# Broody hens



## Jeremysbrinkman (Jul 12, 2012)

Could you potentially extend the broodiness of a hen? By that I mean hatch more than one set of eggs. Say let her hatch 2-3 eggs and then just as they hatch remove them and give her a new set to hatch? 


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

You risk the possibility of depleting her so much she'll die. 

Broodiness is hormone driven and its a finite time period. First hormones cause them to lay eggs for a time, then broody hormones kick in, chicks hatch, hormones change to rearing chicks.


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## Jeremysbrinkman (Jul 12, 2012)

So I got to tell you guys little Moma lost her first set of eggs due to poor engineering on my part, they all fell out of the nest and broke by the two week mark, so I quickly put 4 more eggs under her and fixed the nest box, it no longer moves or tilts forward. She is now at two weeks of sitting on on her second batch of eggs. She has been broody now a total of 4 weeks. She is due to hatch on Easter, I am glad I went ahead and took the chance she is such an awesome little broody. I can expect 2-4 chicks to hatch. They will be an EE mix and not hers but that's cool too! I hope she go broody a second time this year so that I can get some of her own babies from her. She usually sits 3-4 times per year. 
I know I took a chance and didn't listen to advise but she is doing great and will be broody for a total of 5 weeks this time.


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## piglett (Jun 21, 2012)

i "sneak" my broody hens into a dog crate just before the eggs are due to hatch
i move the nest 1st then the hen
here is the trick
do it at night with only a small flashlite
if done by day or with too much light in the coop
she may give up rite there on you
so you have to sort of trick her

the large dog crate gives the hen & soon to hatch chicks protection from the rest of the flock
once the chicks are a couple weeks old you can then open up the door so the broody can get out some to run around
the chicks will follow & should be ok
problens can happen...... like the chicks get outside & can't get back in the coop so they end up dead
so i try to weigh what the broody needs with what the chicks can handle 


good luck


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## Jeremysbrinkman (Jul 12, 2012)

Ok if you folks haven't realized little Moma hatched her eggs yesterday. She sat for almost two full months on eggs to get some chicks. I am very proud of her. If you want to see her babies they are in the Easter hatch along thread. She actually fell for the extended broody period to get her babies.


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