Well one of my girls went broody

[They Call Me Pete]

I'm tired of kicking her off the eggs so I'm letting her have the three she's on. Why stop mother nature. I'm going to mark them so I can tell if others are adding to the three though.

 

[bufforp89]

you should just seperate her, thats what I do. I have an old wooden toy box with a hinged lid and thats where all my broodys go. I have already had one broody hatch this year and another is on eggs now. What breed are you hatching out?

 

[mulia24]

it's good, some people having trouble to get rid broodiness from hen when some having trouble to get it.

keep an eye for her.

 

[debbie.h]

I have a broody and she is in "her" nesting box. I will move her to a nice corner in about a week because the box will not hold her and the biddies, if all eight hatch. Last year she had two clutches, each being with three biddies.

 

[They Call Me Pete]

Quote:
She has a RIR, Americana, and 4 white wynadottes . I made a box around the nesting box she's in. I moved her but she left the eggs in new box and went back to nest I took her off so I moved everything back

 

[daquilajmd]

I want my hens to go broody. I have a rooster so . . . I know all the eggs I've ever cracked open have been fertilized and we want them to have chicks this spring. Is there something I need to do to make them brood or will one or two just start doing it on their own? Our chickens are a year old and are great layers. I have one black sex-link, one seabright bantam (large for a bantam) and five golden comets (I think that's what they are). All lay brown eggs of varying shades. One is laying an almost white egg. Don't know which lays which eggs. And if one of them goes broody should I just leave her alone? I've heard they won't even get off the nest to eat or drink. Is this true? Will I have to take the chicks away or will mom protect and raise them? We let ours out to free range most every day.

 

[They Call Me Pete]

Nothing special to do. She just sat on them around Sat./Sun and I got tired of getting pecked so she can have them. She's in a 2x2 ft area with wire on the top/solid sides in front of the nest box with food/water inside. I'll make it bigger or move her when chicks arrive. She knows what to do from here on out.
1) once broody leave her to do her thing
2) water/food should be available(even if they chose not to use it)
3)mom knows what to do with her chicks
Hope this answers your questions and just do some searching around on here. Some really awesome info

 

[daquilajmd]

Thank you, to "They Call Me Pete." I have another question. We gather the eggs every day of course, but do they need to be left there at some point to give one of the hens a chance to set? I understand there has to be a clutch of eggs and one of the hens will decide to try to hatch. We sooooo want chicks this spring!

 

[They Call Me Pete]

Quote:
No, she'll just find them and plunk down. I went to collect Sunday afternoon and she was sitting in the nesting box. I went to collect them from her and she started pecking me so I left her alone. Good luck

 

[Garden Gal]

Thank you, to "They Call Me Pete." I have another question. We gather the eggs every day of course, but do they need to be left there at some point to give one of the hens a chance to set? I understand there has to be a clutch of eggs and one of the hens will decide to try to hatch. We sooooo want chicks this spring!

If I understand your question, you are asking if you should NOT collect some eggs for a while (at some point) in hopes of encouraging a hen to go broody. I have two broody hens as we speak, and for one of them this is her second "batch" - each time the hens simply went broody all on their own, THEN I added some more eggs under them.

You'll know when one is broody because she just decideds to sit on a nest and will be there all day, all night, then the next day, etc... She will hunker down and fluff up real big if you go near her.

Although the bad part of a boody hen is you don't get to pick when you want to hatch more eggs, it sure is a heck of a lot easier than incubating on your own!!