Mother Hen

[yelim]

Can a broodie hen hatch her eggs and raise her chicks without help? Do they need to be seperate from the flock?

 

[silverfern]

only thing they need is food and water, they dont get any help in the wild

 

[Judy]

Here's an excellent article about broodies

http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Broody-Hens-1.html

I have left some in with the flock and separated some. If you leave them, some possible problems are, they can go back to the wrong nest, others can kick them off or add unwanted eggs, they can steal eggs, their incubating eggs can get trampled, and you never know whether another hen will kill the chicks. On the other hand, you have no integration to go through if you leave them in with the flock. My current batch is separated only because I have a chick-attacking cat.

If people don't interfere, and the broody free ranges and has good instincts, she will likely lay several eggs in some hidden spot like under a bush, then set and hatch the eggs, then show up at the coop with chicks that are a few days old.

 

[yelim]

Quote:
That's my point.
Alot of people on here give them things they don't get in the wild.