Hen starting the broody process

[oneoftheflock4]

Hey chicken keepers,

My hen appears to be starting a broody process. I allowed her to form a clutch and she is now sitting for hours in the morning but not yet sitting on them overnight.

I know it’s not an ideal time of year for this, but she got upset with me collecting her eggs recently, and I decided to see if she really wanted to make another go of it with a clutch. She tried last Spring and it didn’t go well.

She is more adapted to her newer environment, has a nicer nest this time around, and I’m inclined to want to support her in having some babies and expanding their flock. Also she is tired of all the attention from her roosters and more chickens might help.

Anyway, I’m hoping for some advice for helping her this time of year successfully hatch out this clutch. Any suggestions or tips to share?

Thank you

 

[Debbie292d]

I wonder if she's still laying eggs to build a bigger clutch? She could have been hiding in there since it sounds like the roosters pester her.

She should lay on them nearly 24/7 when she's ready. When she's ready, she'll pull out a lot of her feathers on her underside. Have you noticed that at all?

 

[oneoftheflock4]

I wonder if she's still laying eggs to build a bigger clutch? She could have been hiding in there since it sounds like the roosters pester her.

She should lay on them nearly 24/7 when she's ready. When she's ready, she'll pull out a lot of her feathers on her underside. Have you noticed that at all?

Thanks for your sharing some thoughts. I don’t think she was hiding from them, even though they can be a bit much and I can tell she would appreciate a break sometimes.

It seems today might be day 1 of full broody. She stayed on the nest all day, and is sleeping on her eggs (she always roosts).

 

[oneoftheflock4]

Hey chicken keepers,

My hen appears to be starting a broody process. I allowed her to form a clutch and she is now sitting for hours in the morning but not yet sitting on them overnight.

I know it’s not an ideal time of year for this, but she got upset with me collecting her eggs recently, and I decided to see if she really wanted to make another go of it with a clutch. She tried last Spring and it didn’t go well.

She is more adapted to her newer environment, has a nicer nest this time around, and I’m inclined to want to support her in having some babies and expanding their flock. Also she is tired of all the attention from her roosters and more chickens might help.

Anyway, I’m hoping for some advice for helping her this time of year successfully hatch out this clutch. Any suggestions or tips to share?

Thank you

Update: Broody hen, nest, and clutch are doing good.