Assessing the State of affairs – How broody is your hen?
The very first thing to think about is how broody your hen is presently. There are various ranges of simply how dedicated they’re to hatching out a clutch of eggs. It would be best to be affected person. I’ve plenty of hens who will sit for a day or two after which lose curiosity. I do know every has raised her degree of dedication when the feathers begin to be pulled out, leaving her stomach and keel bone space a bit bare for heat pores and skin to make contact with the eggs. Not each hen will pull her feathers, however I discover those who do are very dedicated, and in my very own expertise, it has additionally resulted in higher hatch charges.
Subsequent, I wish to pet the rooster. What number of feathers are lifting? Is she doing a little bit of a rooster growl, snarl happening? Has she been fairly intense about her job sitting on eggs no less than for just a few days? In that case, it’s time to aim to maneuver her. I’ve had the best success transferring a hen right into a darkish space in order that she feels protected. I do it at evening and transfer the bedding materials along with her if I’m ready. By protecting the world darkish, she can not see as a lot so she will not be as more likely to attempt to take off working. I’ll put her into the world first and have her settle earlier than including her eggs. This protects the eggs from turning into damaged if she flips out a bit of from being relocated.