Letting broody hen hatch her eggs

[LyddieB]

This will be our first time letting one of our broody hens hatch out her eggs, so I have a few questions if anyone can help answer.
Do we separate the hen from the flock when her eggs hatch? How long does she stay/help raise (with) the chicks? How long before she is laying eggs again? Thank all in advance for your advice!

 

[FC16]

Whether or not you separate her from the flock is completely up to you, there are pros and cons to both. Separating her and her chicks pretty much guarantees the safety of the chicks from other chickens, but it means reintegrating her after will be difficult. Is she high up in the pecking order? If so this would make me be more inclined to allow her to raise her chicks within the flock as she would be able to defend them . Also, do your chickens have a lot of space? If they don’t, then I wouldn’t keep the hen and chicks with the rest of the flock. A pro to letting her raise them with the flock is that the chicks will be easily integrated with the older hens.

On average it’s around 6 weeks after hatch where the mother hen will distance herself from the chicks, but this can vary, she will know when is the right time to stop acting as ‘mother hen’.

In answer to when she will start laying again after, there really isn’t a definitive amount of time. Some can take around 3 weeks whilst some can take months. It all depends on the individual bird.

Good luck with the hatch

 

[LyddieB]

Whether or not you separate her from the flock is completely up to you, there are pros and cons to both. Separating her and her chicks pretty much guarantees the safety of the chicks from other chickens, but it means reintegrating her after will be difficult. Is she high up in the pecking order? If so this would make me be more inclined to allow her to raise her chicks within the flock as she would be able to defend them . Also, do your chickens have a lot of space? If they don’t, then I wouldn’t keep the hen and chicks with the rest of the flock. A pro to letting her raise them with the flock is that the chicks will be easily integrated with the older hens.

On average it’s around 6 weeks after hatch where the mother hen will distance herself from the chicks, but this can vary, she will know when is the right time to stop acting as ‘mother hen’.

In answer to when she will start laying again after, there really isn’t a definitive amount of time. Some can take around 3 weeks whilst some can take months. It all depends on the individual bird.

Good luck with the hatch

Thank you very much for your response. She’s one of my younger chickens, not very high up in the pecking order. I have some six year old mean girls in my mix. My thoughts for separating are for safety of the chicks as well as making sure they are eating from the starter/grower feed and not the layer feed. That is also why I was wondering when the mother hen starts laying again so that I could get her back to the layer feed. I’m probably overthinking it…just want to give everyone the best chance! Always trying to learn more!

 

[Perris]

Thank you very much for your response. She’s one of my younger chickens, not very high up in the pecking order. I have some six year old mean girls in my mix. My thoughts for separating are for safety of the chicks as well as making sure they are eating from the starter/grower feed and not the layer feed. That is also why I was wondering when the mother hen starts laying again so that I could get her back to the layer feed. I’m probably overthinking it…just want to give everyone the best chance! Always trying to learn more!

I had a low-ranking pullet who had barely started laying herself raise a clutch of a 5-year-olds eggs last year, within the flock, and she did an excellent job of it (while the 5 year old has never even gone broody), so I wouldn't prejudge on the basis of age.

If your birds are confined, and you fear the 'old mean girls' really would attack them and the broody be unable to defend them, I'd be inclined to provide a separate space that the chicks could escape to.

In my experience, other flock members are interested in the chicks but do not attack them. Typically a subordinate roo will help look after them too. Most of my broodies have stayed with their chicks for 3 months or more. They are not confined.

 

[aart]

I separate my broodies, behind a temporary wire wall in the coop, before I give them fresh fertile eggs. Then I don't have to check for other eggs daily in the nest, she doesn't take up one of the active nests, and I can tell if she's gotten up to eat/drink/poop.
I take down the temp wall about a week after hatch and set up a creep feeder area for the chicks.

I've always fed 'all flock', with oyster shell in a separate container, non-laying youngsters and males don't need the extra calcium. Plus it's about impossible to control who eats what.

 

[Sussex19]

Do we separate the hen from the flock when her eggs hatch? How long does she stay/help raise (with) the chicks? How long before she is laying eggs again? Thank all in advance for your advice!

This is just what I do;
I don't separate the broody hen, but check for added eggs every day. Then around day 19-20 I close of the nesting box with a bit of netting I have, so other hens don't interrupt while eggs are hatching. (which is the point when they are most fragile)
Mother hens don't want to get of the nest at that point normally anyway.
After that, they go out with the rest of the flock.
Most of my hens go for around 5 to 6 weeks, but some only 3 or so. And a couple have gone to around 10.
All mine have laid their first egg after brooding on the same day that they weaned their chicks.

I have some six year old mean girls in my mix. My thoughts for separating are for safety of the chicks

You are the best judge of your flock, so if you have concerns then separating them may be best.

making sure they are eating from the starter/grower feed and not the layer feed

Can you feed your whole flock grower feed?
Even if you separate them as chicks, they will need to eat the grower till they are laying, and I would have thought you would want to have everyone together by then.
All my flocks eat grower, with shell grit on the side; and grower has a bit more protein which is better for your hens in the long run. (imo!)

 

[Mrs. K]

There are as many ways of doing this as there are keepers of chickens. Do know even with your best work, some may not make it. Getting into life is tricky, and some will fail to thrive.

Personally, I leave my hen where she wants to be. I have moved them in the past, to have them break being broody, or by hook or by crook, escape and return to where she wanted to be, loosing the clutch.

I try and check her twice a day. Sometimes they will get on the wrong nest. If so, don't fret, just move her back, even if the eggs feel cold to the touch. Mine have always hatched right on time.

Every two to three days, I remove her to check for any stray eggs. I mark my eggs with a sharpie pen, pencil will wear off so as to recognize if anyone else has contributed to the nest.

When she does get off the nest, she fluffs up about the size of a beach ball, and tends to growl and stomp at everyone. She will take a dust bath, a poop, eat a bit, and then get back on the nest.

It can be tricky at hatching time, but the best thing is to just leave her alone. A lot of people meaning to be nice, interfere, and break the attachment bond. Mine seldom stay on the nest for more than 12 hours after hatching, creating a clean nest on the floor. They introduce them to the flock. Way easier than getting chicks in the flock without a broody.

Probably the most important thing is not to make the broody hen a stranger to the flock by separating her for weeks. IF you do that, the flock will attack her, and the chicks. And the worst thing you can do is try and introduce her back to the flock when the chicks are about 4 weeks old. Her hormones are dropping, and she is in the fight of her life.

Mrs K