Natural breeding thread

[Love Donkeys]

Last week our mail lady left a note in our mail box stating she saw one of our hens in the brush along the side of our road and thought it might be hurt.

The hen was setting on her clutch of eggs within a foot from the edge of our chert road. I set up a nest for the hen in the coops Sick Bay and we went out to get her in the dark, I carried the hen Jerry carried her 11 eggs. I wonder what she thought in the morning when she woke up and looked around. Her chicks, hopefully, will show up around the 25th of this month.

If she had nested in one of our barns or in the brush along the pastures edge I would have left her alone. I just couldn't leave her that close to the edge of the road.

 

[Love Donkeys]

It's my understanding that a good setter will talk to her eggs a lot as she sits on them. At what point do the developing chicks start communicating back to her? Can a hen tell which eggs/chicks are viable and which are less likely to survive by listening to them?

I know Goats & Donkeys "talk" to their babies to be. I believe Nature instills this type of communication into their DNAs to enable them to accept and protect their new born. I know I talked to our children long before I felt their first kick.

 

[TOMTE]

Many topics on breeding with a broody have been discussed. Especially broodies who can free range at least part of the day.

What still interests me, are the experiences of people who keep the chickens and chicks in captivity. I’d like to hear more stories. Eg name problems you encountered, and did you find solutions to make it work.

We haven't been letting our chickens free range since around November 2024. Partially because of the cold and snow, but mostly because of all of the close calls we had with birds of prey. Since the pair of red-shouldered hawks took up residence behind our property (nesting now with more mouths to feed on the way), we're very cautious about letting the girls out. Now that the weather is warming up, I do let them out for an hour or so every couple days, but they're never out of my sight. I herd them into a group and try to keep them right by the run.

We haven't had any broodies yet. And we're not ready to add to our flock until we convert the old playhouse into a larger coop and run. BUT when we're all set up, and after the girls have settled in, if we get a broody I might see about getting some hatching eggs to put under her. That won't probably be until at least next year. I'll probably let them out occasionally still but they will be more or less contained to the coop and run. So if that happens, I'll share my experiences here.

A broody wasn't involved with my flock as chicks but I might be able to offer some anecdotal info about raising them in a brooder and then the run when they were chicks. I don't know if that would amount to anything but it is interesting to me just how instinctual chickens are, that even without mama to teach them, they know what to do to stay safe.

 

[OzarkNana]

I could use some help with my first broody! She's sitting on 7 eggs and we are on Day 15. I'm confused about what to do next. She's in the favorite nest box and other hens continue to push her out. I've read that's bad... I'll move her tomorrow.

I candled the eggs with a flashlight and decided to get an egg candler, I'll check them again tomorrow.
A few questions:
Can I use an extra large dog pen in the coop for the broodie & eggs?
Should I move them all inside when they get close to hatching or keep them in the dog pen?
Also, is straw a good bedding for the new chicks or something else?

 

[Perris]

I'm confused about what to do next.

I'll move her tomorrow

I suggest you read a lot more before intervening. She knows what she is doing instinctively. You do not and are trying to learn. Do not accept the first thing you read; there is a lot of bad advice out there, and it is very easy to misunderstand any advice, good or bad, as you appear to have done already. Remember the Hippocratic oath: First, do no harm. Doing something is not often / often not better than doing nothing, especially when you are confused about what to do.

 

[OzarkNana]

I suggest you read a lot more before intervening. She knows what she is doing instinctively. You do not and are trying to learn. Do not accept the first thing you read; there is a lot of bad advice out there, and it is very easy to misunderstand any advice, good or bad, as you appear to have done already. Remember the Hippocratic oath: First, do no harm. Doing something is not often / often not better than doing nothing, especially when you are confused about what to do.

I've read a ton but found conflicting information, including your answer which is different from the first article in this thread, that you previously reviewed and said it was a 'great article' filled with 'first class info'... which is it? Move her and protect her and the chicks or "do no harm"?
The other hens continue to push out my broody Silkie and lay new eggs, should that not worry me?
*edited to clarify my Silkie is the broody hen

 

[BDutch]

I've read that's bad... I'll move her tomorrow.

You risk that she abandons her nest if you move her. This happened to me in an early stage of broodiness. Maybe this chance is less if she is nearer to hatch day.

If you have the possibility to isolate her from the flock? That’s better imo. I have done so a few times, I can split my coop and used a divider.

Hens laying more eggs in the nest is not a big problem. Just take the new eggs out.

If you do move her, at least move her with the crate to another spot where she’s not bothered. If she can stay in her current nest to a better spot, and move her after dark, you have a good chance this will work. I have done this 2x with success.

I don’t know if a dog pen is okay. She needs to have the possibility to get out to eat, poop and take a dustbath daily.

 

[Perris]

I've read a ton but found conflicting information, including your answer which is different from the first article in this thread, that you previously reviewed and said it was a 'great article' filled with 'first class info'... which is it? Move her and protect her and the chicks or "do no harm"?

Great! Yes you will find lots of conflicting info and changes of mind / inconsistencies, as people, including me, get more experience, and we have different birds in different keeping conditions, so the experiences vary. In short, there is no one right answer, you learn to adapt your behaviour to suit your birds and your conditions. We are all on a learning curve all the time.

The other hens continue to push out my broody Polish and lay new eggs, should that not worry me?

Yes it can be a problem. Isolating her is the simple solution assuming you have facilities for it. But moving her now is highly risky; you may break her broodiness so she does not continue to sit. Some hens accept it, some don't. If you decide not to risk it, you just need to remove any eggs laid during the incubation, and ensure she goes back to the right nest once the interloper(s) have left. They will be doing the incubating while they are there btw.

 

[BDutch]

If you have the possibility to isolate her from the flock? That’s better imo. I have done so a few times, I can split my coop and used a divider.

Like Perris is saying.
Every hen is different and every setup/coop is different. Therefore it’s impossible to give a one suits all advice. Add flock dynamics and you get an unpredictable cocktail.
I presume you need a lot of space or reasonable natural circumstances for a successful hatch without any interfering.

I could split bc I had an extra opening/door and had other nestboxes available for the other hens.

Some broodies are more committed than others. Some are easy to break, others are almost impossible to break. If your broody was easy to break in the past it’s probably more risky to move her.

I end up with two or three broodies on one nest if I let them. And it bothered me too that hens were laying extra eggs in the same nestbox. Perris is right about most aspects and I probably interfered too much. Chickens probably know better on most aspects. But they don’t seem to bother if they have a staggered hatch and just leave the vital eggs to die that are due to hatch later. Same about the early birds who go away to explore and cant find their way back to the broody. For me it doesn’t feel right to let go and do nothing to prevent casualties.

 

[wrathsfarm]

I haven't had any broodies yet, but I was told (and maybe it depends on where in the world you are, your climate, amount of daylight, etc) that April is broody month. Don't know how true that is but it was someone with experience with broodies who told me.

May seems to be my broody month here in Michigan. I've never had a broody before that.
With that now I've got a Black Australorp pullet acting broody for a week but hasn't committed yet ....