I have silkies that hatch various breeds of chickens. I had a small rat pull out two of the baby chicks (about a day old) and store them under the waterer before I noticed. Mom was still in her broody state and not yet awake to chase away anything. I usually keep the broody mom and the eggs (make sure she can cover all of them or take some away) and put them in a dog carrier with water and food. This still makes it sorta dark which they like and keeps mom broody. This also provides protection, my roosters ( Orpingtons) eat small chicks. All the chickens will attempt to peck the babies and if mom isn't very good at protecting they will die. Some moms usually if free ranging will leave and raise the little ones for awhile and then bring them back into the "herd" when they are a bit older. Good luck, basically keep her safe, dark and away from predators. Lisa

i REMOVE EGGS DAILY, MARKING EACH W. DATE AND PEN #; WHEN A HEN BECOMES BROODY i PLACE 12-14 EGGS BENEATH HER AND PUT HER IN A BROOD PEN WHERE SHE incubates, hatches and rears the chicks until they no longer need her body heat, then the hen goes back into the breeding pens.
24 is probably too many to cover well and they may hatch at irregular intervals. remove each as it hatches and is dried off to a brooder until all are hatched. A incandecent light bulb works fine as brooder heat/light; the bulb may be sprayed with a red or green paint made for engines; or the bulb can be rigged inside a mason jar. I keep the light bulp about 5-6 inches above their backs. Other birds may kill the chicks, keep them seperate, even the mother could kill them if she is excited and flapping/kicking around.

Congrats on the upcoming chicks! :) It's such a cool and fun experience...

I agree with what fanci & snycal said...especially about 24 being too many. She can't cover that many efficiently and the hatch would be disappointing. Plus, don't forget that she has to care for all of those babies once they DO hatch! Your better off limiting the number of eggs and getting great chicks. And marking the eggs is vital if there is any chance of other hens getting in there to lay eggs and cause confusion over which ones are the ones you are trying to hatch. :)

I would definetely give her her own space to brood, hatch and keep the chicks for at least the first week or two. Other hens can become jealous over either the nest and eggs or the chicks, and mama can't be everywhere at once. Eggs can get broken and chicks dead in the fights that ensue.

Predators can be VERY patient and clever about getting a chicken dinner, especially at night. You need to keep predators OUT and chicks IN. If a chick slips out through a small opening, mama can't get out to protect it. Your brooder needs to be STRONG so predators can't just barge their way in, either. Make plans for safe feeders and waterers (prevent drownings), too. My chicken page has a section on broodies and chicks that may help, too. :)

Have fun! :)

Velvet ~:>

Thank you all for the tips. I think I've got everything ready except that I need to take away some eggs and I don't know where to start. Should I take the ones on the outer edge of the nest? I swear everytime I look there are more. I thought maybe I'd just leave 12 that are closest to the bottom and then get rid of the rest. What do you think?
Again, thanks bunches!
Becky in WV

Well, you can certainly tell it is spring with all these broody girls. S let me ask this, will a hen get broody more then once a season. seems like I have one going broody every few weeks now. I think it must be contagious! but it seems to have made its round to them all I was just wondering should I expect it again on a hen it has already visited.

CI

Pick out the healthiest, strongest looking eggs. Remove any that are cracked or appear to have thin shells. Don't worry about where they are under the hen, she constantly rolls them so they all change positions often. :)

My hens go broody off and on, too. Right now we have SEVEN...two more went broody yesterday--Bear and Beast, a mother/daughter team! yay...and Skitters went over to The Dark Side today. Tons of running around and growling around here, very amusing. :)

Velvet ~:>

GOOD NITE IN THE MORNING. I gotta get some more hens then, I am down to about two eggs a day with two more broody girls right now. *sigh* the good thing though is the wild ones seem to be taming to my daughter because they don't want to lose their place on the nest and will let her pet them now. maybe they will stay tame after this passes.

CI

i am a newbie to this and have a hen sitting on 2 eggs. it's december and cold out so i've moved her into my mudroom into a dog crate. this room has no heat. when the eggs hatch will it be warm enough for them or should i move them into my house? also should i take the hen out to stretch once a day now? after chicks come too?

Ok, so maybe that is what is going on with my Jersey Black Giant hen. I noticed the last couple of days that she has been in a bad mood. She has been running around growling at everyone and the feathers on the back of her neck stand up when ever anyone comes near her. She was in the chicken coop all day in the same place. And when I closed up the chicken coop tonight she was sitting back in the same nesting box. There were not even any eggs in the nest, because I had picked them up. I am new to the chicken thing so I have never been exposed to a broody hen before. I dont want her to hatch any chicks. I just went a bought 8 new babies chicks. I had no idea that I would have a hen try and hatch some.

Heidi