Leave Broody in the Coop?

[Roley]

Hi All,
My hen has been sitting on egg in her box in the coop for about 2 weeks now. I have made a makeshift divider out of curtains and wooden boards to give her a little extra private space within the coop. However, if the other birds wanted to, they could enter. My question is, can I just leave her alone to do her thing when the chicks hatch or do I need to move her? She is really committed and has not left the box in over 5 days, not even to for a sec. I'd rather not disturb anything but I also don't want dead chickies because I did the wrong thing. Please, tell me... Does nature still apply here? Will she be able to protect and care for her babies within the same coop as the others? Or do I need to intervene?

 

[AllenK RGV]

She may be picking up a lot more eggs since you still in the coop almost always more will lay with your roody.
Our Broody always takes the most popular egg-laying box. So if you want 11 additional chicks sure keep her there in my case l moved my brootidied to their own dog kennel so I can get out there and remove new eggs daily. It's very important to Mark the old eggs and collect the new ones daily. That's just my two cents.

 

[kath19t]

Hello! I too have a broody hen. What we are doing is we are going to keep her in the coop to incubate but when the chicks hatch, I am going to move her and her chicks to a new spot. You can set up a good spot for her before the chicks hatch. But, be sure to move her at night. So, if you want to move her you can do like I’m doing and wait until after the chicks hatch. Also, be sure to mark her eggs and get the other eggs out of the coop every day! I don’t have a rooster so I don’t need to worry about extra eggs getting incubated, but if you do have a rooster the other eggs definitely need to be taken out of the coop. We got our fertilized eggs from friends.

 

[AllenK RGV]

Hello! I too have a broody hen. What we are doing is we are going to keep her in the coop to incubate but when the chicks hatch, I am going to move her and her chicks to a new spot. You can set up a good spot for her before the chicks hatch. But, be sure to move her at night. So, if you want to move her you can do like I’m doing and wait until after the chicks hatch. Also, be sure to mark her eggs and get the other eggs out of the coop every day! I don’t have a rooster so I don’t need to worry about extra eggs getting incubated, but if you do have a rooster the other eggs definitely need to be taken out of the coop. We got our fertilized eggs from friends.

One fine point the previous poster forgot is you really have to check under those Broody wings as they can carry quite a few chickens or eggs quite some distance.

 

[Roley]

She may be picking up a lot more eggs since you still in the coop almost always more will lay with your roody.

Also, be sure to mark her eggs and get the other eggs out of the coop every day!

I only have 5 egg laying hens including my broody and one 6mo roo. None of the other hens are laying in her nest. Honestly, I don't think they will even have the opportunity, she never leaves . I'll be sure to keep checking though.

Do you all think it's ok to leave her in the coop when the chicks hatch? Will the other girls and roo hurt the chicks or will she be able to protect them?

 

[AllenK RGV]

If she defends her nest she's not going to have problems but if multiple broodies are on that clutch helping her my experiences you will end up with numerous chick deaths as they fight for them.

 

[kath19t]

I think you can go ahead and leave her in while they hatch, but move them to their own spot after they hatch. Also, if she is high up in the pecking order, that will help as well.

 

[50-45-1]

This question about moving the hen and chicks will depend on your set up and the personalities of your particular chickens.
I find it easier to separate from flock and re-intigrate after chicks are about 2 weeks old. That way they are big enough to get out of the way of disagrements between Mom and the otherz.

 

[Roley]

I think you can go ahead and leave her in while they hatch, but move them to their own spot after they hatch. Also, if she is high up in the pecking order, that will help as well.

Thanks all!! She top of the pecking order and the only broody in the flock of 5 (including a young roo). They are all very laid back birds and normally get along great. They free range during the day and I only go back to sleep. Right now her nest is in the corner curtained off from the rest. They tend to leave her alone for the most part.
I could create an area I. The run just for her and the chicks but I just don’t know how I will move them once they hatch. Doubt she’s going to let me get close enough to pick them up.