Some info for a total novice please .....

[Ginky]

Ok so i appreciate you have prob seen a million threads like this and i am sure it wont be the last but here is my situation..

My son is autistic and has a love for animals all he wanted for Christmas was some chickens so we got him some dont get me wrong this is not a "Chicken is not just for Christmas" situation we love them the whole family does they live in a chicken coup out in the front yard and wander around all day happily part of the family we have 2 Peking Hens and one Cockrel (Bruce Lee) and recently i noticed one of them not coming out of the coup this was on the 20th April and she really didnt like us getting close to her so i did some research and of course she is sitting on eggs 6 of them.

This far from being a problem is really quite exciting for us but i have a few simple questions for now that if you could help me with i would be very gratefull, We have plenty of room for more chickens and i feel it would be a wonderfull experiance for the whole family to indulge in.

1. She gets up maybe once a day and has a wander about i guess for food and water but should i be providing food and water inside the coup where she can get access day and night at present once they go to roost we close them in until early morning if i should as a matter or normalailty i can do this the farmer we got them from suggested we shouldnt but it kinda makes sence to give them access to water at least 24 hours a day.

2. The coup we have has a ramp that the chickens run down in the morning and climb at night much like the one in the image attached, and she is sitting on eggs upstairs in the coup how would that work if she has chicks hatch? i guess i would need to move mother and chicks out into a another coup or run? if this all goes well we will need a bigger coup i know.


3. I guess i shouldnt move her or the eggs until after they hatch?

4. Do i need to bring them indoors once they hatch?

5. Do i need some form of heating lamp or special equipment?

I wont ask a million questions now i am sure there is plenty of advice on the forum i can read through once the chicks are with us i just felt that some peronsalised information might help put my mind at rest.

Thanks in advance and sorry if this has all been asked a million times before.

 

[wamtazlady]

She does not need food and water put in the coop. It is perfectly fine for her to go outside to stretch her legs and eat. The eggs will be fine for the rather short time she is off the nest.

Would probably be best to separate her and the chicks from the others for a couple weeks. Mom usually protects the chicks but you don't want one of the big chickens to hurt a chick. Your set up is too small for you to fence off an area for you to separate her from the others while she sits.

I would leave her where she is. You might want to mark the eggs with a pencil. Sometimes another hen will lay an egg in that nest. You don't want different hatch dates. If another eggs gets laid in the nest, take it out.

You do not need to bring the chicks inside. They will be fine outside with mom.

No need for heat lamp or any special equipment. Mom supplies all the heat the chicks need. The chicks will run around eating and drinking. When they need warmth they run under mom. My broody has hatched and taken care of chicks in temperatures below freezing.

You will need chick crumble. Chicks need different nutrition than grown chickens. It will be okay for mom to eat that food while she is taking care of the little ones.

A little warning for you. Hens do not always do well the first time they brood on a nest. Occasionally one will brood for a week or two and then give it up.

 

[Justso]

Starting around now you can start to candle the eggs to see if any are viable. I suggest getting the most powerful flashlight you have, you can cup your hand around the egg and the top of the flashlight in darkness. Note that sometimes hens will go broody even if the eggs are not fertile.

 

[Ginky]

Thank you so much for your replys, and i appreciate the warning. I think the experiance good or bad will be a healthy one .... if at first you dont succeed and all that stuff.
She is off the nest maybe onc a day for about 15 mins (that we notice), so i can touch and mark eggs hold flashlights to them while she is off etc without her then rejecting the nest?
Would i be better leaving well alone and just letting her do her thing?

 

[Justso]

You can go ahead and pull an egg out from underneath her at night when it's dark. If it were my hen, I would check to see if there is any development going on. You're not likely to break her broodiness. I lift up my broody hen once a day to grab eggs that others have laid in her nest.

 

[Ginky]

ok so we had a look at a few of the eggs and there is definatly something going on and from what we can work out in about 7 days the eggs should hatch, do i leave her where she is with the other chicken and Bruce the cockerel until they hatch? will the other chicken not hassel the chicks? we have made a seperate area for mom and chicks when (If) they hatch how long should i leave them before i move them?

 

[Ginky]

Just a quick update, dunno what I was worried about mother hen had it all in control 3 eggs hatched when I checked out the rest none of them were viable so all good. Thanks for the advice!