?S About Broody hatching

[andreanar]

I'm going to let my girls hatch chicks when/if the time comes. I have no idea how to go about it. I have had broody hens before but I always broke them. If a broody has to collect a clutch, I assume that takes a few days, wont the eggs that she already collected and is sitting on start incubating before the others and hatch sooner?

 

[JaeG]

You need to mark the eggs that she starts sitting on and remove any extras every day to stop them being incubated, then abandoned when she's ready to move the chicks to go and get some food. Just make sure none of your other hens push her out of her nest and she ends up sitting somewhere else, not on her eggs. You just need to watch your broody around hatch time to make sure she wants chicks (some just like to sit and don't know what to do with chicks), especially if it's her first time. Some are naturals at the mothering thing. My Old English Game bantams have been wonderful! I've loved watching the interactions between chicks and mother hen when we've been able to hatch a few. It's adorable!

 

[Mace Gill]

I'm going to let my girls hatch chicks when/if the time comes. I have no idea how to go about it. I have had broody hens before but I always broke them. If a broody has to collect a clutch, I assume that takes a few days, wont the eggs that she already collected and is sitting on start incubating before the others and hatch sooner?

Do not let her collect eggs over the course of several days. Once she goes broody, she'll stop laying. Collect up that day's eggs from the other hens an put them in with her. She'll scoop them under her by herself. Mark them. Make SURE she is isolated from the flock with her own food and water and at least enough space to get up and stretch once in a while. If she is not isolated, other lazy 'mothers' will climb on top of her and lay more eggs ... days or weeks into the hatch, that is a disaster. You want eggs laid that day. She should comfortably be able to handle six to twelve eggs.

 

[Mace Gill]

You need to mark the eggs that she starts sitting on and remove any extras every day to stop them being incubated, then abandoned when she's ready to move the chicks to go and get some food. Just make sure none of your other hens push her out of her nest and she ends up sitting somewhere else, not on her eggs. You just need to watch your broody around hatch time to make sure she wants chicks (some just like to sit and don't know what to do with chicks), especially if it's her first time. Some are naturals at the mothering thing. My Old English Game bantams have been wonderful! I've loved watching the interactions between chicks and mother hen when we've been able to hatch a few. It's adorable!

JaeG is right about nee mothers-to-be ... some will sit for a couple of days and decide 'you know what? This isn't for me!'

I strongly recommend Isolating her from the flock ... better she have her own space so you don't have to disturb her checking for unmarked eggs ... plus, clumsy hens can crack eggs by mistake when climbing on top of some other hen.

 

[JaeG]

I've always separated mine but some swear by letting them brood with the rest of the flock (which is why I was cautious about mentioning separating her). It might make integration easier if your broody is high up in the pecking order, but it can all go horribly wrong with stroppy hens, as Mace Gill said, pushing the broody off her nest (because everyone has to use the same box!), breaking her eggs, and some may attack chicks or squash them by accident once they hatch. Personally I like to give the broody her own space where she feels safe and you can ensure the safety of her chicks with a safe, shallow waterer, the right feed, and a small space so no chick gets lost or left behind. But when you move her to her own space make sure it's at night, in the dark, and that she can't see her old run/nest site as otherwise she will try and get back to it. Cover the cage if need be so she can't see in that direction if you can't move her far. Leave her and make sure she's going to sit for a couple of days before you put the eggs under her.

 

[Mace Gill]

I was able to fence mine in where she was on the nesting box ... enclosed her and the nesting box next to it for some extra space. She could see the comings and going of the flock, and they could see her. When the chicks hatched, at two days old a couple slipped past the fence, so I took it down. Fortunately, my small flock is VERY good at respecting babies! No bullying and my roo sometimes even protects them if they stray too far from momma ... not every mother is so lucky! When out foraging with momma, she has them on their own away from the flock so everyone has space.