Secret hiding place (picture heavy)

[The Chicken People]

She really wants to be a Momma!

 

[stormylady]

Awww.... such a cutie, Ive never had a broodie either but I would probably move her also, just cause of the height.

 

[Guinea Goonie]

Just put her and her eggs in a LARGE sterilite container. Put something heavy in the container and then the straw she is using over this. She will get out for a drink and a smoke if you put water and feed next to the container.

This way the Chicks will be stuck in the container and you can check on them from time to time until they are all hatched out.

We do this ALL the time with our Wild Game Hens as this is what they like to do too, get up high and hide.

Cute pics By the way and NICE hen.

 

[chseeads]

Another note..... If she has more eggs than she can cover and keep warm, some need to be removed....if you tell which ones are good, if any..... If she has more than she can cover, she'll end up rotating them around when she turns them and they'll all be liable to be rolled to the outside and get chilled and die.

 

[Kev]

Excellent tip, leaving her up there but make it so the chicks can't walk off.

Looks like too many eggs, you need to collect all in that nest, candle them, and give back the batch that seem the closest to each other in age and discard the rest or put rest in incubator. If you can tell which eggs are her own, these are probably the best bet for leaving as the other eggs could be "same age" or way younger and never will hatch in time with the original eggs when these hatch.

The average hen can cover 10 eggs well, there are hens that can cover more or less but 10 is a good general number. In the end, no eggs should be visible at all from under a broody hen- if any egg is visible, that is too many eggs. What above said is very true, too large clutches can potentially end up successfully hatching only one or 2 chicks due to the eggs getting killed in 'succession'.


If you can, seal off the whole section so the other hens can't fly up there and bother the broody hen too.

 

[jrleader99]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I just got a chance to check the replies and BAM there you guys were!!!

To answer the question of if they have been with a rooster. Yes - we have 31 hens with 4 roosters. I am sure that those eggs are fertile especially with the "activity" that goes on in our backyard.

I will see about moving or closing her off to avoid the chicks from falling. I might remove some of the outer eggs too. I was worried she might not be able to keep them warm enough.

I forgot to mention that when I found her I was afraid she was sick or dead so I reached out to pet her. She puffed up and lifted her tail feathers - to me it looked like some kind of warning, like she was saying backoff buddy these are mine.

Thanks again for the replies and I will keep you posted.

 

[Guinea Goonie]

A warning on those eggs that you THINK are not being covered. Hens routinely put a few eggs just outside her body heat so as to adjust them for timing of incubation. Yes, it sounds weird, but momma hen knows each and every egg when she rolls them under her. Remember this is NOT a static process, mom will move, roll and throw eggs that she deems necessary.

I have heard WAY too many times that people take the "outside" eggs and discard them only to find a healthy, beating heart chick in them.

Good Luck with your hatch and DO, DO, DO candle any egg you think it "bad". If you see an egg far away from mom for a few days, she has determined that this one will not hatch out.

Also, towards the end of the brood, mom will hear peeps and actually roll those eggs to her outer body heat so they can hatch under her supervision. When the chick is out she clucks them back under her. This really is a remarkable process.

Bless those broody ladies.

 

[newchickmom09]

She is one determined momma.

At least you know now if she sits on them the rest of the time then she will be a good momma.

I love the pics also.

 

[jrleader99]

I just went out and moved her into a plastic container with lots of fresh straw and moved the eggs. Well I didn't think I should move all of the eggs because some were ice cold so I kept those out. Well all told, including the ones I did not put back under her, she was sitting on 42 eggs!!!!!

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
OMG! Hope she settles down well for you.