First time broody hen - how can I help?

[Verykeriann]

Hello all!

I've had chickens for about 5 years now, and over that time I've had a few of my girls go broody. My last rooster had a horrible temperament, so I never let my girls stay broody. My current rooster is a sweetheart, so we decided this year that if any of the hens go broody, we'd let nature take its course. A few days ago, my salmon favorelle Peach decided she wants to be a momma, so I've given her 7 eggs and am allowing her to do her thing. HOWEVER, I overthink everything and every decision I ever make, so I would love some advice on how to make this super easy on Peach, and give her the best chance at being a mom.

Some details of our current situation (if it helps at all). Peach is 2 years old and this is the second time she's gone broody. She's fully committed, and I have a back-up plan in place in case she jumps ship half-way through. She's insisting on brooding in the far corner of the nesting area (it's separate from their covered run, and the flock free ranges a half acre everyday). I have a separate coop where she could be isolated and safe, but I tried to put her there twice and she keeps returning to the nesting area. No one is bothering her there (my current flock gets along well, no bullies). Being a salmon favorelle, Peach is fairly low in the pecking order, so I'm afraid what it will mean for her going forward :

Will she need to be reintegrated into the flock if she's absent for a few days? Will her chicks also be low on the pecking order because mom is (she's sitting on eggs from a variety of breeds)?

I'm worried about her brooding in a common area, but I'm equally worried about trying to force her to brood somewhere she doesn't want to be. Should I wait until a couple weeks in, and then move her to the other coop? One hen sleeps in there (also low in the pecking order, my sweetest girl), so Peach would have privacy without being completely alone. I don't want to risk breaking her broodiness half way through, but I also want the babies to be safe once they hatch.

Is there anything else I should do? I don't care if it seems off the wall or weird, I'm willing to try almost anything to keep Peach happy, healthy, and safe...and to give the babies the best chance at health and survival. I really, really appreciate any help that y'all can provide. Thank you in advance!

 

[DobieLover]

I have a separate coop where she could be isolated and safe, but I tried to put her there twice and she keeps returning to the nesting area.

This is because the hen grafts to the nest site, not the eggs.

my current flock gets along well, no bullies

Good!

Peach is fairly low in the pecking order, so I'm afraid what it will mean for her going forward

A broody hen is fiercely protective when the chicks arrive but because of the above comment, the mothers lower ranking status should not be an issue.

I have had very low ranking hens do fine with their chicks as I have a huge amount of room and different places for the mothers to take their chicks. I have also had an "aunt" hen that loved to watch the chicks but never went broody herself. She would also defend a broody hen if another hen went after her during her broody breaks. That is pretty typical. It is usually a few seconds to minute long scuffle.

Will she need to be reintegrated into the flock if she's absent for a few days?

No but it is much better if she can come and go during her incubation.

Will her chicks also be low on the pecking order because mom is

Absolutely not. They will each have their own personalities.

I'm worried about her brooding in a common area

As long as the common area is predator proof, it is a great place set. You need to make sure all of her eggs are marked somehow so that you can remove any errant eggs that are laid in her nest by other hens when she leaves her nest for a broody break.

Should I wait until a couple weeks in, and then move her to the other coop?

NO! That is a sure fire way to make her panic and damage/destroy the eggs.

Is there anything else I should do?

Because this is her and your first time, I would do a managed broody break daily up until day 19 then leave her alone. I remove my broodies once a day by gently lifting them off the nest and placing them on the ground. They typically tear off to go preen, dust bathe, eat and drink then head back to the nest. You want to be there during the break to ensure she gets back to the nest and settles down. After you lift her off the nest, that is when you want to examine the nest and remove eggs that are not hers.

One other thing I do before I set the eggs is I dust the mother and the nesting material with permethrin based poultry dust, just as a precaution as broody hens bathe, but not thoroughly. I will also supplement her with a daily dose of poultry cell, rooster booster or poultry nutri-drench by soaking several small pieces of bread in it and feeding it to the hen when she is back on the nest to get about 1-1.5 mls into them daily. It's a precaution to make sure she gets a little nutrient boost to try to counter some of the loss in condition she inevitably experiences during the broody process.

Please post a picture of Peach on her nest!

 

[Verykeriann]

This is because the hen grafts to the nest site, not the eggs.

Good!

A broody hen is fiercely protective when the chicks arrive but because of the above comment, the mothers lower ranking status should not be an issue.

I have had very low ranking hens do fine with their chicks as I have a huge amount of room and different places for the mothers to take their chicks. I have also had an "aunt" hen that loved to watch the chicks but never went broody herself. She would also defend a broody hen if another hen went after her during her broody breaks. That is pretty typical. It is usually a few seconds to minute long scuffle.

No but it is much better if she can come and go during her incubation.

Absolutely not. They will each have their own personalities.

As long as the common area is predator proof, it is a great place set. You need to make sure all of her eggs are marked somehow so that you can remove any errant eggs that are laid in her nest by other hens when she leaves her nest for a broody break.

NO! That is a sure fire way to make her panic and damage/destroy the eggs.

Because this is her and your first time, I would do a managed broody break daily up until day 19 then leave her alone. I remove my broodies once a day by gently lifting them off the nest and placing them on the ground. They typically tear off to go preen, dust bathe, eat and drink then head back to the nest. You want to be there during the break to ensure she gets back to the nest and settles down. After you lift her off the nest, that is when you want to examine the nest and remove eggs that are not hers.

One other thing I do before I set the eggs is I dust the mother and the nesting material with permethrin based poultry dust, just as a precaution as broody hens bathe, but not thoroughly. I will also supplement her with a daily dose of poultry cell, rooster booster or poultry nutri-drench by soaking several small pieces of bread in it and feeding it to the hen when she is back on the nest to get about 1-1.5 mls into them daily. It's a precaution to make sure she gets a little nutrient boost to try to counter some of the loss in condition she inevitably experiences during the broody process.

Please post a picture of Peach on her nest!

Thank you so much! This is exactly the help I was hoping to get The coop is completely inclosed with hardware cloth and is totally predator proof. I also have chick saver, rooster booster, and nutri-drench on hand so I'll definitely make sure she gets her nutrients. I'll post a photo next time I make it to the coop Thank you again!

 

[Verykeriann]

Please post a picture of Peach on her nest!

It's not the best photo, but she was mid adjustment and I didn't want to bother her too much. The white on the walls isn't mold, it's poultry dust from spring cleaning the coop a couple weeks ago