How to Hatch Eggs Under a Broody Hen

Got a broody hen? The first hatch with a broody hen can be nervewracking, but don’t worry, we got you! In this post, we share our best practices for hatching eggs under a broody hen, so you can set your hen and her chicks up for success from the start.

​How to Know if Your Hen is Truly Broody

Hatching chicks under a broody might be one of the sweetest chicken keeping experiences you’ll have. And it can save you a lot of work. No need to monitor an incubator or raise chicks by hand, because mama hen will take care of all that.

But before you slip those fertile eggs under your hen, make sure she’s truly broody and in it for the long haul first.

Nest check: The surefire signs of broodiness are a hen who is suddenly in her nesting box constantly (quite likely on a clutch of eggs) and who pecks or growls when you attempt to touch her or collect eggs. 

Chest check: To be sure, check her underbelly. If she has a naked, featherless patch of skin on her chest, that’s a broody patch. Broody hens will instinctively pull out their own feathers to keep their eggs warmer through direct skin contact.

Poop check: Still not sure? Take a peek at her poop. Broody poops are extra smelly and are large and loose. This is because a hen’s physiology changes when she goes broody so that she can remain on her clutch of eggs as much as possible. Broody hens typically only leave the nest once or twice a day to poop, eat, and drink.

Got a grumpy hen with a bald spot and noxious poops who doesn’t want to leave her nest box? Congratulations, you’ve got a broody!

​How to Source Hatching Eggs for Your Hen

​When it comes to sourcing hatching eggs for your broody hen, you have a few options.

From your flock: If you have a rooster in your flock, your eggs are most likely fertilized and can be given to your broody to hatch. You can spot check for fertilization the next time you crack eggs for breakfast. Fertilized eggs have a tiny bullseye on the yolk, while unfertilized eggs have an irregularly shaped dot.

From a breeder: If you’re interested in expanding your flock’s genetics, or bringing a new breed into the flock, you can purchase hatching eggs from a small-scale breeder. This depends highly on availability, as you’ll want to give eggs to your broody within days of confirming she’s broody.

From a small farm: If you strike out on our first two suggestions, you might try what we did the very first time we had a broody: find a local farm selling eggs for eating and ask if their eggs are fertilized, or if their hens are kept with a rooster. This is a particularly great option if you aren’t attached to hatching a particular breed of chicken.

Not from a store: While some specialty grocery stores might carry “fertile” or local eggs, don’t put these under your hen. They are highly unlikely to hatch due to their age and time in refrigeration. 

However you source your eggs, just make sure they are less than a week old when you place them under your hen. The older the egg, the less likely it is to hatch. Hatching eggs that are a week old or less is a good rule of thumb.

You should also check that each egg is clean, well-shaped, and without cracks or damage.

To check for cracks, we recommend using an egg candler. Its light will help you see tiny cracks that wouldn’t otherwise be visible.

What does ‘well shaped’ mean for an egg, and why is it important? Misshapen eggs can interfere with a successful hatch, as the chick will be more likely to be malpositioned in the egg. 

Your hatching eggs should have the classic egg shape, with one end smaller and more pointed than the other (the exception being eggs from breeds such as the Marans, which are known to lay rounder eggs than most chickens) without being overly elongated.

In addition, don’t give your broody overly large eggs. You know, the ones that are so big they might contain a double yolk. Incubating these eggs is widely considered unethical, due to the increased likelihood of hatching conjoined twin chicks which will almost certainly require culling if they hatch.

​The Broody Box

​Before you place the hatching eggs under your hen, she needs a secure and quiet place to do her broody business: the broody box.

A broody box allows your hen to do the vulnerable work of incubation with minimal disturbance (such as other hens who share the same favorite nesting box), and keeps her chicks safe from other chickens, predators, and pets during and after the hatch.

Many different containers will work for this purpose, as long as they are predator proof and in a secure space.

Some ideas for a broody box:

• An secure, enclosed space or crate placed within your main coop 
• A small DIY or prefab coop big enough for a couple chickens
• A box like this one designed specifically for broody hens
• Your old chick brooder, if you’ve raised chicks before
• A crate or even a cardboard box, as long as your space is secure and predator proof!

What to put in the broody box:

• Water: In a chick-size waterer. Perfect for one hen and safe for babies
• Food: Since your hen isn’t laying, you can give her chick starter.
• Bedding: Hay is preferable, since pine shavings can be a choking hazard to young chicks.
• Dust bath: a small dustbath, if you can fit it, will help prevent lice and mites.

​How to Move Your Hen to the Broody Box

​You’ve got the eggs. You’ve got the box. Now you just need to move your hen without breaking her broodiness. 

The best way to move a broody hen is to do so under cover of night. She will be far more relaxed and slightly disoriented in the dark, which will help her settle down on her new hatching eggs quickly. She’s far more likely to go right to sleep after the move, and wake up feeling like the broody box is home.

Here are some other best practices for moving a broody hen:

• Let your hen be broody for a minimum of 2-3 days before moving her.
• If possible, use a flashlight with a red light (thought to keep chickens calmer) or a low light setting. 
• Move her slowly and smoothly while getting the job done quickly. 
• Carefully and gently slide her eggs beneath her before leaving.

Once you’ve moved your hen, give her a day or so to settle in without disturbance. When she’s settled on her eggs, a quick daily visit is all you need to maintain her space until hatch. Give her fresh food and water and remove her broody poops while disturbing the bedding as little as possible.

How to Support Your Broody Hen and Chicks on Hatch Day

​Chances are that the hatch will go smoothly, but it’s still good to be prepared to step in and assist if needed.

On hatch day, I do my best to leave mama hen alone. Even though it’s tempting to keep peeking under her to see how the hatch is progressing, try to resist this temptation! You don’t want to disturb or discourage your hen from keeping those eggs warm and cozy.

During the hatch, keep an eye out for your hen giving up on her eggs last minute, or rejecting a hatched chick. If you have them, it’s a great idea to have your table top incubator and/or chick brooder plate plugged in and ready to go. That way, should your hen give up early on any eggs that seem to have potential, you can pop them in the incubator and possibly still hatch them. Likewise, having a brooder plate warmed up will help you rescue a rejected chick if necessary. 

Once the hatch is complete, if your hen allows it, examine each chick for any abnormalities or health issues that need attention right away, such as splay leg or pasty butt.

Continue to clean the brooder space daily, and supply fresh food and water. Your broody should teach her chicks everything they need to know, like how to drink, eat, and forage, and look out for their safety. In the days after the hatch, I like to make sure that our broody is attentive in these ways, and make sure that the babies are settled in with her each evening.

In Conclusion...

Congratulations! You’re now ready to hatch chicks with a broody hen. It’s a tender, sweet experience that will also save you a lot of labor. Not only that, but you’re giving your hen and chance to follow her maternal instincts–something not many chickens get to enjoy.
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Tell us about your broody hatches–do you have any tips to share that we didn’t cover here?

If you enjoyed this post, check out our complete guide to broody hens.