Sneaky hen snuck off to go broody. 12 days along. Break or raise?

[Skyleen13]

I’ve got a Swedish flower hen that recently snuck off & disappeared. We looked everywhere for her for 3 days with no luck. Then suddenly she showed back up at feeding time! We just thought she had been hiding from all the cold weather & snow. Then she disappeared again for a further 4 days before showing up again. At that point we were pissed because she kept pulling a Houdini and getting out of the run. (Turns out she’s figured out our lock & can undo it!) Well yeasterday we found her & her nest inside an old metal crate we had on the property that my uncle use to use for his sled dogs kennels. She had undone the lock & squeezed inside. Made herself a nice little nest in there with old dried leaves. Complete with 15 eggs! All hers by the look of it. I candled a few and they ones I did all look to be around the 12 day mark.
Im worried that with snow on the way that her babies might not make it. These will be her 1st clutch she’s brooded. I live in Bend, OR so the snow here can get quite deep. I do have a smaller coop with an attached run that I can put her & her babies in once they hatch. It’s covered & the coop part is really nice & warm. If we decide to let her hatch these babies we plan on locking her in the crate with food & water so predators can’t get at her. Then move her into the small coop.
I just would like some advice on if I should allow her to become a momma or not. My 2 roosters she could’ve been with are my salmon faverolle or my pure Swedish flower rooster we call sunny. Could be beautiful babies.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

If you don't want babies, break. If you move her during broodiness, she might break on her own. Once they hatch, you can scoop them all up and crate them safely

 

[Skyleen13]

If you don't want babies, break. If you move her during broodiness, she might break on her own. Once they hatch, you can scoop them all up and crate them safely

Good point.

 

[aart]

I'd move her now, regardless of whether she might break.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I'd feel a bit bad for breaking her since the eggs are already developing (that's not helpful, I know!)

You do need to fix your lock though, if a chicken can get out, then any number of predators can get in.

 

[HumbleAmerican]

I'd close the crate every night until she's hatched out. Then move the lot of them into an enclosed area.

My broody hens choose the bottom nest boxes so far. Luckily enough.

 

[Angel07]

If you want chicks, let her hatch them. If you don't, break. But make sure predators can't get to her so yeah, shut the crate.

 

[Mrs. K]

I think she is succeeding, and I would leave her be. However 15 eggs are a lot to cover, but it they are developing, leave them be. They definitely won't make it if you break her. She knows more about being a chicken and raising babies than we do.

What has happened when I moved a broody, is that she liked where she had picked better and I lost the clutch. I just let my hens do what they want, where they want. I had a hen hatch out in the fall, and nearly immediately it got incredibly cold, and the chicks did just fine.

I seldom have a fall hatch, but this year, I had two, and on this forum, there seems to be a lot of hens with this notion.

Mrs K

 

[3KillerBs]

She knows more about being a chicken and raising babies than we do.

And excellent point.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I just would like some advice on if I should allow her to become a momma or not.

This it totally your decision to make. It doesn't matter what I would do, my wants, goals, and preferences are different form yours. It's what you want that counts.

Broodies can hatch and raise chicks in winter. There are some differences in really cold weather. I'll link a thread where Aart did it, she documented it well. You might notice at the end where she didn't think she'd do it again. But she was successful.

http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/947046/broody-in-michigan-winter

Sometimes things happen. Chicks might get separated from the hen. The hen may be off the eggs for some extended period so they cool down too much. In warm weather that's not a big deal, in truly cold weather that could be a disaster. In cold weather the risk is higher just because things can happen and the consequences can be higher. That does not man you will lose chicks, just that it's more likely.

The 15 eggs bother me. After they hatch the chicks grow fast. Before too long all of the chicks won't be able to fit under her if a bunch hatch. In Arkansas I had a hen go broody in late winter, nights were still below freezing. Instead of the normal dozen eggs I usually give a broody hen I only gave her 8 eggs so she would be able to cover all the chicks when they were 2 or 3 weeks old if they all hatched. Only five eggs hatched and she was able to raise them all, but the number of potential chicks was something I considered. If a lot of the 15 hatch you may want to raise some of them in a brooder yourself. Are you willing to do that if the need arises?

You can get all kinds of different suggestions on whether to move her and when, I'll stay out of that.