So, I have this hen...

[BigM]

I finally (woohoo) have a broody hen. Here's the thing though, all of the other hens keep laying their eggs in there. I'm not sure about kicking her out of the nest in order to mark what's there and I don't want to kick her off daily to collect the new ones for fear of her giving up. What should I do?? Keeping her broody is my main priority.

[Valerie]

That's exactly what I'm dealing with right now, M. I have no answers. I'm about to just give up, let her do her thing, let the others do their thing, and toss all the eggs that don't hatch someday.

[Granny Smith]

I do pretty much what Valerie does.

[Valerie]

There's a bunch of eggs in our center nest box. I'll peek in one time and there's Dot on them. Next time I look, Alice is there. Then Rose. Finally I move Dot back over there. I sure don't know if any will hatch. At this rate, there'll be two dozen eggs in there before anything happens.

[Granny Smith]

Two dozen is about how many my old hens would have hatched - either their own or everybody's. I think, once they hit their limit, they run the other hens off.

[BigM]

Thanks ladies. I thought I was in a weird situation but I guess not! I'll just start counting the time from now and see what happens I guess.

[Valerie]

I just hope these eggs stay warm enough for anything to hatch. Although as hot as it gets in there, that shouldn't really be a problem.

I haven't figured out yet why they pick the hottest part of the year to brood. Dave says maybe it's so they don't have to sit there as much.

[BigM]

You may be right Val!! lol

[BigM]

Well crud. The eggs got knocked out of the nest and broken. (*&%^*$$@%%)

[Valerie]

Don't give up M. She might still set on some more.

[Cyngbaeld]

M, fix up a special cage and nest for miss broody hen. Put her in there with food and water far enough away from the nest that she has to get off it to eat and drink and poo. Put a setting of fake eggs in the nest. Golf balls work well. When she is setting tight on the fakes go in at night and remove all the fakes and replace them with the eggs you want hatched.

You normally won't get much to hatch if all the hens have access. Most of mine that hatch find their own private spot and threaten to kill any other hen that approaches.

[BigM]

I broke down and bought an incubator. Between the raccoons and the "bad luck" with broody hens I think this will be my best bet for now. When I get some hatched I'll try adopting them out to one of the hens.

My ladies are in a tractor so I need to devise something like you described Kim. Thanks, I'll be ruminating on it.

[Valerie]

Rose has decided she wants to set again, so she has kicked Dot off the nest and taken over. Dot found her some eggs in another nest and has taken them over. I'm just taking eggs out of the other nest for us. Rose is a better setter, and she'll run everybody else off, so maybe she'll actually hatch something. I don't really care one way or the other because I only have so much room for chickens anyway. I just let them set to make them happy.