MadChickenMama
Songster
I know this can vary from breed to breed and chicken to chicken but what have y'all usually seen for when a hen goes broody and you don't break her or give her eggs to hatch after she's been sitting for a while? Like, how long do they tend to sit? Is it ok to give them eggs after they've been sitting a while?
I ask because my sister has a broody hen and originally we thought to give her a few of my Serama eggs I've got incubating, but as the hen is being picked on by the others and my sister is too afraid the hen would somehow damage the eggs if left unattended she figured we could take the hen to my house to brood (which is on the same property). But I worry about reintroducing the chicken or having to end up keeping the chicken or having to take the chicks from her as they are so tiny I can't let them be part of the other flock since they free range and the cat is an ace bird catcher. He doesn't mess with the other chickens but the silkies stay in their run and the standards are much bigger than what he catches.
So I thought why not get some hatching eggs of standard sized chickens for the broody hen. My sister was talking the other day about having to think about getting new chickens due to 2 of her flock getting killed by predators. And I found some people who have buff and lavender orpington hatching eggs and she's mentioned she would love a lavender.
But she's worried the hen won't sit long enough. She's not been broody for a full week yet, though. I told her if she doesn't sit long enough a just put the eggs in my incubator. My chicks are due to hatch in two weeks.
Just want to collect info to tell her. Sorry this was so long, I'm still working on summarizing things lol.
I ask because my sister has a broody hen and originally we thought to give her a few of my Serama eggs I've got incubating, but as the hen is being picked on by the others and my sister is too afraid the hen would somehow damage the eggs if left unattended she figured we could take the hen to my house to brood (which is on the same property). But I worry about reintroducing the chicken or having to end up keeping the chicken or having to take the chicks from her as they are so tiny I can't let them be part of the other flock since they free range and the cat is an ace bird catcher. He doesn't mess with the other chickens but the silkies stay in their run and the standards are much bigger than what he catches.
So I thought why not get some hatching eggs of standard sized chickens for the broody hen. My sister was talking the other day about having to think about getting new chickens due to 2 of her flock getting killed by predators. And I found some people who have buff and lavender orpington hatching eggs and she's mentioned she would love a lavender.
But she's worried the hen won't sit long enough. She's not been broody for a full week yet, though. I told her if she doesn't sit long enough a just put the eggs in my incubator. My chicks are due to hatch in two weeks.
Just want to collect info to tell her. Sorry this was so long, I'm still working on summarizing things lol.
