Broody hen...

[Chicks Galore3]

So I stumbled across a broody hen in the long grass this evening as I was putting away chickens. I have no idea how long she has been there. I am conflicted between letting her hatch or not. Is it too late in the season? If I decide to let her hatch, should I move her indoors? I had a hen hatch completely outdoors earlier this summer. (Unbeknownst to me until she came parading across the yard with babies in tow.)

 

[bobbi-j]

You're the only one who can decide if you want to let her hatch or not. If you do let her, do you have room in your coop for extra chickens this winter? If you move her, you may risk breaking her broodiness. But - letting her hatch out in the grass makes her vulnerable to predators. If I left any of mine outside to hatch, they'd never make it. Too many coyotes, coons, skunks and other critters. If you have a good, draft-free coop, the chicks should be feathered out enough by winter. For the first few weeks, mama will keep them warm.

 

[Folly's place]

She's happy where she is, but it's dangerous for her, especially at night. If you can move her with her eggs, at night, to a safer location, not with other hens, that would be best. Maybe a very large airline crate at the site? Fencing around her? Something? Good luck to her and her babies! Mary

 

[azygous]

Is this broody part of your flock, or a stray? If she belongs to you, of course bring her inside where she won't be picked off by predators and storms.

You do run the risk, if she's begun to incubate eggs, of her abandoning them if you move them. Therefore, you may need to confine her for a couple days on her new nest until she adapts to the new location.

 

[Chicks Galore3]

I tried to move her into the barn, in a separate pen, and she absolutely would have none of it. It's been three hours and she won't stop pacing, and the eggs are now strewn all over the nest. How long can they survive without her sitting on them, or do you think they're already done for? I have another broody I could put them under if Mama doesn't calm down.

 

[varidgerunner]

Mine hatch outside and raise chicks well into October. Usually a predator gets the eggs and the hen gets away, which would mean you lose the eggs. If there is a predator.
Extreme care must be given to moving a broody hen as there is a good chance they will abandon the eggs. They pick out a good safe place, and usually consider any spot you move them to as substandard. The biggest threat to the success of a broody hen is other chickens, that is why they pick a spot off the beaten path.
If you are set on moving them, you need to put a five gallon bucket in their spot, with nesting materials and their eggs in it. Do this at night and then leave them alone until she settles in the new nest. After a couple days, if she is still on the nest, you can put a lid on it and move her at night. She has a much better chance of staying on the eggs if she is still in her bucket. You need to have a decent sized enclosure to move her to, free from other chickens. All moving must be done at night, once she settles on her still warm eggs, most will accept what you did. You can't change too many things at once. For instance, you can't move them to a new nest, with a new location with different eggs all in one move. It can be done, but must be done in stages.

The way it works, a hen lays an egg in a nest, one a day for ten or more days. If she accumulates enough to set on, it is out of the path of predators. Most predators will be drawn to the rest of the flock, and the food that they might have left over.

 

[aart]

I tried to move her into the barn, in a separate pen, and she absolutely would have none of it. It's been three hours and she won't stop pacing, and the eggs are now strewn all over the nest. How long can they survive without her sitting on them, or do you think they're already done for? I have another broody I could put them under if Mama doesn't calm down.

It will take her awhile to calm down, give it at least 24 hours.
it would be best to start with new fresh eggs anyway to avoid a staggered hatch.....
.....if you really want her to hatch.

 

[Mrs. K]

I have never had luck in moving a broody. I do like the idea above, if you have to move her. I currently have one sitting on eggs, and one thinking of the notion. I did have a broody raise 4 chicks, in an October hatch, 2 weeks later we had a terrible cold spell, and she brought them through, at -10 below. I did follow advice on here, and I soaked grain to help them get enough water.