Expecting Chicks

[Fast-Frog]

We only got our chickens about 3 months ago as 16wk old birds. When they got to 20 weeks they all started to lay, but after about 2 weeks one of them started to exhibit signs of being broody. I figured this was strange as everything I have read suggests that it is unusual for young hens to become broody so quickly. As we weren't completely sure she was actually broody, we didn't catch it as quickly as we could have done and it got worse and worse, so I decided to buy some fleaBay eggs and let her hatch them out.

I've divided the nest box in two, and the other 2 hens lay their eggs in the unoccupied side as usual while the broody one sits on her eggs - so far, this is not a problem. My calculated catch date is the 9th June and last night I candled them to check what was going on. I'm pretty sure 2 eggs are not fertile but i've left them in (marked with a X so I can check later), but I think the other 4 are.

I'm interested to know if anyone else has experienced broodyness with such a young hen?

Assuming she hatches at least one live chick, at what stage will it start to venture out of the nest box, and at what age should I expect it to start eating chick crumbs. At the moment I physically lift the broody hen out of the nest box and make sure she eats, craps and has a drink before letting her back to sit on the eggs (about 10mins usually), should I stop doing this once they hatch or will she start to look after herself a little more - don't want a dead hen!

Your experiences are appreciated!

Cheers

[JulieSherris]

Hi FF, our broody maran that we got last year had not long been laying when she turned broody - the breeder didn't use his hens to hatch & prefers incubators, so she was a freebie.

We use both ways - if a hen or duck goes broody, I let them sit & hatch, but I have a constant stream of eggs & chicks through the incubator as well. What I do, is let the chicks hatch & leave them in the incubator for a good 24 hours, or at least overnight.
They get moved into their little boxes then & are given chick crumbs & water straight away - I pick the chicks up & just dip their beaks a couple of times into the crumbs or water - that's it, they know what to do!

With the broodies, I make a bowl of feed up mainly of chick crumbs with some pellets in for the mum, but the mum will eat crumbs for a few days with no ill effects. The young chicks will be on their feet & running about as soon as they are dry after a few hours, so make sure there is no huge drops from the nest box & keep an eye on the other birds in case of bullying as well.
Usually the broody mum will keep the chicks underneath them & protect them from the other birds, but she only has so many eyes & can only be in one place at a time. Is there anyway you can section the new family for a week or so while they concentrate on growing up & settling in? I made a broody box - literally just a wooden box with a door that opens into small run with a 2nd door. The whole thing is just 3ft long, 18inches high & a foot wide - nice & compact, it's just right for the hatchers & our muscovy duck has decided that after 2 weeks, her babies are big enough & has now moved them all back into the main chick house - about time too, because our 2nd broody muscovy is about ready for her eggs to hatch now!

Good luck with them - enjoy!!

[Fast-Frog]

Thanks Julie, i'll see if I can make them a temporary house/run.

[red]

i never lift my broody off the nest. i just offer them water and food nearby -t hey seem to know what they are doing :)

[Fast-Frog]

Well, none of my eggs hatched - two were clear, but the other 4 had chicks in varying stages of formation. I can only guess that they were damaged in transit...
Anyway, the good news is that the broody hen is no longer broody - she is out with the others round the garden..unfortunately still not laying.

How long does it usually take a hen to come back into lay?

[Millymollymandy]

About 10 days to 2 weeks.