Moving a Broody Hen and Her Eggs-When is Best Time

[mtnviewfarms]

I'm so excited - after raising Heritage Breeds for three years now I FINALLY think I have my first broody hen.

One of my 2 y.o. Black Australorps has been sitting on 12 eggs for two days straight now and I'm wondering when we should move her and the eggs to a safer and more private location so she won't be bothered by the other hens and laying pullets as she's trying to sit her eggs.

We've incubated, hatched hundreds of eggs from our flock but have never had a hen go broody before this one.

How long do we have to wait to see if she is 'really serious' about sitting the eggs?

We plan to partition off part of the main coop where we will set up a nice nest and put her eggs in it along with her own feeder and waterer so when she hatches the chicks the larger birds won't hurt the chicks.

Do we move her early in the sitting period or wait until closer to hatch date?

Right now she is sitting on the 12 eggs in one nest of the six metal 3 over 3 nest boxes in the coop.

The nesting boxes are located in close proximity to the feeder and waterer so she won't have to go far to get food and water if we leave her where she is for now.

Please share your 'broody' wisdom with total broody ignorant 'expectant chick parents'.

 

[Mrs. K]

I have had several successful broodies, but there are no guarantees.

What size are your nests, can two birds get in at one time, if so, you about have to move her....other wise the other birds will keep adding their eggs to her nest, and she will get too many eggs. Broodies move their eggs around, and with too many, the outside eggs cool and die, and then she moves them inside, and the inside eggs are now out, and they cool and die...

So depending on your hen, 8-12 eggs are best, probably less is best. You should mark them, so you can recognize if a strange egg shows up, after you have started.

I belong to the group that does not separate the hen from the flock. I have moved a broody the first two times I tried and failed. She sat on the new nest for several days, and then went back to the nest she really liked better. UGH! dead clutch.... I have small nests, and I leave her where she wants to be now.

Also, mine have always been willing to take your arm off at the elbow.... the other layers tiptoe in, avoid eye contact with her, get in a less favorable nest, do their business, and just try not to bother her. I do let my layers free range most days, so they are not totally confined and have lots of space, but if I have to be gone over night, they are in lock up in the run/coop.

As for when to put the eggs??? Do as I say, not as I do..... I promise myself I will wait, to make sure she is settled, then in a day of course I am sure, put the clutch under her.... she gets off....ugh! Settles again..... more eggs, course now I have used up my clutch....sometimes this is it..... and sometimes, we start over again..... I strongly recommend waiting 5-7 days.....HOWEVER, I NEVER have done it.

When it gets close to hatching, that is the vunerable time, while the early chicks are walking around, and the broody is waiting for the others to hatch, about 12-16 hours. That is when I put a nest outside in the run for the layers to use, and lock the layers out of the coup. Do not worry if your nest is above ground, even a couple of feet. It won't hurt the chicks if they fall out. They generally are not too active until they are pretty fluffed up. After she has decided the hatching is done, she will leave that nest, and create a new nest on the floor. When she has gotten to that point, I open the coop.

When you leave them with the flock, they rise in the pecking order, even the roo tiptoes. And they are still considered part of the flock which I think helps. Right at hatching the hormones are raging, and the broody will be quite aggressive with other chickens and her babies. The chicks learn quickly to stay out of reach of the layers, the broody will generally position herself between the layers and the chicks. And everyone just gets used to the new ones.

When you separate the hen, and wait til the babies are bigger, you have to reintroduce the HEN to the flock, she has her own pecking order difficulties to establish and usually at a time when she is beginning to lose interest in the chicks. This can be a mess.

I love a broody hen and chicks, and you might lose some chicks.... but my mama's have their babies outside eating bugs within days of being hatched, going for long walks, getting lots of exercise and fresh air, it just has to be better and healthier.

Hope it works for you!

Mrs K

 

[bj taylor]

Mrs. K;
i'm experiencing my first broody/hatched babies. I have only two babies out of 10 eggs. in my coop are 12 two mo old chicks I bought when my buff orp went broody the next day. will these rambunctious kids respect mom & her babies like you were talking about?

it's not so much the outside time i'm worried about. there's lots of room for everybody - it's in the coop time first thing in the morning & evening time. the last few days I've been letting the older chicks out in the morning and closing the coop so mama wouldn't have any trouble during the day.

mom took the babies out of the coop for the first time this afternoon. I didn't know how things worked so when she started acting like she was trying to find a place on the ground, I took her babies & put them back in the nest, letting her follow me.

I try not to interfere too much, but I've got a coop too small for my numbers and have never dealt w/mama/babies before. soon the numbers will level out when the roosters will be gone.

thanks for your input

 

[Folly's place]

I generally try to move the broody and her eggs after three or four days, AT NIGHT, with as little light as possible, either to an adjoining coop, or a large dog airline crate, with shavings, food and water. I keep the crate right in the chicken house, and let the babies and mom out after a few days. She gradually takes them outside, and comes back to the nest at night. Mary