My broody hen is the only one left. Will she be ok?

Hi everyone. Yesterday was a bad day. I arrived home to a mass execution. Putting together the evidence, it seems we have at least 3 coyote pups (seen together on trail cam) that decimated my flock while they were free ranging in the middle of the afternoon. The only chicken that didn’t get taken was my broody hen, Minnie, who was in the nest boxes. She has been sitting on 3 eggs for about 2 weeks now. I’ve left her locked in the coop and run and she’s safe, but she’s by herself. I know chickens aren’t supposed to be alone, but since she’s broody and barely leaves her nest, will she be okay until her chicks hatch? Will the chicks be enough for her when they do?

I can try to find someone with grown chickens, but that doesn’t sound like a good idea to me, because Minnie wouldn’t know those chickens and there could be fighting or disease issues.

I was just hoping for some advice or wisdom from someone who may have gone through something similar. Thanks

So sorry for the loss of your hens. That's the worst feeling in the world.

As far as your broody goes, she should be fine. I've isolated broodies for the duration of their hatch for various reasons, and they've never seemed bothered. It's definitely not uncommon for a broody to squirrel away in isolation and hatch a clutch of her own volition, haha. Sometimes, I see people selling a hen and her clutch of young chicks as a starter flock. As long as some chicks hatch, you should be fine. If they don't, you might want to see about buying a couple babies and popping them under her.

Best of luck to you!

Thank you J.

I’m so thankful to still have one hen and her 3eggs that were viable at last check.

I’ve always left my Brodie’s in the nest box until about a week before, then move them to a large modified wire dog crate(bottom cut off and a cast off piece of hardware cloth secured around the bottom 12”) or our “chicken playpen” which is like a tiny enclosed coop and run that’s 2’x5’. However, I still place it in the coop. I was trying to minimize their stress in being away from the flock.

Your advice helped me make my decision. I’m probably going to move her next to my house in our chicken tractor and electric fence and have a portable nest box in the back. I actually did that with my first batch of hen raised chicks and that hen was Minnie.

I published my started reply to J above because I was writing it and got interrupted.  A tree came down across the driveway at the farm. We went down to clear the tree and about 10 minutes later, we realized there was a chicken there! One of my Black Australorps survived!!! Her name is Combs.

Poor girl must have run and couldn’t find her way back. She doesn’t seem to have any injuries. I brought her back to the coop and gave her some scratch grains and watched her get water.

Minnie came out of the nest boxes and seemed to be picking on her, but went back to her nest after a while. Combs seems a little lost.

Now the question becomes will Combs be ok by herself with only Minnie who’s always on her eggs?

Your broody hen may be fine on her own, but it's important to monitor her well-being. Broody hens tend to become protective and stay on their nest, even if there are no eggs to hatch. Ensure she has access to fresh water, food, and a safe, comfortable environment. Observe her behavior for signs of distress or illness. If she seems healthy and continues to eat and drink, she should be okay. However, if you notice any concerning symptoms or a decline in her condition, consult a veterinarian who specializes in poultry for proper guidance and care.

Jennifer, have you considered that if Combs survived, you might have other hens hiding out there? Do you have a bucket or container that you tend to carry treats in? I'd take it and carry it and call your girls and walk through the forest and other areas - call a bit, then stop and quietly listen in case anyone clucks in return. We have thought we'd lost birds before, but if you don't have a corpse to prove it, the bird may have scattered into hiding.

If Minnie's been on eggs for two weeks already, she's only got 1 week to go. If you can contain her so that Combs and she can talk to each other, and so that Combs can see Minnie and the babies after they hatch, I'd expect Combs will be OK. She may need a little extra human attention for a while, but she won't die of loneliness in only a few weeks.  In a sense, she may need you to be her flock for a while! Long term, yes, she will need chicken company, but I've had to isolate chickens for over a month when they've had an injury that resisted healing, and they managed.

Singular Chicken, the only hen who survived the otherwise complete destruction of my flock several years back, turned up about a week after I had dealt with the loss and started to make plans for moving on.
She would show up every day to hang out with me and our dog at the time, spending time doing chicken things while I worked and wandered the yard and the dog did doggie stuff.

Chickens are adaptable critters and will make the best of a bad situation if given a chance.
I hope things worked out for Minnie and her chicks and that your flock is doing well, no matter how small or what the make-up of it might be.

I had pretty much the same disaster strike 3 weeks ago - a hawk decimated my flock. Only my 12 week pullet Snow and a hen Beauty survived. I locked Snow into a sauna for want of anything better at the time. Beauty was roaming free alone for a week. Food disappeared. An egg appeared every day. But we did not see her!
My son finally caught her. Both were shaken after the ordeal, but recovered quickly.