Broody Hen Thread!

[fisherlady]

My broody hatched one chick. The chick is a cream legbar. None of the other eggs hatched. Mamma is taking good care of her and showed her how to eat and drink today. I am wondering if I need to go get another baby chick to put with them or will my single chick do okay with just Mamma. Has anyone ever had this happen? We have 9 other year old hens and some 8-10 week old chicks. We have never hatched before. I know having one in a brooder isn't good and he/she would be lonely. But what about one being raised by a hen?

They don't seem to notice they are alone when with the broody, when I feel bad for them is when they are weaned from the broody they normally hang with their siblings for a few weeks as they get used to flock life, without any siblings they will be alone during the transition period. Some seem to fit in ok, others tend to remain a bit isolated even into adulthood.
I try to have 3 in a group so they have more socialization as they are growing up. Each flock is different though, and it depends on your coop space and if you intend to keep it or sell it later on also.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

My broody hatched one chick. The chick is a cream legbar. None of the other eggs hatched. Mamma is taking good care of her and showed her how to eat and drink today. I am wondering if I need to go get another baby chick to put with them or will my single chick do okay with just Mamma. Has anyone ever had this happen? We have 9 other year old hens and some 8-10 week old chicks. We have never hatched before. I know having one in a brooder isn't good and he/she would be lonely. But what about one being raised by a hen?

I agree with fisherlady, a broody with one chick does very well. It is during transition back into the flock that the lonely only seems to be a bit lost....unless you transition broody and chick back into the flock while momma is still tending to chick. Then momma can really help with the transition.

That can be a bit of a tough call as you don't want to introduce the young chick too early into the other flock members as momma will be re-introducing herself too, and that can make for a few shuffles that can be dangerous to young chicks. I found around 2 to 3 weeks of age to be a good time. Most hens are still pampering their chicks then, and the chicks are large enough to endure some quick foot work if momma has to scuffle a bit with a nosey hen. With older chicks, momma is close to fledging them (usually from 4 to 6 weeks), so they have to integrate on their own often with momma snipping at them as she wants them to be on their own. That can make for some hazing from the flock.

It all depends on how mellow your other girls are. Some flocks barely whisk a feather at the newcomer, others can be quite aggressive. (Having a rooster really helps with that, I've found out).

Getting another chick as company can help if you decide to integrate the chicks together into the flock as older pullets...but getting that foster to graft with the hen can be a bit tricky as feed store chicks often don't immediately bond with the new hen, and having the competition from the other chick can make it even harder for the new chick to bond. Also, momma can view the new chick as an intruder and protect the hatchling. So then you end up buying 2 chicks in case they don't bond so that you can brood them together and you still have a lonely only with the broody.

All to say, I've had it work and I've had it not work (and got stuck heat brooding when I didn't want to).

If you've got a mellow flock, momma and baby may do very well integrating together.

My thoughts.
LofMc

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Well...never give up is all I can say.

Olive is still lovingly tending to her foster child while Splash momma hasn't thought twice about her hatchling....and it is AMAZING to watch the easy, easy integration into the flock with the rooster. I have no fear that this lonely only will have any integration issue...it is already part of the flock as it sleeps in the coop with the rooster (on the floor with Olive momma) and they forage during the day with rooster watching...there were only a couple of tussles in the beginning with several dominant hens that the rooster squelched very quickly, protecting broody and chick. (Have I mentioned I love my Bernard the Barnevelder?)

And those eggs that were thereby abandoned by Olive? Left cold several days in a row having been sat upon sporadically as Olive took over the abandoned chick?

I picked the eggs up and set them under my 2 banty broodies, who had just settled into good broods, and after a week, today, yup, one chick has hatched on day 20 and my Silkie is mothering it already...my other bantam Cochin is sitting on the other egg....both are clucking lovingly to the eggs and chick even though the banties are technically only on day 10 of their broods...but they just came off broods with grow outs (less than 6 weeks of age)....I think these gals just love to be mommas.

The other egg doesn't show any sign yet of pipping, but when I candled this week I saw definite movement in both.

So another CCL/Barnevelder chick is hatched...and has a very clear head dot, so likely male (bummer).

I'm still hopeful the first CCL/Barnevelder is female as the "dot" is the merest whisp of white on the head.

I'll see if any sexlinking is occurring with these pairings. I've got 2 CCL's that came from 2 different strains, so I'm not sure what the genetics may show.

But no matter....I got 2 healthy chicks with the musical nests thus far.

We'll see if number 3 hatches tomorrow (Cal Grey/Barnevelder which makes for a nice backyard black sexlink).

Grow outs are doing well...the very first of my Barney chicks...a lovely black sexlink pullet, who looks like she may be getting close to lay, and a lovely red laced pullet, hoping for a terra cotta egg from her...her mother laid gorgeous clay pot colored eggs...really hoping Barnevelder genes will kick in to make something special in this layer.

So many options....so little time.

LofMc

 

[WildHens]

The Fluffy Butts have started to arrive! The fluffier one, closer to Mom - Chubby, hatched last night. My youngest daughter said she found a open blue green egg. So I imagine that was from Chubby. The smaller one, Nicole, hatched early this morning - by 6am, my daughters were telling me we had 2 chicks. Chubby likes to climb on Mom. Both have feathered feet, and are yellow legged. The eggs Ramin hatched 2 years ago, all had black feathered feet, 2 had the 5th toe. Hank was the daddy of all those chicks. Hank & his brother Cotton, both have black legs and feathered feet, their Daddy was a pure Silkie (all black). What I am trying to figure out is, I had 2 Easter Egger eggs, I tossed one out last night, it was ice cold, and no sound coming from the egg. Ramin has had that egg to the back side of her for over a week, if I saw it out from under her wing, I would push it back under her. Guess she knew it was not good. Because Nicole looks like a chipmunk, could it be that Lollie's Mama was a Easter Egger? (Questions, questions, more questions) 2 eggs were Lollie's - she is half silkie and half not sure (had Buff Orph, New Hampshire Reds, Easter Eggers and Buckeyes, when she was born) I know the Mama of my head Rooster & his brother, was a Buff Orph, I saw the eggs they came out of, and they were a totally different color from the NH Red and Buckeyes.. And the last 2 eggs were Ramin's. Just waiting to see what happens in the next 24 hours, because I am not sure if all the eggs were set at the same time. Ramin went broody on Sunday April 10th, and was in the corner of the coop, till Tues. night, April 12th, when I moved her inside. And Lacy & Star were both trying to lay eggs on top of Ramin, Monday & Tuesday, but they are both Easter Eggers, and those eggs are now done. Ramin is still on lock down, will shift, and turn, but has no desire to get up yet. But she knows she still has eggies under her. So I now await the fate of 3 more eggs!

I dunno if anyone answered you or not..but based on my (very little 4 or 5 years worth) experience both EEs and parti Silkies hatch with a chipmunk pattern.. since the Silkie I saw mentioned was black, there's a chance that he or she could throw partridge when crossed with something else. They do resemble EE in body markings more so than Silkies but with feathered legs and feet I'd say they will be adorable no matter what ♡♡

Red(gold) Partridge and Silver Parti Silkie chicks

Chipmunk pattern EE.. (no clue what 'color' bc it's still a baby)

 

[fisherlady]

We had 2 hens hatch out broods last Thursday, got a few pictures yesterday while working out in the chicken yard.

And one young rooster who was doing his darndest to convince the hens he had found the bestest brooding box ever!

 

[WildHens]

We had 2 hens hatch out broods last Thursday, got a few pictures yesterday while working out in the chicken yard.

And one young rooster who was doing his darndest to convince the hens he had found the bestest brooding box ever!

I have a dog that thinks she's all the chicken's mom..u should see her when someone starts the egg song and everyone joins in..she doesn't know who to 'save' first and just paces panicking. .
I have a splash Polish who goes around trying nests out for all the girls every day..

 

[RachaelR32]

I dunno if anyone answered you or not..but based on my (very little 4 or 5 years worth) experience both EEs and parti Silkies hatch with a chipmunk pattern.. since the Silkie I saw mentioned was black, there's a chance that he or she could throw partridge when crossed with something else. They do resemble EE in body markings more so than Silkies but with feathered legs and feet I'd say they will be adorable no matter what ♡♡

Red(gold) Partridge and Silver Parti Silkie chicks

Chipmunk pattern EE.. (no clue what 'color' bc it's still a baby)

I don't know that much about EE chickens, but I thought that a crossbreed from a blue/green egg would be an EE. The chicks of mine that hatched from blue eggs were black, not chipmonk.

 

[WildHens]

I don't know that much about EE chickens, but I thought that a crossbreed from a blue/green egg would be an EE. The chicks of mine that hatched from blue eggs were black, not chipmonk.

I've hatched black chicks as well from blue and green eggs, but dad was usually a brown egg layer breed.. they grew up to be a lavender color and both laid light blue or greenish eggs..
I don't think all EES have to be chipmunk patterned.. EE to me just means something that lays a different color egg than say brown or white..the chipmunk chicks all seems to have the tufts of feather around their ears or are bearded. .the ones that hatched black never had anything like that tho..more body style of a production bird over an Americauna (know that's spelled wrong)

 

[WildHens]

I hope that ^ made sense. Lol.. it did in my head, more so than in actual words :\

 

[irishsilkie]

I put chicks under this broody an hour ago and she pecked abit but should she be fine this is her now

She's making a soft clocking noise now should I take the 9 chicks out or has she accepted them as her own?