# Broody Hen



## sandeep (Aug 14, 2013)

Help please, I have my first broody hen, who is a Rhode Island crossed with a Sussex

She has been sitting in her nest for a few days, so yesterday I placed 12 fertilised legbar eggs under her, she took to them. I moved her nest into a big cage with food and fresh water available within reach, the cage was to deter the other chickens disturbing her. Now I left the cage door open today, she decided to come out, whether she was disturbed by another chicken , which is what I think, as there was another egg in the nest. I found her in another nest not the one she should have been

It's day one, and the eggs where not warm, but not freezing just cold. She is know back on them, will the eggs be ruined, or is it to early in the process to have done any damage

The fertilised eggs where fresh?

And when can I candle them to check the embryo. All help is appreciated as this is my first broody


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## chickflick (Sep 23, 2012)

I hope to bump this up, hoping someone with more knowledge will chime in. I believe since it was only day one the eggs will be fine to hatch. Can you put the cage in a quiet place away from the other chickens? When I had a broody hatch eggs, I put her in my garage so she wouldn't be disturbed.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

No, the eggs are not ruined.

I don't agree with placing them in a cage with food and water within reach for several reasons. One, she has no where to get up and do her business. That usually means the eggs are dirtied after a short time.

Second, she needs to get up and move. And placing food and water away assures that she will get up.

Look for a different way of leaving her in a nest with her eggs. I had a cage that I could set over top of a broody that was large enough to move around but did not allow others access.


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## chickflick (Sep 23, 2012)

When I put my broody in the garage, the cage was big enough for her to get up and do her business. But, yes, need to make sure she has room to get up and move around to eat and do her business.


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## piglett (Jun 21, 2012)

i built a "broody box" inside my coop

it is 4' long so there is plenty of room inside

i put 1 broody in each side & there they sit till hatch day


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## sandeep (Aug 14, 2013)

Thank you all for your advice, the cage is big enough, so she can move around and do her business, also I open the cage door in the morning and she is out for half an hour, so do her business, eat and drink, she is in the main coop, but it's away from where the chickens spend most of their day. They only return to the coop, to lay or roost

Again many thanks, I also by accident ended with another six legbar eggs two days ago, which are in the incubator, so I am intrigued , how the eggs hatch out there also 


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## piglett (Jun 21, 2012)

sandeep said:


> Thank you all for your advice, the cage is big enough, so she can move around and do her business, also I open the cage door in the morning and she is out for half an hour, so do her business, eat and drink, she is in the main coop, but it's away from where the chickens spend most of their day. They only return to the coop, to lay or roost
> 
> Again many thanks, I also by accident ended with another six legbar eggs two days ago, which are in the incubator, so I am intrigued , how the eggs hatch out there also
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Chicken Forum


can we get a picture of the mother to be?


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## sandeep (Aug 14, 2013)

This is Petra, she is getting really good at this broody stuff, I let her out first thing, when the other hens are out. She feeds and drinks, and does her business. I go back half an hour later, she follows me to her nest, I open the cage door and let her in. She is better trained than my kids and dogs lol


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## piglett (Jun 21, 2012)

i can see the RiR in her

i hope she hatches out a big batch for you


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## sandeep (Aug 14, 2013)

Thank you piglett, though I discovered one of my Orpington's has decided also to go broody, whilst her sister has started to moult, bizzare. 


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## piglett (Jun 21, 2012)

sandeep said:


> Thank you piglett, though I discovered one of my Orpington's has decided also to go broody, whilst her sister has started to moult, bizzare.
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Chicken Forum


my buff orpingtons love to brood eggs too

good luck

be sure to post chick pics once they hatch out

don't hold out on us chicken nuts


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