Where did they come from???

[KettermanHillCoop]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/guide-to-letting-broody-hens-hatch-and-raise-chicks.65989/

Thanks! Good read! I've been perusing the site for information. I'm nervous as a school girl on her first date...

 

[Molpet]

that article says to take them off the nest daily.. I do not take them off.. the first 3 days they tend to stay on ...and the last 3 days they are in lockdown to keep the humidity up
I had one that would get off the nest every 3 days the whole 21 days.

 

[pennyJo1960]

@Molpet is right let her be the judge of off or on the nest

 

[OneMountainAcres]

This is a very simple thing though very intimidating the first time. When I give a broody eggs, I put a line on each egg I give her (usualy on both sides with sharpie so they're easier to notice). I don't bock the nest to keep other hens off, I just check under my broodies daily and remove any eggs that aren't hers. Mark the calender for 21 days from the set day. Right around hatch day, star watching for babies. She won't move off her nest when her babies start hatching. At this point, I DO block off the nest and add a small food dish and waterer in it for her and her babies. After about 3 days, I open it up and allow her to take them out. Good luck!

 

[pennyJo1960]

Thanks @Auroradream26 been a million years since I had a broody hatch for me
think I was all of 13 last time going back to that myself incubators are great a good broody is priceless

 

[Kusanar]

Collect your eggs as normal, leave them on your counter without washing, don't put them in the fridge or anything, then once you have the number you want her to hatch, mark all of the ones on your counter and give those eggs to her, daily, check under her, remove any eggs that do not have the mark on them, one day of being sat on will not = enough development to be noticeable, eat anything she adds after you give her the marked eggs.

Make sense? This way, all eggs are the same age (basically putting them on the counter at room temp hits pause and doesn't let them develop), and you can tell if she scoots to a different box and steals more eggs because those eggs won't be marked.

 

[KettermanHillCoop]

Okay...7 eggies are under Miss Mocha. Three on the 28th, three on the 29th and one today. I drew equators with a Sharpie as well as lableled 1 thru 7 so I know which ones went under at what time. Now...when day 21 rolls around and a hatching starts...will Miss Mocha continue to sit on the other eggs for 2 more days until they reach that 21 day mark?

Oh...and now what do I do? Anything? Or just go about my business?

 

[KettermanHillCoop]

I don't know how I missed @Kusanar 's plan to set the eggs on the counter until I got the amount I needed!!! Uggghhh....did I screw up? Should I start over???

 

[Molpet]

Okay...7 eggies are under Miss Mocha. Three on the 28th, three on the 29th and one today. I drew equators with a Sharpie as well as lableled 1 thru 7 so I know which ones went under at what time. Now...when day 21 rolls around and a hatching starts...will Miss Mocha continue to sit on the other eggs for 2 more days until they reach that 21 day mark?

Oh...and now what do I do? Anything? Or just go about my business?

wll you are going to have a staggered hatch.. she may hatch them all before she leaves the nest to care for the first ones that hatch.. or she may put the hatched ones first and leave the unhatched

 

[OneMountainAcres]

I don't know how I missed @Kusanar 's plan to set the eggs on the counter until I got the amount I needed!!! Uggghhh....did I screw up? Should I start over???

Just watch her when they start hatching. I had a broody hen that refused to leave her unhatched eggs till they were all done. A long as you provide food and water to her and her babies in the nest once they start hatching, she SHOULD be content to stay until the rest hatch. Should being the key word.