Update on Broody Hen and a few questions

from Ohio Hi Rafa CONGRATS ON THE BROODY HEN! When my hen went broody I sectioned off her nesting area, so that she & her brood had complete privacy & security from the others in the flock. I used chicken wire for the dividing wall. That way, everyone is still in contact visually. PM me, if you'd like

 

from sunny South Florida! And congratulations on the broody hen too!

It really is ideal to keep the broody separate from the flock, to keep them from disturbing the hen, adding their eggs, and possibly breaking some in the process. Either put her in a separate place or make a barricade. If she's low on the pecking order & you want her to maintain some contact with the flock then keep her there & make a barricade.

After dark tonight you can try & clean out her nest box a bit more thoroughly. It may not need deep disinfecting, but scrape out any egg goo, put in new straw & scrape any crud off the eggs. I wouldn't try to wash them, just remove the main part of the gunk. The hen will clean herself in her dust bath.

Some hens are able to defend their chicks from other adults, and some chickens are more tolerant of other's chicks. But to be safe it's best to keep the Mama hen & her chicks separate from the flock, at least until they've gotten some growth. The hen may be ready to leave her chicks anywhere from 4-8 weeks and you'll need a place to finish raising the chicks afterwards.
Let us know when they hatch!

 

Welcome!

Sounds like this one is a good candidate to separate from the flock while she is on her nest. I personally like letting the hen raise the chicks with the flock, and it sounds like you have a good rooster that would help her, but if the hen is wimpy, there are certainly risks in that. I'd be nervous in your case.

These threads may help you in your decisions and give you a few pointers.

Isolate a Broody? Thread
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=213218

Raise with flock? thread
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=215937&p=1

Good luck!!!

 

I have a hen on 16 eggs. If hens had 'lockdown' then she would go to lockdown tomorrow. They are due in four days. Usually I section off sitting hens but everyone left her alone so there is no enclosure around her nest box on the floor in the coop. Tonight I'll move her into a dog crate and put fencing around her for the hatch. I leave it up until the hen takes the chicks off the nest and appears to want to take them 'outside' with the rest of the flock which is usually in two or three days even though there is food and water in the little enclosure. Then I clean the crate of eggshells and unhatched eggs and put in fresh shavings. Then the hen will take them in at night to that crate to sleep until she decides they are old enough to be on their own...the last two hatches that has been at about six weeks. Then she won't go into it anymore although they continue to do so crying and peeping plaintively.

 

Mine sat on her eggs with the flock for most of the time and we moved her the day her eggs hatched - they hatched on the 20th day. She was fine and has been a great Momma. I have her in the brooder coop and the lower area where she can bring her chicks below is fenced but she can see and interact with the other chickens. They were all very very curious. My three non broody pullets were actually the layers of the eggs she hatched. The chicks are now about 2 weeks old and growing like weeds. She still makes the broody sounds and keeps her peeps close. I guess I should not be soooo amazed that nature kicked in and she is the perfect Momma. It is much much easier letting her raise the brood rather than me keeping them in the bathroom. I have more chicks coming on Aug 2 so I am hoping I have a broody to raise them. My other girls are wanting to go broody but I have been preventing them by finding their illegal egg stashes and removing eggs promptly.
Caroline