Broody hen

[Trying2keepitReal]

Looking for advice for the upcoming spring. I am planning, and hoping, for a broody hen this spring so she can hatch some eggs. I have never done chicks, ever! Lol. I don't have the time or patience to do chicks solo so hoping one of my girls can help me out.

I have floor space under the nesting boxes where I could love one to for safety of the chicks not needing a ramp but not sure if this is the best option.

I could fix her up in a dog crate in the run and then close it up for the night (like I would the coop) but is this safe enough? Our run is very safe, nothing has got in there ever, but not sure her being by herself is ok or if warm enough.
Any advice, thoughts or comments are appreciated.

Looking to add 5 to my flock this year

 

[Hinotori]

Ive only ever had co-broodies in silkies. They seem to prefer mass brooding. The ameraucana and easter eggers want nothing to do with that.

Had 5 silkie hens raising a batch of chicks once. I couldn't get near the babies. One hen would be designated to hide the chicks and the others attacked.

Silkies have a different mentality and it's noticeable in the half breeds what parent they inherited theirs from.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I do like to separate the broody hen because my other hens will keep laying eggs for her to brood...then you have all kinds of staggered hatch dates. The hen will generally leave the nest when she hatches a few chicks and I'm stuck putting the leftovers in the incubator.

 

[Trying2keepitReal]

I dont have any roosters so my ladies can keep giving her more but nothing would happen I am getting eggs from a farm down the road IF I get a broody

 

[Cecilia's-life]

I like to stick a small dog crate in the coop, but my coop is quite large.

 

[tortoise]

I have never done anything special for a broody hen, although I lost one day old chick this year that got outside and couldnt get back in. Mama was still sitting on eggs.

Dont really get to see chicks much, they hide under mama all the time.

 

[Hinotori]

I have a brooder plate if I need to raise chicks. It uses very little electricity and is fire safe. I use totes with wire tops to keep the brats in. Can just use any light source and turn it off at dusk then. Ive seen all sorts of containers used to contain them.

Usually I use a hen even if I incubate the eggs. But I have a lot of silkies so always a few broody.

 

[Medicine Woman]

I only like to be able to manage a broody by herself for several reasons. I don’t trust myself to remember to pick her up and remove all the eggs every afternoon for one thing and not all hens will accept me doing that the same way. Some will peck and start fighting. Then you might get a helper and that could be great if you catch it early because together they can each cover maybe 30 eggs if they full size hens but it could be very bad because once the hatching starts in a coop, the custody battles begin and babies can be killed in the hen fights. Ideally I like to have something that I can place in front of the nesting box the hen chose, like a movable extension cage that I can have some water and a small amount of feed for her and later the chicks. If a hen in one of my smaller stalls gets broody I just chase everything else out. Maybe I can put started pullets in there to finish out because they won’t interfere but no laying hens. If a hen finds a spot outside, hidden I might be able to drop a chicken tractor over her for safety but I have to watch the weather for flash floods.
So I read the other comments as well as yours. Even if your eggs aren’t fertile you still need to mark the eggs. The other hens will lay eggs with a broody. They don’t know their eggs aren’t fertile. You will have wasted eggs with runny yolks if they stay warm too long.
I don’t want it to sound like what all I have said is cast in stone. I have had success as well as failures. Also broodiness is kinda contagious. But there too it will be a problem when you have multiple hatch dates. You can have a hen abandon her nest and fight for hatched chicks. Sometimes if I have a hen two weeks into brooding and suddenly she has a helper plus 5 other hens are showing me they want babies as well, I might open the coop and make all other hens forage and warm up the incubator, close all broody hens in the coop and kidnap the partially set eggs and start everyone fresh with as many eggs as they can each cover. All evicted hens and roosters can follow me to an alternate stall temporary.
I guess that’s a lot.

 

[Trying2keepitReal]

I like to stick a small dog crate in the coop, but my coop is quite large.

Mine isnt too small but nothing huge by any means, lots more room in the run.

Do you leave the door open all the time or close it up? Just thinking if she needs to go potty or stretch her legs.

 

[Cecilia's-life]

Mine isnt too small but nothing huge by any means, lots more room in the run.

Do you leave the door open all the time or close it up? Just thinking if she needs to go potty or stretch her legs.

I leave it open, we just use a small dog crate. I try my best to keep the other girls out.