Ones hens go broody, are sitting on eggs....do they still roost?

[Redley]

So I'm planning my coop, I plan to have broody hens next year to hatch out some chicks (I know, I know...I don't even have my first chicks & roo and I'm already planning for them to be parents!) - I believe I am officially obsessed!!!!!

Once my orphingtons start to go broody, will they still need roosts? If they do, should they be the taller 5' tall roosts that they roosted on before they went broody, or should they be closer to the ground?
Will they each need their own nest box once broody? (I know it's a silly question, common sense tells me yes, but chickens are crazy)

 

[Ridgerunner]

It is good to get the questions asked early. When a hen goes broody, she spends all her time on the nest, except the time she leaves the nest for a quick bite, a drink of water, and a poop. I find that the weather has a lot to do with how long and how often this is. In hot weather, mine stay off longer then in cold weather. But one thing is consistent. They spend all night on the eggs. They do not roost. My test to determine if a hen is really broody is that she has to spend two consecutive nights on her nest instead of roosting. If she does not spend two consecutive nights on the nest, she does not get any eggs to hatch.

No matter what breed you have, there is no guarantee any will go broody. Some breeds are much more likely to go broody than others, but there are no guarantees with any of them.

Do they need their own nest box when they are broody? Good question. The answer is not as clear-cut as you might think. There are different philosophies about this. Let me give you a link that talks about isolating a broody. When a hen goes broody, many people on this forum lock the hen in a nest all to herself to keep other hens out of her nest, giving her food, water, a nest, and enough room to go poop. Others allow the hen to stay in an open nest with the rest of the flock. People are successful both way and there are benefits, risks, inconveniences, and difficulties both ways. This thread gives different opinions and some good information for both methods.

Isolate a Broody? Thread
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=213218

 

[MustLoveHens]

From my experince once my hens went broody, they did not roost. They only left the clutch once to eat, drink and poop. Sometimes twice on hot days. Depending on where my hens were (show barn or the house) and what breeds were brooding, depended on where they brooded. I had a egg box that was huge, it started life as a brooder, but ended up being reperposed (sp) by the hens for a eggs box, then it became the nest box. I myself like having a few more nest boxes then necessary. This way if a hen goes broody in one, the others still have a place to lay or if you have more then one hen go broody at a time there are more options for the other hens to go to.
My hens at the "show" barn were in big "drop" pens on the ground that we put a perch in. When they brooded, I'd pull the roo and they would brood out on the ground in a little nest they made but they did not perch.
Once the chicks hatched, the hens stayed with them until they weaned the babies. I found that some of my hens perched when the babies would perch. However, the hens still set on the chicks at night or if they needed "protection".
I think providing a number of perching options both is size and height is good, then your birds will use the ones that work for them.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Ridgerunner did a fabulous job of explaining it to you. No, broodies will not roost, and they quit laying when they go broody too.

 

[nuttyredhead]

No question is silly!

First when they go broody, they dont get off their eggs, so no they dont roost. And once they do have a nest to sit on it is wise to seperate them. I hat 2 broodys last month, one i seperated into a small dog crate and one i didnt. The one i didnt got off her eggs, stone cold. If you leave them in the nest on eggs, the other chickens will try to lay there eggs in there and you will have eggs developing at different rates.

Here is a link to some good onfo.

http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Broody-Hens-1.html

 

[Redley]

Some great info, I'll check out the links to other conversations you guys provided. I think I'll set up my coop with an area that can still be separated for when the chicks are smaller so they can get introduced to the flock through the fence. Will make my final decision after I read.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Here's what I did to accomodate broodies/growing out babies if it helps. Storage for feed/shavings on top, babies down below. I put up screening material to keep the hens out of the storage area up top. I stapled it to the rafters, and added small blocks of wood at the bottom for weight. It works wonderfully.

 

[Redley]

Quote:
Great idea, saved your pic and will incorporate it into my build!