Planning on hatching some chicks. Any tips?

[Tiana's chickens]

For storing eggs, you place the pointy end down, so the air sac is pointing up. You also want to turn them from side to side at least twice a day. I keep mine in a cartoon and put something under one end and swap it over a few times a day.

 

[Teila]

Hey Lennon.ch

I have no experience with incubators either and my hatches have all been under a broody hen. Having bantams with a tendency to go broody, I usually have one or two available when needed

Your plans to have the broody and her little ones separated is how I raise my chicks. My flock dynamics is such that not keeping her separate is a recipe for disaster with squabbles over nest boxes and the risk of injured chicks when they hatch. Also, keeping her separate allows her to brood peacefully.
Topic of the Week - Broody hens

If the rest of the flock can still see her and the chicks, integration should be easier when the time comes. You might find this discussion of interest:
Topic of the Week - Integrating Chicks into an Adult Flock

The broody set up you have planned sounds good. Yep, as long as they have somewhere warm and sheltered, food, water and somewhere for mumma hen to teach them how to forage etc, they should be fine.

Chickens raise broods ‘on the ground’ naturally so as long as she has some nesting material, it should be fine.

This is a set up I have used in the past:



Fertilised eggs can be stored on the bench for up to 10 days before being popped under a broody but the closer the age is to 10 days, the more chance of them not developing. So, if you can, fertile eggs around the 1-5 day mark would be better and hopefully give you a higher hatch rate.

Sadly, as mentioned, there is no guarantee that a hen will go broody.

Best wishes and good luck!

Edited to Add: Sorry for the duplication of advice others posted while I was typing

 

[Lennon.ch]

No.[/QUOTE

Also you want to decide if you want to let your hen incubate and hatch chicks in the nest box or somewhere away from other chickens so she doesn't steal other eggs chickens lay. she will most likely go broody in the nest box but most broodies can be moved at night in the dark to a new nest box away from everyone else, make sure if you do that you move the eggs with her so she doesn't loose interest in sitting when she wakes up.
Also chickens can't count so she won't notice if you swap a few rubber eggs a dozen fertile ones.
I hope you enjoy the experience of hatching and watching them grow up with a broody hen

I was planning on putting her in a separate smaller coop and run thats placed within the main pen so that the other chickens can still see her and let her go broody in there or is this a bad idea?

 

[Lennon.ch]

For storing eggs, you place the pointy end down, so the air sac is pointing up. You also want to turn them from side to side at least twice a day. I keep mine in a cartoon and put something under one end and swap it over a few times a day.

Ok, I'll have to set a timer though, cuz otherwise I WILL forget.

 

[Lennon.ch]

Hey Lennon.ch

I have no experience with incubators either and my hatches have all been under a broody hen. Having bantams with a tendency to go broody, I usually have one or two available when needed

Your plans to have the broody and her little ones separated is how I raise my chicks. My flock dynamics is such that not keeping her separate is a recipe for disaster with squabbles over nest boxes and the risk of injured chicks when they hatch. Also, keeping her separate allows her to brood peacefully.
Topic of the Week - Broody hens

If the rest of the flock can still see her and the chicks, integration should be easier when the time comes. You might find this discussion of interest:
Topic of the Week - Integrating Chicks into an Adult Flock

The broody set up you have planned sounds good. Yep, as long as they have somewhere warm and sheltered, food, water and somewhere for mumma hen to teach them how to forage etc, they should be fine.

Chickens raise broods ‘on the ground’ naturally so as long as she has some nesting material, it should be fine.

This is a set up I have used in the past:

View attachment 1224960

Fertilised eggs can be stored on the bench for up to 10 days before being popped under a broody but the closer the age is to 10 days, the more chance of them not developing. So, if you can, fertile eggs around the 1-5 day mark would be better and hopefully give you a higher hatch rate.

Sadly, as mentioned, there is no guarantee that a hen will go broody.

Best wishes and good luck!

Edited to Add: Sorry for the duplication of advice others posted while I was typing

Ok, Thank you, That looks like a good set up. How big do you think i should make my broody run?

 

[Teila]

Ok, Thank you, That looks like a good set up. How big do you think i should make my broody run?

Good question! I do not think there is a hard and fast rule on that one.

Personally, I like to give them enough room that they can wander around with the chicks, foraging and chasing food etc.

Rule of thumb on run space for a large chicken is 10 square foot, so, if you can, that would be good for her to use as a classroom

This is another broody area I set up for one of my hatches:



We do not have a high risk of predators so while I ensure that the coop they are locked in at night is secure, I can be a little less stringent with the run as I work from home also.

 

[Lennon.ch]

Good question! I do not think there is a hard and fast rule on that one.

Personally, I like to give them enough room that they can wander around with the chicks, foraging and chasing food etc.

Rule of thumb on run space for a large chicken is 10 square foot, so, if you can, that would be good for her to use as a classroom

This is another broody area I set up for one of my hatches:

View attachment 1224973

We do not have a high risk of predators so while I ensure that the coop they are locked in at night is secure, I can be a little less stringent with the run as I work from home also.

Thank you, 10ft sounds like a good size without taking up loads of room within the preexisting run.

 

[junebuggena]

I always let my broodies brood inside the coop. I never separate her completely. I put a dog crate in the coop for her so that the other hens can't bother her too much. The whole flock gathers round when the chicks start hatching. It's pretty darn cute to see the flock welcoming the new babies. Once the chicks are steady on their feet, I open up the crate and mom does the rest. No reintroduction or integration needed.