Cackle talk: Desired brooding
In my previous Kakelpraat, I talked about breaking a broody hen, but it can also be the case that you want to take advantage of this broodiness. Because how nice is it if your hen can provide offspring in the most natural way?
Chicken talk
Health
12 June '25 • 2 min reading time
Preparation
At the moment you are convinced that your hen is indeed broody, you will take measures to ensure the brooding process goes as successfully as possible. Ideally, you should separate her from the other chickens, so she has more peace and you also reduce the chance of other eggs being laid or the brooding eggs being damaged. Choose a quiet, dark place free from predators, moisture, and drafts. Place her in a coop or pen where you set up a nesting box and provide water and feed. In the nesting box itself, place an inverted sod of grass, making a small indentation so that the eggs roll in, and sprinkle some fine hay or other bedding on top. The sod provides moisture so that the eggs do not dry out. Place the selected brooding eggs on top of this and then the hen.
Incubation Process
Under the hen, you can place between 7 and 15 eggs, depending on the size of the hen. It seems that a hen can better turn and arrange an odd number of eggs. Be critical of the eggs you want to incubate. Of course, they must be fresh (up to about 10 days old as long as they are stored properly, in a cool (10-15 degrees) space and with the pointed end down), clean (never wash eggs as this removes the protective wax layer!), and without damage.
Care
During the 21 days that the hen is sitting on the eggs, the care is simple. Ensure continuous access to fresh water and feed. A broody hen usually leaves the eggs once a day to drink, eat, and poop. She can leave the eggs without problems for up to 20 minutes. Some hens refuse to leave the nest and may need a little help. Always remove the large droppings produced by a hen, but otherwise disturb her as little as possible. A broody hen is an easy target for red mites, so treat the nesting box with Finecto beforehand.
Outcome of the Eggs
Around the 21st day, the chicks will start pecking at the eggs and hatch. Instinctively, the hen will take good care of them; she keeps the chicks warm and teaches them to eat and drink. Therefore, place chick feed in shallow dishes (saucers or jam jar lids) and special chick drinking towers where they cannot drown. Optionally, you can place marbles in the water bowl.
After the outcome
After a few days, when the chicks are eating and drinking well and the hen is taking good care of them, you can make the coop larger or let the hen with chicks roam free and fully enjoy the beautiful spectacle.
Author
Hans Krudde, June 2025
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