External night time temps are in the 12-15C range (sorry I'm no good with Farenheit) but the chicken house is a stone built building so it's cooler than outside during the day, but warmer at night. They have not all been able to roost under her for several weeks with there being 13 of them, but they snuggle up to each other, so I'm not really concerned on that score, if that is the only factor to consider. Not that I would be able to do anything much to change her mind now and I would never manage to catch all the chicks and keep them in a brooder.... more that my life is worth to even try! They are flighty little monkeys, like their mother!
Having been an absolutely wonderful mother till now.... I mean really amazing!!...., she has suddenly become quite brutal with them and is most definitely saying "Don't bother me, you're on your own now kids!". Having just started laying, she has produced 2 eggs in 2 days, so she seems committed to casting off the first family and starting a new one and had moved up to roost with the other adult birds last night, instead of roosting with the chicks.
I'm hoping that she will lay a clutch and go broody again but I would like to switch her eggs for some of my legbars and leghorns this next time as they will be pure bred rather than letting her raise her own little farmyard mongrels.... cute as they are! I know this is a common enough practice and it's probably more unusual to let a hen sit on all her own eggs but has anybody had a broody hen that refused to accept another hens eggs? Her eggs are tiny, so is she likely to notice a difference with normal size eggs? She's a really crafty little bird, so I wouldn't be surprised if she spotted a switch.
Thanks
B