Im confussed (first broody) please read.

[happyhens44]

I have other posts and my hen has been sitting on her nest for 19 hours and when I went out here she was off, so i picked her up, and she yelled and me like shes broody, so i put her on the nest and she moved around the eggs and got all confy and is now back on the nest is that normal, I dont know how long she was off but the eggs were not cold they were medium so im guess tops 5 mins?


if that normal.?

 

[NoseyChickens]

Yes, it is totally normal. They have to get up off the eggs to eat drink and poop. Uaually 10-15 minutes at a shot. Do not worry about it. The birds usually know what they are doing. Good luck!

 

[NeeleysAVLChicks]

Totally normal. My broodies will get off the nest periodically, sometimes once a day, sometimes every couple of days. I haven't had broodies in the winter, but in the spring they would sometimes be off the nest for as long as an hour or so.

If she went right back to it, I wouldn't worry about her. She knows what's best for her eggs.

 

[Melinda35]

I have learned a lot with my first broody hen. Make sure she gets back on the right nest. Mine was constantly getting in the wrong nest box and I would have to move her which was not pleasant for me or her. I learned to gather eggs often throughout the day and removed all plastic eggs. Mark the eggs she is hatching. I don't know what to mark with may be a crayon. Hopefully someone else knows. When my chicken gets out others get in and contribute to the nest. I had 26 at one time and now it is getting to be too many again. I have about given up on my eggs hatching. Also watch for sores as the feathers will be rubbed off or pulled off. I have been told that it is worse in the summer when you have flies as they can get sores and then the flies make things worse.

Good luck!

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Do a search on broody hens, there has been a LOT of discussion about them already. It's a lot of fun to have a hen hatch out chicks and care for them, and not too much work on your part.

She can stay where she is, but it's ideal to have her in her own private quarters. Even if you can just block off a corner of the coop for her, so other hens don't get in and so she can't get out. Other hens may push her off the nest and leave their own eggs there. Your broody may get confused on her way back from her daily coffee breaks and go set on a different nest, leaving her egglings to cool & die.

She'll just need enough space to get up and take a few steps to go eat, drink & leave her big smelly poop. If you have to move her, do it well after dark. If you can't separate her, at least mark the eggs under her so you can remove any new eggs daily.

Two big important questions: are your hens' eggs fertile? And do you have plans for extra roosters that might hatch?

 

[happyhens44]

Ok, its cold here. But I moved her, into a different area so my other hens dont lay on top of her like they were doing.

 

[NoseyChickens]

Yes I recently learned the hard way that I should have seperated my broody. She had 2 duck eggs under her and when the first one started to hatch and make a whole lot of noise one of the other chickens stole that duck half way hatched right from under her. I found it half in it's egg nearly dead and badly pecked in the run on the ground. It did not survive. I took the remaining egg and hatched it in the bator inside. I will keep my broodies seperated from now on. That was the first time I did not relocate one, it will be the last.

 

[happyhens44]

Yeah another Byc person, told me they use a tidy cat litter box, you buy in a store with the litter in it, tell I have a box almost just like it, and she seems to enjoy it, being away from the other hens. I put foam insolation around the outside so its warm in there and new hay. shes loving it.

 

[gitlost80]

My Broody comes out for 10 min or less every single morning to eat and drink and take a Terra-dactyl size doodoo. She will not leave her nest any other time all day. Once she came back and sat on the wrong nest,briefly(30 min) till I put her back on the right one. Since then, I have put plastic chicken fencing over the front of her nest box and she seems to be way happier without the other ladies trying to sit on top of her. For 10 days in a row I went out several times a day to lift the plastic fencing to see if she wanted out, she just screamed at me, and wouldnt come out,so I only offer it in the mornings when I let everyone else out. Just in case, I put a tiny bowl of food and water in the corners of her nest box.She seems to really love having her own little space from the others. I am building her a separate little area that will be big enough for her and her chicks within my little coop. i will post pics when Im done. I have candled the eggs and they are very active! P.S. It was 27 degrees here today.