Should I let her try?

[Leigti]

I have a wellsummer hen who is broody again. She has gone broody six times in the last two years. I can usually break her of it in three or four days but she’s being really persistent this time around. Last year I tried to give her A few day old chicks to raise but she killed one. I took the others away quickly before she could hurt them too. I have read that some hens kill baby chicks for no apparent reason. Should I give her a chance with some fertilized eggs? Or should I just try to break her of being broody again? I am a little worried because of the one that she killed and also because she is not exactly a broody breed.

 

[DobieLover]

I have a wellsummer hen who is broody again. She has gone broody six times in the last two years. I can usually break her of it in three or four days but she’s being really persistent this time around. Last year I tried to give her A few day old chicks to raise but she killed one. I took the others away quickly before she could hurt them too. I have read that some hens kill baby chicks for no apparent reason. Should I give her a chance with some fertilized eggs? Or should I just try to break her of being broody again? I am a little worried because of the one that she killed and also because she is not exactly a broody breed.

When you tried to give her day old chicks when she killed one, had she been sitting on eggs for at least 2 weeks first?

 

[Leigti]

When you tried to give her day old chicks when she killed one, had she been sitting on eggs for at least 2 weeks first?

That time around she had been sitting for only one week. So that’s probably where I messed up.

 

[DobieLover]

That time around she had been sitting for only one week. So that’s probably where I messed up.

I would give her fertile eggs to hatch. Set her up somewhere she can set, hatch and raise them for the first week unmolested.
I can't imagine a chicken being "fooled" into thinking her eggs hatched in just one week.
My unbreakable broody just hatched her little clutch last night. I would take her from her nest in the morning and the late afternoon for her to stretch, scratch, preen, eat and dust bathe. I stopped removing her 2 days before the eggs were due to hatch. She is a first time broody and did a wonderful job.
Give that a try with your girl and see how she does.
Good luck.

 

[Leigti]

I would give her fertile eggs to hatch. Set her up somewhere she can set, hatch and raise them for the first week unmolested.
I can't imagine a chicken being "fooled" into thinking her eggs hatched in just one week.
My unbreakable broody just hatched her little clutch last night. I would take her from her nest in the morning and the late afternoon for her to stretch, scratch, preen, eat and dust bathe. I stopped removing her 2 days before the eggs were due to hatch. She is a first time broody and did a wonderful job.
Give that a try with your girl and see how she does.
Good luck.

OK. I can set her up in a little pen inside the run. My coop is a raised coop, about 2 feet off the ground so with a little chicks wouldn’t be able to go in and out of that yet as babies anyway. I will get some fertilized eggs from a friend of mine this weekend and give it a shot. What do you think is a good number? I was thinking six.

 

[Perris]

What do you think is a good number? I was thinking six.

It depends on your purposes; if it is to satisfy your broody then less would do. If you have plenty of space and want to grow your flock, you could give her a few more. Personally with a first time broody and doing it for the broody, I've gone fewer - 4.

 

[DobieLover]

It depends on your purposes; if it is to satisfy your broody then less would do. If you have plenty of space and want to grow your flock, you could give her a few more. Personally with a first time broody and doing it for the broody, I've gone fewer - 4.

x2.
That is the exact number I gave my first broody. I didn't want the chicks. She did. I'll have to give away any cockerels. I'll probably keep any pullets. Only 3 eggs hatched.