Letting a hen hatch them....

[LulaBell]

Okay, so you do know about fertile eggs. Sorry, lots of people don't know about that stuff (not blaming them, it's not they're fault! It's great to have room to learn) and I wasn't sure how much you knew.

I'm not separating my broody, and probably won't unless problems arise. My best set-up for a broody is in that coop, and she seems to be getting along with the other hens just fine. What you do here depends on your set-up and preferences.

I am marking mine so I can tell which ones she is hatching and which ones the other hens snuck in. Whenever she get off the eggs to eat and drink (so once a day) I slip in and take away the extra egg. I Mark mine with a circle, but really any marking is good. I use sharpies.

Some people candle their broody's eggs but I probably won't do mine. I've heard that sometimes the hen will push eggs out if they are developing wrong, so I'll just go with the flow. This is really your decision.

Thanks for the info! I will go out today and try to mark all that she is sitting on. As I am forced to work from home right now I can keep an eye on her and go out to inspect things if I notice she is not on the eggs. I'm excited, I really hope she hatches them

 

[PioneerChicks]

This hen does not want to leave a specific nest box. When I try to reach under or around her she fluffs up and will peck at me. I'm not sure what would happen if I moved her, I'm afraid it would mess things up. Is it ok to leave her where she is? The other issue is the nest box is a few feet off the floor. I'm assuming if she does manage to hatch the eggs that is the point I should move her and the chicks to a separate pin?

As far as the eggs that she is currently sitting on, how should I mark them, with a date? What is the point of this?

Sorry for so many questions, just trying to get a handle on all this

If she is in a nesting box a few feet above the ground them you probably should move her so the chicks don't fall out once they hatch. Try to move her at night, that way she won't peck you. But if she does insist on nesting there maybe you could put up a ramp?

I've never dealt with a broody before so I don't know if I should separate the hen and chicks from the flock. I guess I'll have another pen ready but leave her in with the others for now.

Also, I do mark my eggs with the date, plus circle around the eggs she is brooding.

Please keep me updated! Good luck!I

Edit: had to make several edits because of auto correct.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

This hen does not want to leave a specific nest box. When I try to reach under or around her she fluffs up and will peck at me. I'm not sure what would happen if I moved her, I'm afraid it would mess things up. Is it ok to leave her where she is? The other issue is the nest box is a few feet off the floor. I'm assuming if she does manage to hatch the eggs that is the point I should move her and the chicks to a separate pin?

As far as the eggs that she is currently sitting on, how should I mark them, with a date? What is the point of this?

Sorry for so many questions, just trying to get a handle on all this

Fluffing up and pecking is normal even if they allow you to move them. This is a defining quality of a broody hen and I wouldn't think a hen was broody if she didn't sound like a velociraptor, lol.

The fact that the box is higher could end up being an issue for a couple of reasons. If a chick wiggles out of the box while other chicks are still hatching then it may survive the fall but the broody hen won't leave the hatching chicks to protect the straggler and the rest of your flock might not be kind.

Marking the eggs with a crayon or pencil, even just a circle around the center is just so you know for sure which eggs are the original eggs in case other hens continue to lay eggs in the box.

 

[LulaBell]

Fluffing up and pecking is normal even if they allow you to move them. This is a defining quality of a broody hen and I wouldn't think a hen was broody if she didn't sound like a velociraptor, lol.

The fact that the box is higher could end up being an issue for a couple of reasons. If a chick wiggles out of the box while other chicks are still hatching then it may survive the fall but the broody hen won't leave the hatching chicks to protect the straggler and the rest of your flock might not be kind.

Marking the eggs with a crayon or pencil, even just a circle around the center is just so you know for sure which eggs are the original eggs in case other hens continue to lay eggs in the box.

Yes she is very much a mini velociraptor raptor lol I will try to figure out something today for her on the floor of the coop. I have a small dog kennel that I can put in there and make her a nest. Fingers crossed she stays there. I'm assuming I should leave the door of it open so she can come and go as she needs to?

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Yes she is very much a mini velociraptor raptor lol I will try to figure out something today for her on the floor of the coop. I have a small dog kennel that I can put in there and make her a nest. Fingers crossed she stays there. I'm assuming I should leave the door of it open so she can come and go as she needs to?

Yes, unless you keep food and water in there with her, you could keep it closed but I think it's nice for them to run around and stretch their legs a bit when they get up. It would be perfect to close for a few days while they're hatching too and just put a little chick feeder and waterer in there with them.