should i feed a broody hen with chicks while on the nest?

Hi, thanks for posting this thread as it is the very question I need answers too. Unfortunately I have put food in the next box as she hasn't left it in four days. Or if she has, it is at a time of day that I don't see her. Should I put some sort of box on the ground and move her and the eggs to it so they can all easily access food and water at the babe stage? This is dumb, how do newly hatched chicks feed? Does the hen feed them?
 
Hi, thanks for posting this thread as it is the very question I need answers too. Unfortunately I have put food in the next box as she hasn't left it in four days. Or if she has, it is at a time of day that I don't see her. Should I put some sort of box on the ground and move her and the eggs to it so they can all easily access food and water at the babe stage? This is dumb, how do newly hatched chicks feed? Does the hen feed them?
If it were me? Yes, I'd move your broody to a dog crate, broody pen, etc., so she can still be with the others but they can't get to her. It is recommended that you move her at night. Wear a long-sleeve shirt and GLOVES 'cause your broody may get a tad nippy with you! Pick up the ENTIRE NEST, eggs and all and move it to the new area. Trust me, your broody will be right on your rear end! Settle her in, watch for awhile that she doesn't abandon and have her own water and feed setup in the crate/pen. Some broodies will go for several days without eating/drinking, but since you're not there 24/7 she IS getting what she needs...sneaky little chickens! Keep up updated how your big "move" goes...in the long run it's way better for both the broody and the little chicks to come!
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Hi, thanks for posting this thread as it is the very question I need answers too. Unfortunately I have put food in the next box as she hasn't left it in four days. Or if she has, it is at a time of day that I don't see her. Should I put some sort of box on the ground and move her and the eggs to it so they can all easily access food and water at the babe stage? This is dumb, how do newly hatched chicks feed? Does the hen feed them?
My two broodies this year both chose to nest in an elevated nest box. I just left them there, put a feeder and waterer in that part of the coop with them, then enclosed that part of the coop to keep the other hens out of the nest. Others (Donrae for one, not sure about Mrs. K) will let their hens nest and hatch with the general population. I just haven't had good luck doing that. Anyway, if it were me, I'd take the food out of her nest box, put it where she has to get up to access it, and let her stay where she is. I knew when my broodies were supposed to hatch, so the day after the first ones started hatching I took mom and babies out of the nest, put them on the straw-covered floor and let the mama do her thing.
 
She IS broody!
I visited a neighboring farm and bought five fertilized eggs breed will be a mystery until the big reveal.
I made a broody box and had a very smooth move last night. I think it helped to use a dark towel to cover and pick up the hen as I moved her.
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So glad it went well! Yes, I can see from that pic that she is indeed broody...look ow stretched her wings are to cover her clutch...sweet! One question...do you have her isolated from everyone else? I've always heard that it's best to let them see her and her see them but not be able to make contact...just thinkin'
 
I do not have them separated. I will have to monitor the situation. I don't really have a set up that lends itself to together yet separated. I could probably staple chicken wire around the area she is in. I will update with pics if I do this- it wouldn't be that hard...but then she wouldn't have free access to the run and pasture... Thoughts?
 
I'd leave her. She's not in the favorite nest box, and a broody can be quite cranky, so the other hens may not bother her. You might want to mark her eggs, though, just in case another hen should see the eggs there while the broody is taking her daily constitutional and thinks it's a good place to lay. That way you can remove the extras daily.
 
I do not have them separated. I will have to monitor the situation. I don't really have a set up that lends itself to together yet separated. I could probably staple chicken wire around the area she is in. I will update with pics if I do this- it wouldn't be that hard...but then she wouldn't have free access to the run and pasture... Thoughts?
If you have a die-hard broody she will not want to go to the run and pasture...the only thing on her mind is hatching. She'll leave the nest momentarily to eat, drink, and poop...that's about it. The reason I had asked is because I saw that she is directly under the roost bar and poop will be getting plopped on that cardboard box lid.
 
Just checked on my broody hen and found another has joined her in the box. I put three ceramic eggs in a nesting box and the second hen is now sitting on that. I've fenced off the first hen so there is no entrance, she has food and water. Should I let them sit together or fix another box and divide the eggs between the two?? What are the odds of a full house of broody hens? !! Thank you! This is my first experience with a broody hen...
 

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