Natural incubation is the simplest and most reliable way to hatch chicks, because the hen does all the work for you. Just like artificial incubation, the eggs hatch after 21 days for chicken eggs. Here is how to support your broody from the moment she sets until the chicks arrive.
Recognising a broody hen
A hen ready to brood stays on the nest day and night, puffs up and growls when you come near, and may pluck feathers from her belly to warm the eggs better. She leaves the nest only once a day, briefly, to eat and pass droppings. If this behaviour lasts more than two or three days, you can trust her with eggs to hatch.
How many eggs to give her
A medium hen comfortably covers about 10 to 12 chicken eggs. She must be able to cover them all completely: an egg sticking out from under her feathers gets cold and will not develop. Reduce the number for larger eggs or for a small bantam. Set all the eggs at once so the hatch happens together.
Setting up the nest
Place the broody in a quiet, dark spot away from the other hens, which might lay in the same nest or disturb her. A low nest, lined with clean straw and slightly hollowed, stops the eggs from rolling. Isolate the mother so she does not switch nests or mix her clutch with fresh eggs.
Water, grain and hygiene
Keep clean water and a little grain nearby at all times, so the hen can eat quickly during her short daily outing. Provide a dust bath or a parasite treatment before she sets, because mites can exhaust a motionless broody. The hen turns her own eggs, so you have nothing to do on that front.
Candling the eggs
Around day 7 and again on day 14, you can candle the eggs in the evening with a torch while the hen is feeding. A fertile egg shows a web of veins and then a dark mass; a clear egg, still translucent, can be removed so it does not rot under the hen.
Hatch day and moving them
From day 19, stop disturbing the hen. The chicks break the shell around day 21; let the mother manage, as she keeps the latecomers warm. Once the clutch has hatched and dried, gently move the hen and her chicks to a protected pen with shallow water and chick starter feed. Recording the set date, the bloodline and the number hatched helps you track your results from one clutch to the next.