Letting a broody lay eggs

[Miriahbrown]

We have a hen that went broody 2 months ago and we broke her because we don't have a rooster. She is broody again and we are considering letting her hatch some eggs - A friend has roosters and will give us some eggs.

I'm trying to figure out how to set her up for success. We have a coop that is off the ground inside their run (see photo).

Would it be best to have her in a nesting box and just let her use that box in the coop and see how it goes? I worry she wouldnt leave and go out for food/water. Or should we set her up in a dog kennel beneath the coop with a towel over the kennel for darkness and nest inside it with water and food in there so she is still *with* the flock, but is closer to food/water and there's no ramp for baby chicks to deal with once hatched?

 

[Backyardhomestead921]

Alright, it’s basicly up to your preference. I have had broody hens where I had to move them cause they kept taking everyone else’s eggs, and she ended up with like 15-20 eggs ( which is not manageable), and I have had them where they could be with all the other hens. If the chicks can’t get out of the coop I feel like you’d have to make the hen a nest/makeshift coop on the bottom. I wouldn’t worry too much about her going out to eat, they will eventually eat and drink. I also wouldn’t put food and water closer to her either, they need to get up and walk and stretch. Also, just for safe measures, watch and make sure the hens aren’t laying where the broody hen is, I have had that happen too.
Hopefully this helps in some way! If you have any questions please ask.

 

[Mountain Roost]

It is all about preference and what you have to work with. I keep a broody in a nest in a large dog kennel inside their coop. But I have decent sized coops. Large kennel so that she has to get off the eggs and go to the food and water. My coops have mesh floors which allows all broody poops to fall through. (Thankfully!)
It is important to note that a dog kennel has openings that a chick fits through and I have put a layer of chicken wire around the kennel to prevent this. After hatch I give mama hen and babies like 3 days with the door shut. Then when its their flock family's day to free range the chicks and mama get to explore the closed coop without other birds. At bedtime that day I let the family back into the coop and leave mama's kennel open from then on. I have noticed that If I wait too long to integrate, the mama hen is not as protective of the young from the other birds. When you first let mama out there is likely going to be a tussle with another hen just to set things straight.

That spot under the closed portion of your coop in the photo looks like a fair spot to set her up. Double check that nothing can dig under and get at her though. Maybe instead of a towel for darkness you could close up two sides of the mesh walls with plywood or even cardboard. My favorite way to 'catch' a broody is to set up the nest all nice where I want it to be and then leave eggs in it like bait. I like to start with temporary eggs and then once she is settled I give her the eggs I want her to have at night.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I've had setting hens hatch eggs in all sorts of buildings both and with the flock. It can work both ways. Like has been said, one problem is the hen stealing eggs and another problem is other hens volunteering eggs to the broody nest. In the latter case, you will need to mark all the eggs under the hen at the beginning to prevent a staggered hatch which inevitably ends up in some abandoned and dead embryos.
Most people will use a pencil, but I ended up using a Magic marker, so it was easier to see. It doesn't affect the embryo.
Hens have been hatching eggs for millions of years without human intervention and there is no danger of them, all of a sudden, starving themselves to death now. They will voluntarily leave the nest about once a day to eat, drink, defecate and dustbathe. Not always every day but usually. Depending on the weather, this break can be anywhere from 10 minutes to a half hour or more. If it is cold, they won't stay out long. If it is hot, the break may take a long time because there is no danger of chilling to the point of hurting the embryos.
The first big problem I see with your setup is the high building which will make it nearly impossible for the chicks to get back into the coop at the end of the day when the hen takes them out to forage after they hatch. How do the hens get in and out now?
The chicks have no problem following the hen out to eat and drink but they can't always negotiate a ramp.
I've had that happen with disastrous results.
I also don't see any ventilation in the coop nor a way for light to get in.
Be prepared to switch the flock to a chick starter to prevent the chicks from eating layer feed.
Do you have plans for food and water access for the chicks.
I like to give the hens their own building for brooding to prevent the problems I noted.
That said, I also like the get the hen and chicks back with the flock shortly after hatch. That is because a mother hen is a formidable force and will protect the chicks from the other hens. However, after a period of time her protection wanes. By that time, the chicks are accepted as members of the flock. But if they are separated from the flock all that time, they may not be protected.

 

[Miriahbrown]

Alright, it’s basicly up to your preference. I have had broody hens where I had to move them cause they kept taking everyone else’s eggs, and she ended up with like 15-20 eggs ( which is not manageable), and I have had them where they could be with all the other hens. If the chicks can’t get out of the coop I feel like you’d have to make the hen a nest/makeshift coop on the bottom. I wouldn’t worry too much about her going out to eat, they will eventually eat and drink. I also wouldn’t put food and water closer to her either, they need to get up and walk and stretch. Also, just for safe measures, watch and make sure the hens aren’t laying where the broody hen is, I have had that happen too.
Hopefully this helps in some way! If you have any questions please ask.

Thank you!! I had considered adding food and water in there, but I'm going to not have any in there because it makes sense to make her leave to get it. Also, mess prevention

 

[Miriahbrown]

It is all about preference and what you have to work with. I keep a broody in a nest in a large dog kennel inside their coop. But I have decent sized coops. Large kennel so that she has to get off the eggs and go to the food and water. My coops have mesh floors which allows all broody poops to fall through. (Thankfully!)
It is important to note that a dog kennel has openings that a chick fits through and I have put a layer of chicken wire around the kennel to prevent this. After hatch I give mama hen and babies like 3 days with the door shut. Then when its their flock family's day to free range the chicks and mama get to explore the closed coop without other birds. At bedtime that day I let the family back into the coop and leave mama's kennel open from then on. I have noticed that If I wait too long to integrate, the mama hen is not as protective of the young from the other birds. When you first let mama out there is likely going to be a tussle with another hen just to set things straight.

That spot under the closed portion of your coop in the photo looks like a fair spot to set her up. Double check that nothing can dig under and get at her though. Maybe instead of a towel for darkness you could close up two sides of the mesh walls with plywood or even cardboard. My favorite way to 'catch' a broody is to set up the nest all nice where I want it to be and then leave eggs in it like bait. I like to start with temporary eggs and then once she is settled I give her the eggs I want her to have at night.

Thank you so much for your advice about integration! I'll do it exactly as you said. That has been my primary reason for not wanting to separate her into the garage or anything. I want to ease of flock integration from the beginning. Also, I think your idea of using cardboard to block the hardware cloth openings beneath the coop is a great idea. I thought she would prefer more darkness, so I used the towels, but I'm worried she will think it's night or something because it does make it quite dark in there. I don't know if chickens care, but I don't want her to feel entirely separate in a cave

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I just had two broodies hatch an egg apiece so I just wanted to say, enjoy the journey, it's a lot of fun and there's nothing cuter than baby chicks, especially when you let broody do all the work!

My broodies were in milk crates on the floor of the walk-in 8x10 coop. During incubation I would go in every day and pitch the broodies off the nest when I gave the flock their afternoon snack. They'd eat, drink, scratch, dustbathe and poop (they typically won't poop on the nest), then go get back on the eggs. When the eggs hatched we just picked up the milk boxes, hen, chick and all, and put them in the brooder, a small building. About a week later (after it stopped raining!), we opened it up to let them get some sunshine. The chicks slipped through a fence and ended up in with the flock, the mamas flew over, and wah-lah! Integration had occurred!

I guess my point is, do what works for you and your birds. We tend to overthink things a bit, but Nature has a pretty good idea what she's about.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Re: title of this thread, do you mean, "Letting a Broody HATCH Eggs"?