Letting a broody hatch some eggs

[ForFlocksSake]

I can never resist a broody hen! I am with the let her do it her own way. I have moved them, and it didn't work. I finally decided that she knew more about hatching chicks than I did.

Do set the clutch all at once, and do have the eggs well marked all around, (sometimes, it wears off a bit and is hard to see). If you go to the coop and she is off the nest - take a peek and remove any stray eggs. Layers will get in the nest and add their contribution! If you don't catch her off, about every 3 days, I will CAREFULLY lift her off the nest, and she will puff like a beach ball, stomp around, eat, drink, poop, then come back. Again check the eggs.

I used to have a bit of a problem, in that she would set on the eggs and return to the right nest, for days - then I would go down, and she would be on the wrong nest. If that happens, even if the eggs feel a bit cool, just move her back to the right nest. They will hatch just fine. However, lately, when I set a broody hen, I remove all the fake eggs from the other nests. Does not seem to bother my established layers at all. And it is less confusion for her.

Do not count your chicks before they hatch is an old adage, and a good one. Do know that there is a possibility that several of the eggs may not hatch. Once on here, we kept a running total of eggs set, and eggs hatched - the average was 50%, now that is not to say, you can't have a 100% hatch, but don't feel bad if you don't.

My nests are a couple of feet off the ground, and not big nests. The last time, a chick hatched and must have got rambunctious and fell to the floor, and the broody hen followed her. Leaving 2 eggs unhatched. I was about to toss them, when I heard a peep. So I just handed them to the broody on the floor, and she tucked them under her and hatched just fine.

No need to separate from the flock at all. This is the funnest way to add chicks and the least amount of work. However it is the longest 21 days ever!

Mrs.K

Thank you! Im only going to put 3 eggs under her since I have an order placed with a hatchery. I wasn't planning on more babies and dont want to overcrowd the coop. But, like you, I CANT RESIST TRYING!!

I have a wonderful friend roosters who is clearing out all her eggs today to make sure every egg tomorrow was laid that day so I know the exact date. She's also going to lend me her incubator in case my girl abandons the nest.

Im going into this without any expectations. Just super excited to give it a shot.

 

[ForFlocksSake]

It definitely depends on the coop.

When I have moved broody hens, I put them into individual coops. Sometimes that was a small coop, other times it was a large coop that happened to be empty at the time, but either way she could not go back to her old nest.

Sometimes the hen stayed broody, sometimes not.

Having a broody apart from the other chickens is one way to avoid other hens laying eggs in the nest or kicking her out of the nest. If the flock usually free ranges, the broody can go back to free ranging after the chicks hatch, and she can introduce her chicks to the flock at that point. I have done this, and did not have trouble getting the broody & chicks accepted as flock members again. They would range with the flock by day and sleeping in their separate coop at night until the broody chose to move back to the main coop with her chicks.

There have been times when I've had to keep chickens completely enclosed for reasons of predators, and I did not have anywhere big enough for a broody with chicks AND the rest of the flock-- the broody would insist on lots of personal space around herself & the chicks, and that didn't leave enough space for the other chickens. So having the broody share a coop with the flock was not really an option at that point. I could move her before setting, or after the chicks hatched, but I did have to move her. It was easier for me to move her and see if she stayed broody, then give eggs, rather than trying to let her sit in the main coop, remove extra eggs each day, check if she had moved to another nest, and then gather up the hen with her just-hatched chicks to move them to another coop.

I tried putting her in our spare coop (pre fab I started with back when I was "only going to have 5 chickens") but she freaked out. I felt like it was putting so much stress on her so I let her go back to her nest. Hopefully she just sticks with it. So far she's doing a great job keeping the others away. She tends to be more dominant in general.

 

[Mrs. K]

Really I think that general like attitude is important. The layers learn to give her space. Once, I swear, I heard the Rooster say - "Look, Butter, I AM the rooster!" Then when she brings out the chicks, they are already intimidated and give her more space.

When are your chicks coming? Because if it is relatively soon, you could not give her eggs, and just slip them under her and not even pull your brooder out.

Mrs K

 

[NatJ]

I tried putting her in our spare coop (pre fab I started with back when I was "only going to have 5 chickens") but she freaked out. I felt like it was putting so much stress on her so I let her go back to her nest. Hopefully she just sticks with it. So far she's doing a great job keeping the others away. She tends to be more dominant in general.

Two or three days of freaking out in that coop would have about the same effect as two or three days of freaking out in a broody-breaker cage. I don't think there is any way to break broodiness quickly and not have the hen stressed while it happens.

Since you don't want that stress, letting her stay broody and hatch eggs seems like a good choice. And of course it's fun to try it, and fun to see the hen with chicks if it works out well!

 

[ForFlocksSake]

Really I think that general like attitude is important. The layers learn to give her space. Once, I swear, I heard the Rooster say - "Look, Butter, I AM the rooster!" Then when she brings out the chicks, they are already intimidated and give her more space.

When are your chicks coming? Because if it is relatively soon, you could not give her eggs, and just slip them under her and not even pull your brooder out.

Mrs K

Chicks come the week of April 7. Actually if I get fertilized eggs from my friend tomorrow they will be due to hatch exactly one day before my hatchery chicks are due to hatch.

I considered that but it’s too risky for me. I’d hate for her to turn on the chicks and then I have nothing. Plus have you seen shipping costs from these places?

 

[Ridgerunner]

she could not go back to her old nest.

That is how you move a broody. She cannot go back to her old nest. Other hens cannot lay in her nest. If you isolate a broody, then isolate her. Don't play around.

Sometimes the hen stayed broody, sometimes not.

This is the big risk in moving a broody hen. They are living animals, you don't get guarantees.

My question is, is it ok to just leave a hen to sit on a nest in the main coop?

People do this different ways. Some people isolate the hen as @NatJ described. There are reasons for that. Some of us let the hen hatch with the flock and raise the chicks with the flock as others described. There are risks with that method too.

The tighter the space the harder it is for a broody hen. I don't know what your coop or nest looks like but as long as it is not too tight she should be able to incubate and hatch the eggs. Some people are squeezed so tightly that could be a problem. It's often when the chicks hatch that it can get interesting.

The hen needs some room to take care of her chicks. If your coop is tiny she may have issues. How hard will it be for a chick to get in and out of the coop? Is it a ground level coop with a high pop door? If so, you may need ramps or steps so they can get in and out. Is it elevated with a high ramp? They can get down but you may need to be out there a bedtime for the first few nights to help them get back in the coop.

How big is your outdoor space? Can the broody and her chicks stay away from the adults or will they be stacked on top of each other?

Do I need to put food and water inside the coop or will she come out to eat and drink? We have multiple feeders and waterers available outside including right outside of the coop door. I prefer not to put food in the coop if possible.

Some people put food and water right at the broody's nest. I would never do something like that, too many chances of spills and making a mess.

Before a hen even starts laying eggs she builds up excess fat in her pelvic region. This fat is mostly what a broody lives off of so she can stay on the nest taking care of the eggs instead of needing to be off looking for food and water. Broody hens will come off of the nest to eat, drink, and poop. I've had a hen that came off of the nest twice a day for over an hour each time. I had one that came off only once in the morning for 15 minutes. I've had some that I never saw come off of the nest but I knew they were since they were not pooping in the nest. I understand that a lot of people on this forum remove their hens from the nests so they can eat or drink. I don't worry about it and let them manage that themselves, just like they have been doing for thousands of years without my help.

Our coop is not walk- in but plenty big.

How big, in feet? And how many total chickens do you have? When I see things like "plenty big" I start to worry.

They are completely enclosed but the outside space they have is HUGE. we've worked hard making a very large enclosure with different sections for them to roam.

Same questions.

what do I use to mark the fertilized eggs?

Over the years I've used pencil (soft lead, not the hard stuff), crayola crayons, and ink (from when we used fountain pens). They all worked. Now I use a black Sharpie.

May be a silly question but can marker penetrate the shell and harm the embryo?

Not silly at all. Some people on this forum will tell you not to use a Sharpie or permanent marker for that reason. That has not been my experience. I consider them perfectly safe and it is easy to see the mark.

Im only going to put 3 eggs under her since I have an order placed with a hatchery.

Once you get the eggs mark them so you know which eggs they are and start them all under her at the same time. Then every day after the others have laid check under her and remove any that don't belong. Sometimes I stick my hand under her and raise her up so I can see the eggs and sometimes I pick her up and set her on the coop floor. Sometimes other eggs show up in the nest. If you remove them daily you can still eat them.

I don't know what your coop looks like, especially how much room. When they start to hatch I put food and water on the coop floor so they are available for the chicks when the hen brings them off of the nest. But I have a large coop. You might be OK with food and water outside since it is not a walk-in.

It is not unusual for chicks to hatch a day or even two early or late for many different reasons, even under a broody hen. The 21 days is just a target, not a law of nature. I've had broody hens bring their chicks off of the nest within 16 hours of the first one hatching. I had one take over 70 hours from the first one hatching until she finally brought them off. That makes it hard to plan.

I know this is a long post. I've probably said some things in a way that confuse you. Feel free to ask for any clarifications. Good luck!

 

[ForFlocksSake]

That is how you move a broody. She cannot go back to her old nest. Other hens cannot lay in her nest. If you isolate a broody, then isolate her. Don't play around.


This is the big risk in moving a broody hen. They are living animals, you don't get guarantees.


People do this different ways. Some people isolate the hen as @NatJ described. There are reasons for that. Some of us let the hen hatch with the flock and raise the chicks with the flock as others described. There are risks with that method too.

The tighter the space the harder it is for a broody hen. I don't know what your coop or nest looks like but as long as it is not too tight she should be able to incubate and hatch the eggs. Some people are squeezed so tightly that could be a problem. It's often when the chicks hatch that it can get interesting.

The hen needs some room to take care of her chicks. If your coop is tiny she may have issues. How hard will it be for a chick to get in and out of the coop? Is it a ground level coop with a high pop door? If so, you may need ramps or steps so they can get in and out. Is it elevated with a high ramp? They can get down but you may need to be out there a bedtime for the first few nights to help them get back in the coop.

How big is your outdoor space? Can the broody and her chicks stay away from the adults or will they be stacked on top of each other?


Some people put food and water right at the broody's nest. I would never do something like that, too many chances of spills and making a mess.

Before a hen even starts laying eggs she builds up excess fat in her pelvic region. This fat is mostly what a broody lives off of so she can stay on the nest taking care of the eggs instead of needing to be off looking for food and water. Broody hens will come off of the nest to eat, drink, and poop. I've had a hen that came off of the nest twice a day for over an hour each time. I had one that came off only once in the morning for 15 minutes. I've had some that I never saw come off of the nest but I knew they were since they were not pooping in the nest. I understand that a lot of people on this forum remove their hens from the nests so they can eat or drink. I don't worry about it and let them manage that themselves, just like they have been doing for thousands of years without my help.


How big, in feet? And how many total chickens do you have? When I see things like "plenty big" I start to worry.


Same questions.


Over the years I've used pencil (soft lead, not the hard stuff), crayola crayons, and ink (from when we used fountain pens). They all worked. Now I use a black Sharpie.


Not silly at all. Some people on this forum will tell you not to use a Sharpie or permanent marker for that reason. That has not been my experience. I consider them perfectly safe and it is easy to see the mark.


Once you get the eggs mark them so you know which eggs they are and start them all under her at the same time. Then every day after the others have laid check under her and remove any that don't belong. Sometimes I stick my hand under her and raise her up so I can see the eggs and sometimes I pick her up and set her on the coop floor. Sometimes other eggs show up in the nest. If you remove them daily you can still eat them.

I don't know what your coop looks like, especially how much room. When they start to hatch I put food and water on the coop floor so they are available for the chicks when the hen brings them off of the nest. But I have a large coop. You might be OK with food and water outside since it is not a walk-in.

It is not unusual for chicks to hatch a day or even two early or late for many different reasons, even under a broody hen. The 21 days is just a target, not a law of nature. I've had broody hens bring their chicks off of the nest within 16 hours of the first one hatching. I had one take over 70 hours from the first one hatching until she finally brought them off. That makes it hard to plan.

I know this is a long post. I've probably said some things in a way that confuse you. Feel free to ask for any clarifications. Good luck!

I appreciate your detailed response! I don’t know the exact dimensions of all our space but it’s very large. You definitely gave me some details to consider.

I think the best thing I can do is just try as things are. I tend to over complicate things when it may just work as is. It’s an experiment, I suppose. She’s already so comfy on her nest and I definitely wouldn’t want to move her now. Thankfully she chose the box that is all the way in the back corner of the coop furthest from the door, so she’s a bit secluded and the other girls don’t need to walk past her to get to the other boxes.

I’m gonna just see how it goes and try to be there as much as possible once babies hatch in case I need to intervene.

 

[NatJ]

I appreciate your detailed response! I don’t know the exact dimensions of all our space but it’s very large.

The problem is that one person's "very large" is another person's "very small" when it comes to chickens.

One way to get an idea of it without using a tape measure:

For the coop, since it is not a walk-in: if you reach in the door, can you reach all areas with your hands? If yes, it is not "large" for a broody hen with chicks that is trying to share with the rest of the flock.

For coops bigger than that, and for the run: can you stretch out your arms and touch both sides at once? For a coop, that might be large enough, or the coop might might need to be bigger yet.

For a run, if you can touch both sides at once, in any direction, it is probably not big enough for a broody hen with chicks to share with the rest of the flock. I have seen a broody hen that wanted about 10 feet in every direction between her chicks and the rest of the flock. That meant she "needed" a space at least 20 feet across (if she was in the middle and wanted 10 feet each way from her). Most coops, and many runs, are smaller than that. Not every broody demands quite that much space, but most of them want a lot more than I would have imagined before I saw it!

 

[Mrs. K]

Actually you really need to leave her completely alone when they hatch. Sounds heartless, and of course the urge to peak is nearly overpowering, but don’t. Let them figure it out.

A lot of time, people with the best intentions interfere, upset the hen and then she kills them. Sometimes a chick might die, just assume that chick was a failure to thrive.

Most of the time they don’t. I go down to the coop, listen for peeping,open the door a crack hoping to see a pair of beady eyes peaking out. But leave her alone other than that .

 

[ForFlocksSake]

The problem is that one person's "very large" is another person's "very small" when it comes to chickens.

One way to get an idea of it without using a tape measure:

For the coop, since it is not a walk-in: if you reach in the door, can you reach all areas with your hands? If yes, it is not "large" for a broody hen with chicks that is trying to share with the rest of the flock.

For coops bigger than that, and for the run: can you stretch out your arms and touch both sides at once? For a coop, that might be large enough, or the coop might might need to be bigger yet.

For a run, if you can touch both sides at once, in any direction, it is probably not big enough for a broody hen with chicks to share with the rest of the flock. I have seen a broody hen that wanted about 10 feet in every direction between her chicks and the rest of the flock. That meant she "needed" a space at least 20 feet across (if she was in the middle and wanted 10 feet each way from her). Most coops, and many runs, are smaller than that. Not every broody demands quite that much space, but most of them want a lot more than I would have imagined before I saw it!

No way I could touch anything arm length. The coop is probably 3 times my wing span if not more and the run area is more like a small yard fenced in and covered with wire.