Signs of a good broody?

[Cyprus]

Hello beautiful people

This is my first ever broody hatch and I'm over the moon! My frizzled Japanese bantam hen sat dutifully on her 6 eggs the entire length of incubation. She started hatching a day or 2 ago. I think she has 3 chicks now, but she won't let me look

What are signs of a good broody once she has chicks? Is there anything I should be looking for? This is momma's first hatch. She previously rejected a chick when she was still setting, but I'm told I may have introduced it too early. I introduced it around day 4.

She's already calling her chicks back to the nest and I think she still has 3 eggs left to hatch. How long do I wait for her to finish hatching? I have not seen her show the hatched chicks food and water, should I set those right in front of her?

Thank you!
Cy

 

[Matilda Belle]

I would set the food and water right in front of her so she doesn't have to get off the nest. I'd watch her carefully to make sure she doesn't abandon the remaining eggs. I would have an incubator warmed up and ready in case that happens.

 

[Ryder]

When you said you I introduced a chick did she hatch it? Usually when you want to introduce chicks to a mother you have to do it at night and they have to be around the same age as the other chicks

 

[Cyprus]

When you said you I introduced a chick did she hatch it? Usually when you want to introduce chicks to a mother you have to do it at night and they have to be around the same age as the other chicks

No, she didn't hatch it. It was around 3 days old, her biological chick and I tucked it under her in the dark. She was okay while it was under her, but when the chick wasn't under her she would peck it very hard, harder than I felt was acceptable.

 

[Ryder]

No, she didn't hatch it. It was around 3 days old, her biological chick and I tucked it under her in the dark. She was okay while it was under her, but when the chick wasn't under her she would peck it very hard, harder than I felt was acceptable.

Some times they do that to tell them to go back under her. Is it still with her right now

 

[Cyprus]

Some times they do that to tell them to go back under her. Is it still with her right now

No, that was about 2 weeks ago and the chick died. We had too many power outages during incubation.

Edit: Died from unrelated cause

 

[Claires Poultry]

Hi Cy,
I would put the food and water right in front of her for now. Sometimes for the first day or two after their chicks hatch, they don't like to get up and move around.
Here are some good signs:
- If she's "talking" to her chicks
- If she's picking up bits of food and dropping it in front of the chicks while making a chirping noise
- If she's mad at you for trying to touch her chicks
- If she makes a brocking noise, puffs her feathers up, and holds her wings away from her body
- If she "talks" to them and sits on them (keeps them warm) when they're making distress sounds
These are all signs of a good broody hen.
All the best with your broody hen and her new little chicks!