UPDATE...Ok so I'm letting my broody sit. I have some questions...

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

First of all this is my first experience with this and I'm pretty excited but wanted to ask some questions. First, IF the eggs are not fertile or if they happen to die and start smelling will she push them away from her or will she continue to sit on them?
Can I leave them in with the big hens or will the hens kill the chicks after they hatch? Should I move her and the chicks after hatch? Or should I move them now? Any info on booding hens would be wonderful!

Thanks!

 

[PortageGirl]

http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/broody-hens-1.html read this is my best advice, there's been several posts about this lately. I almost did a "search" for you, but you can do it just as easy I'd say... the latest threads have been in the past 4 or so days I think.

Candle em after the first 10 days or so I'd say... other than that, just read the article.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

That was a great article! Thanks for sharing that. And I ALWAYS forget about the search option

LOL I have been here for months and still forget!

 

[coolchickens]

I had my first broody hatch last Fall and asked alot of questions also. Now I just finished my 2nd broody hatch. What I learned is, is you leave the hen with other hens you probably will find they try to get into her box and lay eggs also. I had one that when mama got off, she would peck her eggs then lay her own in there, the others just sat on top of her and laid them! My broody was VERY broody so she didn't move. Some are shy and intimidated and can be scared off. I was able to move the "whole" nest box while she was sitting into a new coop/house I had built so she was not distrubed "off her nest". She accepted this fine. I noticed a lot move the hen and eggs to another place, ie, crate, etc. and then the hen gets upset and can leave the eggs. Next box I build is going to have ea. section able to lift and remove from the big hen house. Other adults "may" try pecking at little ones, so I just don't take the chance. I do candle as I want good eggs under her and to be prepared for what will hatch. If a bacteria gets into the eggs they will explode under her and contaminate other eggs. If just not fertile, then they just sit there but she may not leave the nest with her new ones if those eggs are still unhatched under her. I just had this happen and had to remove 3 eggs so she would take her babies to food & water.

 

[PortageGirl]

*nod nod* I let hens do all my hatching, don't have an incubator and let them hatch both boughten, borrowed and home grown eggs.

Just mark dates on them and then gather extras that show up after, or, at least too many days after. Most experienced broody hens will stand up to other hens though and be the better mother for it. You know your hens best, and it all depends on what kind of room you have and what will work best for you.

 

[coolchickens]

Wow,

I just read that posted website on broodies and it was wonderful! Thank you so much for making that available. It answered lots of questions for me and looks like I'm on the right road for now! Sharon

 

[PortageGirl]

Oh, you're welcome, but another member here first brought it to our attention in another thread. We're all here to help each other, and I'm the last person to want to discourage others from asking questions, but I sure wish people would do a little more searching and reading in the stickies and learning center areas.

Still, this is the time of year for broody questions, so it's not a bad thing to ask em since it's the sort of thing on people's mind this spring... Please don't think I'm upset or anything, I'm not, maybe a tiny bit frustrated is all

It's all good in the end!!

 

[Catalina]

What a great article!

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

Thanks all! you have all been a great help

I did do a few searches but coming up with mostly incubator answers. I have to figure out what to search for to find threads with hens sitting.

 

[PortageGirl]

Try searching on keyword "broody" but narrow it down by selecting only on the specific forum section for "Incubating & Hatching Eggs" in that next box down. There are some pretty recent threads already talking about it.

Also, and I apologize to most of you who know about this, but by 'right clicking' on the topic and doing an "Open in a new TAB" you won't lose your search page and you won't have to keep redoing it over and over to find that page again. (that may be very basic, but I've seen lots of peeps who forget it all the time)