Is she broody???

[chickens802]

Ok so, I gave in.
I have a friend giving me some hatching eggs. She has been sitting on 3 fake eggs for the past 4 days. I could use some tips on storing hatching eggs as it will take my friend 2-3 days to get a dozen eggs, she only has 5 hens and needs to keep some for her family. I plan to give her the eggs Tuesday. Also, candling? I have seen this done on eggs in an incubator but never done it myself.

I think I am going to leave her where she is in the high nest. I plan on setting up a small dog kennel (it is a metal/wire one) behind the door in my coop with a nest in the back for the momma and her chicks once they all get down off the nest. I think I will set that up sometime this week but leave the door to it shut so the other hens can't access it but they will get used to it being there. Do you think momma will use it though or just go find a corner to sleep in? I will also put a feeder for the chicks inside the kennel with a chick starter feed as my regular feeder is fixed and it is too high for the chicks to reach. Here's the thing, it is still going to be below freezing temps and I only have one heated base for the waterer but the heated base makes the waterer almost 6 inches off the ground. I think I could put some wood or something like stairs the chicks could climb up to get to the water. Do think that will work? Any other suggestions?

When the chicks hatch should I be concerned that momma will take the chicks down off the nest even if all of the eggs aren't hatched yet? I have seen some hatchings in an incubator be a few days apart even if all the eggs were set at the same time. What should I do if this happens?

I could also just try to move the broody to the dog kennel nest now. Would that make it easier for everyone?

I will get a picture of the dog kennel when I set it up.

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Here is Momma on her nest
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Right behind the door here is the plan for where I will set up the dog kennel/nest/chick food
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Here is a better shot of what it looks like with the door closed where I will set up the dog kennel/nest/chick food
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This is the waterer on the heated base the chicks will not be able to reach.
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Here is the layer feeder chicks will also not be able to reach
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I will be setting the dog kennel nest up against that wall. This is what it looks like from momma's point of view.

 

[WIchickMama]

For those that let nature take it's course and let mama hatch where she chooses and dont secluded the rest of the flock. If you typically feed pellet feed do you switch to crumbles and have a lower plan of feed so the chicks can eat?

Watching as I will also be hatching via a 1st time broody this spring (hopefully)

 

[629864]

For those that let nature take it's course and let mama hatch where she chooses and dont secluded the rest of the flock. If you typically feed pellet feed do you switch to crumbles and have a lower plan of feed so the chicks can eat?

Watching as I will also be hatching via a 1st time broody this spring (hopefully)

That was my plan....to switch everyone to chick starter until the hatched pullets are of laying age. Feedback from experienced chicken keepers would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Your photos are not coming through, they don't open for me.

I think I am going to leave her where she is in the high nest.

It sounds like you are going to let her hatch with the flock. When you get the eggs mark them so you can identify them. Sometimes other eggs show up in the nest. You need to remove those that don't belong. Your eggs are not fertile so you don't have to worry about a staggered hatch, but the hen needs to be able to cover all the eggs. If other eggs pile up under her she may not be able to cover all of them, so some good eggs could be pushed out and die. I check under my broody hens every day after the others have finished laying and remove any that don't belong. Even if they were fertile as long as you remove them every day you can still eat them.

Because of the weather I suggest you only set maybe 8 eggs, not a dozen. The hen needs to be able to cover all the chicks when it's cold and the chicks grow pretty fast. When the weather is warm some of them sometimes sleep on or next to the hen, not under her so she can handle more.

Do you think momma will use it though or just go find a corner to sleep in?

I don't have a clue. The hen will do whatever she wants to do.

I will also put a feeder for the chicks inside the kennel with a chick starter feed as my regular feeder is fixed and it is too high for the chicks to reach.

Yeah, you need feed down where the chicks can get it the first few days. Water too. But don't think the chicks won't soon be eating out of that higher feeder. By two weeks mine are flying up to the higher feeders.

Here's the thing, it is still going to be below freezing temps and I only have one heated base for the waterer but the heated base makes the waterer almost 6 inches off the ground. I think I could put some wood or something like stairs the chicks could climb up to get to the water. Do think that will work? Any other suggestions?

Something like this. Build a base up off the floor so the chicks can get up high enough to drink. That will help reduce how much bedding gets raked into the water too by raising it above the bedding. When I have young chicks using a waterer like this I fill it with rocks so they can walk on it and drink from between the rocks. This way they don't drown. They will poop in it so you need to empty it daily. They need clean water.

When the chicks hatch should I be concerned that momma will take the chicks down off the nest even if all of the eggs aren't hatched yet? I have seen some hatchings in an incubator be a few days apart even if all the eggs were set at the same time. What should I do if this happens?

I don't have that happen but with living animals about anything can happen. The chicks talk to the hen after internal pip but before they external pip. That's their way to tell the hen that they are on the way, don't leave yet. The first chicks that hatch absorb the yolk so they can live off of that for 72 hours or more while they are waiting for the others to hatch. I've had a broody hen leave the nest with all her chicks within 24 hours of the first one hatching, I had one that hatched her first chick late Monday and did not leave the nest until Friday morning. That was about 80 hours, all the chicks were fine.

If you want, when she leaves the nest put the other eggs in your incubator to be sure. If any hatch you can probably still give them to her for her to raise.

I could also just try to move the broody to the dog kennel nest now. Would that make it easier for everyone?

Some people do that. The risk is that the hen will not accept the move and break from being broody. So if you try that move her before you give her eggs and see if she accepts the move.

 

[chickens802]

Thanks for the info! I will try to reattach the photos from my laptop in the morning. This afternoon when I entered the coop I saw a different hen sitting in one of the nest boxes. I thought it was strange as they are usually done laying there eggs by noontime. I went back and checked on her went it got dark and sure enough she was still sitting. I gave her a golf ball and a fake egg. If she is still sitting by tomorrow night could I give her 6 eggs and the other 6 to the original broody? Will it be to stressful for the others with to have two mommas with chicks?

 

[Ridgerunner]

The other hens won't care.

Some people have two or more broodies at the same time and it works out great. Sometimes they share a nest while incubating and share raising the hatched chicks. Sometimes they each have the own nest and chicks.

I don't like two broodies at the same time. I had a hen abandon her nest when the other broody hen's eggs started to hatch. The hens fought over who got the nest and destroyed about half of the eggs. Hens have fought over which gets to raise the chicks by themselves after hatch. If you try two broody hens I'd isolate one of them during incubation and for at least a week after the chick hatch so the hens and chicks can bond.

 

[Yardmom]

If you are feeding a mixed age flock you can feed the whole flock starter, grower, or an all flock in crumble form. I use Purina flock raiser crumbles. When feeding a food that does not have a whole lot of calcium, it important to make sure you have your oyster shells available.
I use the flashlight on my cell phone to candle eggs when needed.
I have had more than one broody hen at a time. I had sisters successfully work together, but more often than not broody hens see other chicks as a threat to there own chicks. They need to be given plenty of space.

 

[chickens802]

Update: I finally got eggs to give her today!! I gave her them and she immediately tuck them under her.

 

[MottsHomestead]

Update: I finally got eggs to give her today!! I gave her them and she immediately tuck them under her.

How's it going now?

 

[chickens802]

Today is day 13. Just candled last night. 3 out of the 8 I gave her were gone! I have no idea what happened they just vanished!

This leaves her with only 5 eggs which are all developing beautifully!!