Hiding hens

[aart]

I was wondering about being broody but they don’t have any eggs under them and haven’t seen any from either since the behavior change.

They don't need eggs to brood.
They don't lay when broody.
Yes, more than one can brood together.

Here are my go-to signs on a broody:
Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, does she flatten right back out into a fluffy screeching pancake?
Does she walk around making a low cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck(ticking bomb) sound on her way back to the nest?

If so, then she is probably broody and you'll have to decide how to manage it.

If you don't want her to hatch out chicks, IMO it's best to break her broodiness promptly.

My experience goes about like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest (or as soon as I know they are broody), I put her in a wire dog crate (24"L x 18"W x 21"H) with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop or run with feed and water.

I used to let them out a couple times a day, but now just once a day in the evening(you don't have to) and she would go out into the run, drop a huge turd, race around running, take a vigorous dust bath then head back to the nest... at which point I put her back in the crate. Each time her outings would lengthen a bit, eating, drinking and scratching more and on the 3rd afternoon she stayed out of the nest and went to roost that evening...event over, back to normal tho she didn't lay for another week or two. Or take her out of crate daily very near roosting time(30-60 mins) if she goes to roost great, if she goes to nest put her back in crate.

Tho not necessary a chunk of 2x4 for a 'roost' was added to crate floor after pic was taken.

 

[JenNel531]

Yes, they are growing and fluffing when I try to touch them. So I shouldn’t be to worries about them for the next few weeks?
would they possibly be helpful to Mama with all the chicks? Between the natural born and incubator babies we have 13. Mama is doing great with them all but once this cold and rain stops here was hoping to be able to let them outside with Mama for short periods of time to get exposure to the rest of the flock.

 

[aart]

would they possibly be helpful to Mama with all the chicks?

I would not count on it.
Nor will the mama likely take care of the incubator chicks.

So I shouldn’t be to worries about them for the next few weeks?

You need to decide if you want them to hatch or not.
Either way some action needs to be taken.

Between the natural born and incubator babies we have 13.

How much space do you have?
Dimensions and pics of coop and run would help here
Is there room for all those chicks and do you have a plan for the males?

I'm not sure how much experience you have with chickens, but might be good to not add any more.

Oh, and.... Welcome to BYC! @JenNel531
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[sourland]

Your hens are broody.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Your hens are broody.

Sure sounds that way, doesn't it Sour. My test of whether a hen is broody or not is where she spends her nights. If she spends two consecutive nights on the nest instead of roosting in her normal spot I consider her broody. All those other signs are signs that she might be broody or might be thinking about going broody. I've had some hens try to trick me into thinking they were committed to making babies but really were not, that's why I came up with this test.

If your hens are truly broody I think you have three options. Break them from being broody. The best way I've found is to lock them in a wire bottomed cage or crate so cooler air can hit their bottom. Give them food and water but nothing that looks like a nest. Let them out 72 hours later and see if they go back to the nest. If they do, do it again

Give her fertile eggs to hatch.

Find day old chicks and give them to her to raise.