Our first broody hen....

[hucker]

We have a flock of 11 chickens and 3 roosters. We've had the flock for about 18 months. Just recently one of the chickens started brooding. We thought it might be interesting to let the kids see a natural hatch so we let it go on. I've noticed that we have very few eggs being laid. Being suspicious I looked under the broody hen and found 17 eggs! THe kids told me they've seen other hens in there (I haven't).

So, is it normal that other (larger) chickens will lay eggs in a smaller chicken's clutch and is it best that we separate and/or remove some of the eggs?

Thanks!

 

[nhnanna]

If the others are laying in the same nest as the broody, I would mark the ones you want her to hatch and keep taking the others out every day or move her and her nest at night to a dog cage or something like it so the others can't get in and lay in the nest.
Good luck on your hatch.

 

[Sequin]

Ooo - that sounds fun! We will be doing the same thing this year(should our two sussex decide to cooperate). The advice given was good advice. Mark the ones you want her to hatch and collect the rest. Giving her her own living quarters will help reduce the number of eggs you need to collect out of her nest.

Just wondering, but are the roosters and hens all in the same pen? How do you do it, if they are? Do the roos fight or anything? This is my first year with a roo around and I am trying to learn all that I can from others' experiences with them. Thanks!

 

[hucker]

We have 3 roosters and they have reached a mutual agreement that they won't kill each other. The little guys just stays as far away from the big one as he can. The middle sized one is very passive so there hasn't really been a problem.