Broody Hen Thread!

[carolinasculpture]

I just gently dab dry with something like a cloth or even the soft bedding. If it is dried, I don't worry about it. I believe the less you mess with incubating eggs and the broody the better.

Timothy hay that you get at the feed store in small packets makes a great clumping poo gatherer. I will often use that on top of the nest for that purpose.

PD-Riverman is correct to be sure that food and water requires the hen to get up and take at least a step or two away from the nest. That often helps with preventing nest soiling (but not always, some ladies are less than tidy no matter what).

I've had plenty of chicks hatch healthy and fine from soiled conditions. While not preferred, the inside of a chicken coop (and the backside of a hen for that matter) is hardly sterile.

Nature has supplied healthy chicks with the bloom of the egg and then fully closed navels at hatch that protect them. It is when the navels don't close fully in hatch when omphalitis (infected navels) can set in. Industry attempts to eradicate that with sterile hatching conditions of which we can never hope to maintain.

So generally, I don't worry about anything that can't be cleaned with a dry gentle dab.

LofMc

Thank you! I did scrape some off and just left the rest.
So it seems that what I did, thinking it would help my broody, may have actually caused the problem. I put food and water within reach from the nest... I went down yesterday and moved them to the opposite side of the broody hut. Hope that helps...and that she dies actually get up and go get some!

 

[blessings6]

I was about to give up. We started with 7 eggs 3 got broke before I was able to get her seperated, then one of my 2month old pullets got in withe her and broke another one. That was a full chick but dead when I found it. So that left 3 eggs went out there this afternoon and saw 2 little chicks. I will wait a while before I go rooting around for #3.

 

[TrialandError]

I got a goofy broody gold laced wyandotte. Just started laying in February and not even a year old. I hope she doesn't quit mid way. Are broodys this young usually decent moms? I've been sick and not collecting eggs everyday and she took advantage of the situation lol. She has 7 and I marked them cause she lets all the other birds lay eggs in her box. For a broody she is docile.

 

[WildHens]

Thanks.

I think the breeds available here (Ireland) must be quite different as I'd not heard of New Hampshire Red, Buckeye or Rhodebar before. We don't have hatcheries like you seem to over there, or chicks sold in feed stores! Its all small - medium breeders or people just hatching a few in the back yard.

Searching the breeder lists I can find only one that has NewHampshire Red and they are across the boarder in NIreland. They sound like a good place though and have some of the other breeds I'm interested in but haven't been able to find. Show lines apparently.

The Rhodebar and Buckeye don't seem to be being bred by anyone in Ireland at the moment.

I have however, in searching for those, found someone who seems to have good quality L Sussex only 2 hrs away.

My current broody is doing well. Day 5 and today was the first day I've seen her choose to come off the nest. I did lift her off yesterday as I was concerned she hadn't eaten or pooped for days! When my cockerel comes over to her run when shes off the nest she rushes at him with wings outstretched! Good thing they've got wire inbetween them!

Do you have access to Norwegian Jaerhons? They great little layers and autosexing. .don't know that they extra boys would bring much to the tables, but I'd say one boy would make a good dinner for 2. Great foragers..my girls haven't gone broody yet, but supposedly they're great self maintainers and are said to go broody (I have yet to see that side tho..lol)..
Wasn't sure what traits you were looking for.. but I have several breeds and the Norwegians are my favorite hands down.

 

[WildHens]

I got a goofy broody gold laced wyandotte. Just started laying in February and not even a year old. I hope she doesn't quit mid way. Are broodys this young usually decent moms? I've been sick and not collecting eggs everyday and she took advantage of the situation lol. She has 7 and I marked them cause she lets all the other birds lay eggs in her box. For a broody she is docile.

I have a Silkie hen that just started laying the beginning of March and went broody mid April.. I pulled eggs that were close to hatch from the incubator and slipped them under her..she set on ping pong balls a week and then a week on the eggs and is about 2 weeks or so into raising her 4 babies and is doing wonderful. But not sure what differences there would be between a Wyandotte and Silkie??

 

[RachaelR32]

Do you have access to Norwegian Jaerhons? They great little layers and autosexing. .don't know that they extra boys would bring much to the tables, but I'd say one boy would make a good dinner for 2. Great foragers..my girls haven't gone broody yet, but supposedly they're great self maintainers and are said to go broody (I have yet to see that side tho..lol)..
Wasn't sure what traits you were looking for.. but I have several breeds and the Norwegians are my favorite hands down.

Its not a breed thats listed in the breeders directory on the irish fowl site which means no-one has listed that they have them. And googling for them in Ireland isn't getting me any hits, so probably not available here.

 

[RachaelR32]

I got a goofy broody gold laced wyandotte. Just started laying in February and not even a year old. I hope she doesn't quit mid way. Are broodys this young usually decent moms? I've been sick and not collecting eggs everyday and she took advantage of the situation lol. She has 7 and I marked them cause she lets all the other birds lay eggs in her box. For a broody she is docile.

My brahma went broody in December at 8 months old. She hatched me 7 chicks anf looked after them until 8 weeks old. She did have a staggered hatch for some reason so she lost the 8th chick as it was too far behind. Maybe her inexperience meant she didn't cover them as well as sheshe should? But 7/8 was good.

 

[WildHens]

My brahma went broody in December at 8 months old. She hatched me 7 chicks anf looked after them until 8 weeks old. She did have a staggered hatch for some reason so she lost the 8th chick as it was too far behind. Maybe her inexperience meant she didn't cover them as well as sheshe should? But 7/8 was good.

7/8 is amazing ♡♡ I'd take it any day..lol

 

[WildHens]

Its not a breed thats listed in the breeders directory on the irish fowl site which means no-one has listed that they have them. And googling for them in Ireland isn't getting me any hits, so probably not available here.

It's a shame it's so expensive to export/import
Maybe I'll take a vacation there one of these days and bring a couple "therapy chickens" with me..lol

 

[throwntogether]

Is it ok for me to pick up eggs and add straw to a nest when the broody hen goes to eat? She is nested behind a bush in mulch and didn't know if I needed to add straw for added warmth.