4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[sugarplum]

hi

 

could anyone give me advice on hatching eggs by a broody chicken.

 

do i have to remove her from the eggs each day and if so for how long and how many times a day???

 

thanks

 

X

[Scooby2]

I moved my broody off the the nest morning and evening and made sure she had something to eat and drink. When the chicks hatched I let her do it in her own time but did give her food and drink whilst she was sat on the chicks. She seemed to appriciate the water as it was when we had that hot spell.

 

She was soon up and moving once all the chicks had hatched and dried.

 

Not sure if how what I did was correct as I am a newbie to keeping chickens.

[Griffin]

I'm moving Tiger Lily off once a day for a comfort break otherwise she doesn't bother. I know this because I check for poo! She's barely eating anything at all which is a worry but I've now decided to get her up and out for a few minutes before everyone else gets let out in the morning. She's very set in her ways and will only eat from the same feeders as everyone else, not on her own in her run

[Egluntyne]

I moved my broody from the nest once a day for about 15 mins.

[Chook n Boo Mum]

I moved Buffie of every evening if she hadn't got up herself, so she had a feed & maybe a dustbath too...she drank loads every evening too. I put food & water in the eglu for her to snack on during the sitting hours too.

 

Make sure she does eat though....I made the mistake once the babies arrived of letting her take the lead & she fed the Bufflings beautifully, but didn't eat herself so in effect was starving herself...................last week was hell in a chook coop as she was so ill....she's on the way back up now thankfully, but with a slightly impacted crop which is going down over time...I'm terrified of upending her incase I drown her whilst the babies still need her, I'll do that job once she's lost interest if it hasn't cleared on it's own

 

Good luck....I take it you have considered the fate of any boys......?

 

Sha x

[teri]

i was lucky with my broody and i didn't need to lift her off the eggs as she popped off herself for about fifteen minutes every morning and afternoon without any trouble. she was in a rabbit hutch in the bedroom section that had a little archway leading to a bit of an indoor run. i left her food and water away from the bedroom which may have encouraged her to stretch her legs. i know others have left food within reach of the broody so she can get it whenever she wanted. (i'm not really sure if either way is right or wrong, i just know it worked with beauty.)

personally i'd keep an eye on her for a couple of days and see if she decides to move herself before you intervine.

[Moozle]

I found that once I moved my broody out she would still be in too much of a trans like state to bother feeding and watering, the only times she moved herself out were the times she ran around like mad trying to do everything as quickly as possible. I think they are all different and if the broody showed no signs of moving herself you could try. Their metabolic rate does slow down a bit like semi hibernation so they do not need as much as you may think though it is important to make sure they are not somewhere where they might overheat.

[abwsco]

I lifted mine off each day as otherwise she just sat there. She didn't alwyas eat or drink but usually pooed and had a dustbath. As she didn't always eat or drink I made sure that she had some tinned sweetcorn with water in front of her at all times. I even fed her from a teaspoon some days.

 

The only thing I would say is not to disturb her for the last three days before the eggs are due to hatch.

[sugarplum]

thanks everyone you have been really helpful.

 

hopefully we should hear cheeking in 18 days as on sunday we got some silkie eggs and i no everyone always says about cokrals but i dont mind if we get some as silkies are so sweet anyway!!!!

 

[The Dogmother]

I turf the mother off twice a day for a few minutes, pop her in the other end of the run so that she walks past the fod and water on her way back to the eggs.