How do I keep my hen broody?

[midasmychicken]

I have a broody Phoenix hen, Fawkes, but it is to early and cold for her to have chicks. I want her to have chicks is there any way I can keep her broody?

 

[Johnn]

I have a broody Phoenix hen, Fawkes, but it is to early and cold for her to have chicks. I want her to have chicks is there any way I can keep her broody?

Where are you? There is alot of people hatching chicks out with a broody now and people have hatched perfectly fine throught winter too.

 

[midasmychicken]

Montana.

 

[what did I do]

Montana.

I'm in Montana and just set eggs under my broody hen yesterday. I'm in the frozen north, highline, area. I plan on putting her in a shed with a window for warmth when her time is near to keep the weather off of her. I had a broody who hatched eggs at the end of august last year and all the chicks did well. We had very cold weather early on in her brooding so I'm ok with this hen hatching eggs now. I have 12 eggs set under her but that might be too many. If you have a place that is protected and a place to brood that is closed in on all but the front side you should be ok to hatch some. I'm on the nuts side so take my opinion for what it's worth.

 

[midasmychicken]

Thanks a bunch. I have another problem. If you could help out that would be great. So Fawkes is definitely broody, but she keeps switching nests. How do I keep her from switching?

 

[Johnn]

Thanks a bunch. I have another problem. If you could help out that would be great. So Fawkes is definitely broody, but she keeps switching nests. How do I keep her from switching?

Well do you take the eggs away? If you do she will move to a one with eggs in.

 

[midasmychicken]

No. I started giving her eggs on the 12th. But she's been broody since Feb. 21st. I took the eggs away before the 12th. Force of habit maybe? And how do I keep her from switching?

 

[Johnn]

No. I started giving her eggs on the 12th. But she's been broody since Feb. 21st. I took the eggs away before the 12th. Force of habit maybe? And how do I keep her from switching?

Once you give her eggs and she finds a nest she's happy with, she should sit there. She could just be getting confused with which nest it hers.

 

[midasmychicken]

Thanks.

 

[what did I do]

I found my broody sitting on another nest so I kicked that chicken out and put my broody back on. After this cold spell I plan on moving her to the barn by herself - we have it full of cows now. I have problen with other hens laying eggs in the nest along with her eggs. I have her eggs marked with the date set on them. I have to remove 3 or 4 eggs a day from the nest.