My first broody hen. Advice please

[smoore7489]

I wouldn't get too excited yet. How long has she been laying? Is she still laying? If you want to make sure she's broody, I'd put golf balls, fake eggs, rocks roughly the size of eggs, or maybe marked grocery store eggs in her nest and see what she does with them. She'd obviously not truly dedicated yet. I wouldn't try to put fertile eggs under her until she has spent at least three days, two nights in the nest. At least. Good luck!

Shes been laying eggs since July I believe. So for a couple months is all.

 

[JenBreese]

I have a broody Orpington too and I gave her eggs after her 4th time going broody. She sat the full 21 days. We now have 7 chicks! 3 didn't hatch and 1 disappeared the first week(?). She is young too and it seems to work. She's very attentive to the ones who hatched. We are in a heat wave so she did get off the nest a bit and I worried of course. Here's my proud mama and brood. 4 are 3/4 Silver laced Wyandottes from the neighbor and 3 are bought Splash Maran.

I spent $15 from a local chicken breeder for 5 eggs. My neighbor gave me 7. So. not much into it as far as cash. I do have her in a separate cage while sitting. I'm letting the chicks get stronger and then I'll divide my coop so the old hens on one side and my mama and chicks on the other. We did a coop add on at the beginning of the year and we set it up so we could have two separate flocks. Turns out that is convenient.