hatched chicks. On bare dirt, on a stack of lumber, in a metal stock tank and a cattle feed bunk. They don’t need much to get the job done. They can withstand rain and various temperatures also. Some have set and hatched chicks in the Midwest heat of July and August. I have also discovered a hen with newly hatched on a frosty November morning.

 

[Salguero]

Our feral hens almost always nest on the ground tucked away in vegetation. I'd let her be the judge. Food and water is also going to attract vermin to her nesting spot and she might not appreciate it. She probably knows where to go for food when it's needed. She might not get off the nest at all for the first week or so.

Thanks. I took the food and water away. I'm just going to let her be.

 

[Salguero]

You will know if she is getting off the nest to eat and drink, because you will find giant hen poops. you want those giant poops in the yard, not in the nest. You will understand when you see one. My first time seeing one was to wonder what big animal had been in my yard and pooed in it.

Thank you

 

[Salguero]

For now she is probably fine.
I had a broody who didn’t come of the nest. And I decided to lift her off every 2 days if there where no signs of poop or eating from the chick feed (better than layer feed for a broody).
I always had feed and water near. If a broody gets of the nest, she immediately starts to eat and after that she will stretch her leggs. Half an hour of the nest is quite normal.

Don’t be surprised if the outcome is poor. Shipped eggs have a lesser outcome in general.
( Just a remark for a next time and other readers who think about ordering eggs by mail : the eggs should have rested 24 hours after shipping before you lay them under a broody. Bedt with the bold side up. )

An early advise for over 20 days if the chicks hatch. Stray cats love to catch chicks. A broody can’t pay attention the whole time. So I would make a safe place around her or move the broody and chicks to a safe place asap after they hatch.

Thank you. I think I know exactly what to put around her and our potential new babies.

 

[Salguero]

Every year I have at least one hen sneak off and hatch chicks on her own. I have found nest where they have successfully hatched chicks. On bare dirt, on a stack of lumber, in a metal stock tank and a cattle feed bunk. They don’t need much to get the job done. They can withstand rain and various temperatures also. Some have set and hatched chicks in the Midwest heat of July and August. I have also discovered a hen with newly hatched on a frosty November morning.

True. We have many mant feral chickens in out town with baby chicks. They don't have nesting boxes or anybody taking care of the but the keep hatching eggs. I'm sure she will be ok. Thanks.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I totally agree with those that said she will be fine on dirt. Many people would be amazed at some places broody hens hatched when I was growing up on the farm.

I've seen a hen get off of her nest twice a day and stay off for over an hour each time. This was in warmer weather. I've seen a hen come off of her nest once a day for 15 minutes, this was colder weather. I never see some broody hens come off of the nest but they obviously do, they are not pooping in their nest and their eggs hatch.

Before a hen even starts laying eggs she builds up excess fat. This fat is what a hen mostly lives on while incubating eggs. That way she can take care of her nest instead of being out looking for food. She will lose weight while broody but that's OK, it's just fat put there for that reason.

I don't put food or water near a broody. I don't want the water spilling and soaking the nest. I don't want the food potentially making a mess or attracting vermin or predators. Raccoons would be attracted to the smell of chicken feed. Some people seem to think a broody hen hatching eggs is a recent phenomena, that they cannot manage without a lot of human intervention. Broody hens were hatching chicks on their own before they were domesticated thousands of year ago using the same instincts they use today, they did not go extinct.

 

[Salguero]

I totally agree with those that said she will be fine on dirt. Many people would be amazed at some places broody hens hatched when I was growing up on the farm.

I've seen a hen get off of her nest twice a day and stay off for over an hour each time. This was in warmer weather. I've seen a hen come off of her nest once a day for 15 minutes, this was colder weather. I never see some broody hens come off of the nest but they obviously do, they are not pooping in their nest and their eggs hatch.

Before a hen even starts laying eggs she builds up excess fat. This fat is what a hen mostly lives on while incubating eggs. That way she can take care of her nest instead of being out looking for food. She will lose weight while broody but that's OK, it's just fat put there for that reason.

I don't put food or water near a broody. I don't want the water spilling and soaking the nest. I don't want the food potentially making a mess or attracting vermin or predators. Raccoons would be attracted to the smell of chicken feed. Some people seem to think a broody hen hatching eggs is a recent phenomena, that they cannot manage without a lot of human intervention. Broody hens were hatching chicks on their own before they were domesticated thousands of year ago using the same instincts they use today, they did not go extinct.

 

[Salguero]

Wow! You totally make sense. I took the food away and I'm just going to leave her alone. I'm sure she knows what she's doing. Thank you.