My BCM hen just went broody!

[NorCalChicks101]

Sorry for the delayed response!

Her setup after I moved her and my brooder setup. She hatched 4 of 5 eggs yesterday and the 5th hatched this morn.

Photos of them will be posted later today!

 

[NorCalChicks101]

Yup. You got it. Do it after dark and hope for the best. I don't think I've had a broody break yet. Regardless of how much I handled eggs or moved them around. I give them a few days to claim the nest and show me they mean business. I'm ok with 1-2 hens broody at a time. More than that it starts getting crazy and hard to keep track of.

When I remove the last chick from my broody will she begin to revert back to her normal non broody state or do you think i'll have to cage her?

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

I let my broodys raise their own chicks. That's one of the major perks. It takes about 5-8 weeks for the hen to wean the chicks and start laying again. My very broody bantam lays for 2-4 weeks before going broody again.

Hopefully someone experienced with pulling chicks will answer your question more fully.

 

[Criticalicious]

Assuming the broody wants to care for her babies, you won't need the heating pad or the brooder box AT ALL. You can keep mama and her babies in the dog crate with food and water for the first few days until the babies are walking well on their own. My 3 are about 3 weeks old and they still sleep under mama in the crate inside the larger coop at night. During the day they go out in the big run with mama and the rest of the flock. From weeks 1 to 2, they were in a smaller enclosure with their own food/water inside the run for a "look but don't touch" period. I kept a close eye on them for the first few weeks to be sure everybody was going to be OK. My flock doesn't free range except in the evenings when I can sit and watch for predators.