How can I tell if a hen's going to go broody?

Will and egg that may hatch after a week or so under her fool her?
I agree, probably. You don't get guarantees but I'd try it that way.

Some people feel that a hen has to be broody a certain amount of time before she will accept a baby chick. Broodiness is hormonal and the hens need time for those hormones to run their course. That has not been my experience. I sometimes wait a week after a hen has been broody to start eggs under her. She does not leave the nest after 21 days but stays the entire time and accepts the chicks when they hatch. I had a broody fight another broody to take over after she had been broody for only about 3 days. Each hen is an individual.

Some hens will not accept baby chicks no matter how long they have been broody. Some kill their chicks when they hatch. They may be good incubators but not good mothers. That's rare but it happens. Some hens don't really kick over into full broody mode for several days when they start. Occasionally some even quit after a few days, the hormones didn't work right. Some hens imprint on their own chicks and won't have anything to do with any others. Other broody hens will try to mother any chicks they see. You never know for sure how a broody hen will react.

As I said, putting the egg under her is how I'd try it. The egg might hatch, it might not. That's something else you don't know. In my opinion, if it does hatch she'll probably raise it. She might not, I can't give you any guarantees.

If she does raise it, one potential problem time comes when she weans it. At some point she will leave it on its own to make its way with the flock. I've had that happen at three weeks (in the heat of summer), I've had them wait until well over two months (hot or not). Until she weans it she should protect it from the flock, mine always do but others have different results. This is if she raises it with the flock.

She will have spent that time teaching the rest of the flock to leave it alone. So the chick is integrated, which to me is a big advantage with the broody raising them with the flock. But chickens are social animals and like to be with other chickens. A lone chick may experience a rough time if it doesn't have another chick it's own age to hang with. The adults may not be that accepting of an immature brat hanging around. May, not absolutely for sure. Sometimes a lone chick has it rough hanging around the outskirts of the flock until it grows up. That's why we generally recommend a minimum of two chicks with three being better in case something happens to one. Sometimes doesn't mean every time. Sometimes this works out fine. A lot depends on the personality of the individual adults, each of them are different too. The more room you have the better your chances of it working out.

Some people in your situation would isolate the hen and chick for incubating, hatching and raising it. I don't do it that way but for their own reasons they like to do it that way. There are all kinds of different ways you can try this. Good luck whichever way you try.
 
i remember when eclipse was eating outside once , and another hen decided to scavenge beside her and eclipse pecked her in the face lol
 
I think that 10 days of persistent broodiness before a week or so of setting is a fairly safe bet as far as adding the egg goes. She will start feeling it move and start to talk in the last few days and that should help her bond with it. She will probably feel like it has been long enough.
 
Thank you all for the advice!

Yes, I only have one egg. I know it's bad. My kid really wanted to try to hatch, so I set it. I think it probably has less than a 50% chance, as it's a pullet egg, of suspected but not confirmed fertility.

Love's half-broodiness is making Peck rather unhappy, as well. While they aren't exactly best friends, Peck does seem to miss having Love somewhere around. Two does NOT make a good flock size!
 
@maceleneo ,that's exactly what Love's doing! Today, she was puffing and growling throughout the day, and really got mad when it was bedtime! She really doesn't spend more time in the nestbox, though, and still deposits her daily egg there, so there's no secret nest. I wanted to get a picture, but you know how they never do what you want when you want them to.
When mine brood, I take them off the nest daily. That way they POOP, drink & have a bite to eat. I also have put them in the sleeping quarters at night to make her stay in there. It works but sometimes I just put up with it then take her out daily
 
this morning the other hens were fighting all around pingu to get the nest and when she finally left other two hens sat down there and layed together (it had never happened before!).
pingu went dust bathing and, as soon as they left, she sat down there again.
now they are all sleeping (it's 19:30 here) and this is the second night she stays in the nest.
how long would you wait to tell for sure (as far as is possible to be sure) she is committed?
just outside the coop there's a little annex I used as infirmary in the past, pingu sometimes lays in it and I would like to move her there. I put a tray with ash and a feeder inside, do you think this could work? I would move her wit her unfertile eggs and see if she likes the place... how long should I wait then before I replace the eggs?
should I close her inside during the day or can I try to leave the door open? I think other hens wouldn't bother her there, but I'm afraid she would abandon the eggs and come back in everyone's favorite place. I don't like to confine hens, but I don't know what other options I have!
thanks for helping!
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this is the second night she stays in the nest.
Then I would consider her committed and give her fertile eggs.

just outside the coop there's a little annex I used as infirmary in the past, pingu sometimes lays in it and I would like to move her there. I put a tray with hash and a feeder inside, do you think this could work? I would move her wit her unfertile eggs and see if she likes the place...
The way I would move her is to wait until it is dark and relocate her and her unfertile eggs. Leave her locked in there. If she stays on that nest the next day instead of pacing the floor and trying to get out I'd risk giving her eggs. Either she accepts the move or she doesn't.

I think other hens wouldn't bother her there, but I'm afraid she would abandon the eggs and come back in everyone's favorite place.
My concern is not so much that the other hens bother her, though they might lay in her nest, but that she will abandon that nest and return to the old one. If you are going to isolate her, then isolate her. To me you lose most of the benefits of moving her if you don't isolate her.

Is it possible she could be trained to stay on that other nest? Yes, it is possible. But it is also possible she could return to that other nest at any time, and they always choose the worst time to do that.
 
it worked! she is still sitting on the eggs, I'm super excited! :wee
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she seems quieter now... she spent days all fluffed up, but now she looks herself again! she accepted the new eggs and everything seems to be working!
she even received some visit today :D
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I guess I'm going to open my own post in the next days, please keep helping me!
thank you all! :jumpy
 
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