I decided to let my broody sit on some eggs

[Cheekychook12]

I’ve noticed some of my older hens going broody and I decided to let one sit on the eggs to see what happens
I want to test out the genetics of my white barred cockerel out of curiosity, he is the only one mature enough to try and mount the hens yet
none of my hens have ever hatched eggs before so I’m also testing their mothering skills
I’m only setting a couple eggs to see if anything develops and just letting the natural process happen
Any advice for keeping hens broody?

 

[Mill Chick]

Make sure to keep us me updated on the eggs!

 

[Nym]

Broodies are the best. You don't really need to treat her much differently. My Frizzle hatched adopted eggs in her first year, and is still a fabulous mother to her two Pekin daughters. I made sure she nested at ground level in a tractor coop. She would often come out for a walk around and a dust bath. The day before they hatched, she ran screaming from the coop, much to the surprise of me and the dog lol, and started mowing the lawn like crazy before returning to the eggs. the next morning two of the cutest black fluffies were under her wing. Have fun watching your broody dote on her chicks.

 

[Cheekychook12]

Make sure to keep us me updated on the eggs!

I will, she’s only been sitting on them since yesterday and there’s three eggs so far, I gave her the third this morning from one of my other hens and she happily adopted it
Fingers crossed for some development

 

[Cheekychook12]

Broodies are the best. You don't really need to treat her much differently. My Frizzle hatched adopted eggs in her first year, and is still a fabulous mother to her two Pekin daughters. I made sure she nested at ground level in a tractor coop. She would often come out for a walk around and a dust bath. The day before they hatched, she ran screaming from the coop, much to the surprise of me and the dog lol, and started mowing the lawn like crazy before returning to the eggs. the next morning two of the cutest black fluffies were under her wing. Have fun watching your broody dote on her chicks.

She’s a pekin and I hear they are good broodies so hopefully she does her job well
I am a little worried she’ll be mean to her chicks as she’s been a bad feather picker in the past, but if she is there’s another hen I can maybe swap out for
This is my set up, and the cockerel I’m hoping for chicks from

 

[Nym]

Yes, Pekins are great broodies. Your hen is very pretty and looks very content, and your white cockeral is very handsome! It's a rare mother that will pluck her chicks.

 

[Cheekychook12]

Yes, Pekins are great broodies. Your hen is very pretty and looks very content, and your white cockeral is very handsome! It's a rare mother that will pluck her chicks.

I can’t wait to see what babies will look like, hoping I can hatch one

The white cockerel (Boris) and the hen have a smaller separate pen together because she was plucking other hens feathers and Boris was too stressed out by the other cockerels, but they seem to be a perfect match and Boris will go check on her sometimes

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Pretty couple! There is nothing you can do to keep a hen broody, she either will or she won't. You might consider investing in a small incubator in case she quits, then you can take over for her. Of course then you eill need a brooder set-up as well but I wouldn't worry about that until such time as she quits, if she does.

 

[Cheekychook12]

Pretty couple! There is nothing you can do to keep a hen broody, she either will or she won't. You might consider investing in a small incubator in case she quits, then you can take over for her. Of course then you eill need a brooder set-up as well but I wouldn't worry about that until such time as she quits, if she does.

I do have an incubator, and a brooder and heat plate I can use, I also have a second broody hen

 

[Slothinc]

Lovely girl!!! The only other thing that I would suggest is that you could incubate more eggs simultaneously.

This would help you to check fertility better, and it would hopefully ensure that if some of her chicks don’t hatch, you don’t end up with a singleton. Or if she gets off the nest or is an unsuccessful broody but you add her eggs to the incubator, then you will have more chicks to be buddies and not end up with any lonely single chicks.

Also if you end up hatching some out of the incubator, you can slip them under mama and she can raise them if you don’t want to brood chicks yourself.

Just a suggestion but if you don’t want to, that is completely fine as well. Im excited to see what happens!!!

Is this your boy that has cuckoo paint markings (at least on one side?) He is just the coolest!! Can’t wait to see his babies!