Is my almost hen broody? When will the eggs hatch?

[Farmgirl283420]

So I think I want to fence her off with room to get up and eat and put something there that she can dust bathe in. This can work right? Sheesh I feel bad I want to pick her up and mark her eggs but i don’t want to disturb her. It’d be fine to do that right? I’m not planning on moving her. Could I pick her up and hold her why someone else quickly marks the eggs then put her back?

 

[Farmgirl283420]

sorry about the coop looking the way it does been kinda busy this week. Could I fence this off?

 

[Farmgirl283420]

could I do something like this? The black dots represent food and water.

 

[Farmgirl283420]

There are 10 nest boxes for my nine hens if I fenced off five nest boxes would there be enough for my other hens? I’m pretty sure not all of them are laying.

 

[NatJ]

So I think I want to fence her off with room to get up and eat and put something there that she can dust bathe in. This can work right?

Yes.

sorry about the coop looking the way it does been kinda busy this week. Could I fence this off?

Probably yes.

View attachment 3712838could I do something like this? The black dots represent food and water.

That would probably work well.

There are 10 nest boxes for my nine hens if I fenced off five nest boxes would there be enough for my other hens? I’m pretty sure not all of them are laying.

That would be fine. Hens have no trouble sharing nests.

A common recommendation is 1 nest for every 4 hens. That would mean 2 nests for 8 hens, or 3 nests for 9 hens. So 5 nests should still be more than enough. (Extra nests are not a problem, I'm just saying this so you know the remaining nests should be more than enough.)

 

[Farmgirl283420]

Yes.

Probably yes.


That would probably work well.


That would be fine. Hens have no trouble sharing nests.

A common recommendation is 1 nest for every 4 hens. That would mean 2 nests for 8 hens, or 3 nests for 9 hens. So 5 nests should still be more than enough. (Extra nests are not a problem, I'm just saying this so you know the remaining nests should be more than enough.)

Ok thanks! We marked the eggs and Amelia actually ate some food then got back on! She has three eggs under her right now.

 

[Farmgirl283420]

Is it bad if she has silkie eggs and full sized chicken eggs? Will they hatch at different times?

 

[BDutch]

So I have a problem she’s definitely broody but one hen kicks her off about once a day to lay and Amelia just goes to another nest that has eggs. She gets up in the morning eats and I found a big broody poop this morning. We have a small coop thing but it’s not water proof and i’d need another heater. So I would have to fix the roof. If I did use a dog kennel where would I put it? In the coop? Or the house? It rarely gets down to 20 degrees F where we live.

I definitely would stop her broodiness and give it another try in spring with a new roof on the small coop.

 

[NatJ]

Is it bad if she has silkie eggs and full sized chicken eggs? Will they hatch at different times?

It will probably be fine. Silkies may hatch a little earlier (a day or so), or they might not. A day's difference is not a big deal. 2-3 days will get a bit awkward but some hens can manage it. More than that is usually a problem.

A chick can go 2-3 days without eating or drinking (because it absorbs the yolk just before it hatches, so the first chicks will be OK while waiting for the slowpokes). But chicks often like to eat & drink sooner than that.

In about 3 weeks, if there is a hatched chick but an unhatched egg as well, you can put the food and water really close to the nest for a few days. That will let the chick pop out to eat and drink, while the hen keeps the slower egg warm to (hopefully) help it hatch. (It is generally good for the hen to get off the nest to eat/drink/poop/exercise, but the chick will want to eat more frequently. You would hope to keep the hen from walking away with the hatched chick and never coming back to the eggs.)

Or you can get an incubator, and if the hen leaves the nest with chicks, you can put any remaining eggs in the incubator for a few more days.

It will probably not be a big deal. I am just mentioning ideas now, so you can think ahead if you want to. Things like "get an incubator" are hard to do at the last minute. If you think now, you can decide whether you want an incubator or not, do any research you want, and still have time to actually buy it if you decided to. (I probably would not buy an incubator in this case, unless you happen to want one anyway.)

 

[Farmgirl283420]

It will probably be fine. Silkies may hatch a little earlier (a day or so), or they might not. A day's difference is not a big deal. 2-3 days will get a bit awkward but some hens can manage it. More than that is usually a problem.

A chick can go 2-3 days without eating or drinking (because it absorbs the yolk just before it hatches, so the first chicks will be OK while waiting for the slowpokes). But chicks often like to eat & drink sooner than that.

In about 3 weeks, if there is a hatched chick but an unhatched egg as well, you can put the food and water really close to the nest for a few days. That will let the chick pop out to eat and drink, while the hen keeps the slower egg warm to (hopefully) help it hatch. (It is generally good for the hen to get off the nest to eat/drink/poop/exercise, but the chick will want to eat more frequently. You would hope to keep the hen from walking away with the hatched chick and never coming back to the eggs.)

Or you can get an incubator, and if the hen leaves the nest with chicks, you can put any remaining eggs in the incubator for a few more days.

It will probably not be a big deal. I am just mentioning ideas now, so you can think ahead if you want to. Things like "get an incubator" are hard to do at the last minute. If you think now, you can decide whether you want an incubator or not, do any research you want, and still have time to actually buy it if you decided to. (I probably would not buy an incubator in this case, unless you happen to want one anyway.)

So today she got up ate and passed a broody poop. She seemed different feel nervous and weak she scratched around for a little then went back on. The problem was there was next box next to hers that had eggs so she went on that one. I gently picked her up and took the eggs and she went back on her eggs! I think she was just getting confused but is fine now! I’ll just keep a close eye on her.