[Rosemary]

Had a broody hatch 3 chicks today, with a further 3 dead that she has squished.

I think the broody coop is too small but I also wondered how many eggs a broody should be given. I gave her about 9 or 10 but maybe this is too many?

Can anyone help?

[Marches Farmer]

Depends on the size of the broody and the size of the eggs.  I generally give large, soft-feathered fowl around 9 but prefer not to use the standard triangle shaped broody coop.  In the past I've rigged up everything from a calf-dehorning crate to a water tank as a broody coop.  I also use shavings as bedding with just a few wisps of straw for her to arrange as a nest - chicks can easily get tangled up in a forest of bedding in a small space.

[Birdie Wife]

That sounds about right, but it depends on the size of the egg and the size of the hen. I would give my bantam Australorps about 5 or 6 normal sized hens eggs and up to 12 normal eggs for a normal sized hen. She's maybe been a bit clumsy when turning the eggs - is she a new mum?
 
(cross posted with Marches Farmer! Great mind sand all that  )