Broody Hen Thread!

[sophies hens]

We have a buff that has wanted to brood for a long time and decided to let her. We put her in a space alone. Her rooster sits by her with his other two hens. Do we do something different if they actually hatch?

 

[WildfireSmitty]

We have a buff that has wanted to brood for a long time and decided to let her. We put her in a space alone. Her rooster sits by her with his other two hens. Do we do something different if they actually hatch?

I have a Buff O sitting on eggs as well, I have done it a few times in the past. I find the best thing to do is let nature do it's thing. Leave em alone, she will teach them everything the need to know. Just mark her eggs, and make sure the other hens don't lay under her.

 

[chicksurreal]

30 weeks is 7 1/2 months old...a hen is sexually mature (laying eggs) around 4 to 5 months old...so no, she is not too young to go broody.

Only time will tell how serious she is, ie whether she will stay the course for 21 days...but Dark Cornish make good broodies so she likely has the genetics.

Leave her and see what happens.

LofMc

Good to know, thanks! I will leave her and see what happens. She was off the nest this morning when I went out to let everyone out, but the eggs were still warm and she went back in pretty quickly. There was a fairly large pile of poo a good distance from the nest that I think belonged to her.

 

[frizzylizzy2003]

we've been breaking my hen for 10 - 14 days!!!!!! what do we do!!!!?????? she is 18 months this is her second time - first time we got 13 fertille eggs - and we don't want more chicks if we dont have to

also she is austra white are they hard to break?

 

[aart]

we've been breaking my hen for 10 - 14 days!!!!!! what do we do!!!!?????? she is 18 months this is her second time - first time we got 13 fertille eggs - and we don't want more chicks if we dont have to

also she is austra white are they hard to break?

We gave you some solutions here on your thread:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/956489/my-chicken-is-broody-again#post_14997803

 

[hmbrown05]

I have a first time broodie who has only one egg that has developed. It is due to hatch tomorrow. I don't like that it will be a lone chick even if it is with a hen. It ends up being perfect timing because the feedstores have chicks, but I don't know when I should try and sneek the other babies under the hen-before this egg hatches tonight or the evening after?? I worry if she senses chicks before this egg hatches she may abandon the egg and not let it hatch before moving off with the chicks (saying she accepts them...), but that if I wait she may balk and be less likely to accept the other chicks. I know it is a chance either way, just looking for some guidance for someone who has grafted chicks before. Also some recommendations on how many to get-the broodie is a leghorn x bantam conchin and about 4-5#. She has been an excellent brooder so far-I very rarely see her leave the nest, so I am fairly confident she will be a decent mom esecially considering she was raise by a good broodie herself, but am prepared to brood them myself if needed. Thanks for any advise!!

 

[sophies hens]

We are about half way through and Miss Broody as we call her only comes off the nest a few times a day to eat drink and stretch. We'll tell you we hat h add ppens

 

[WildfireSmitty]

I have a first time broodie who has only one egg that has developed. It is due to hatch tomorrow. I don't like that it will be a lone chick even if it is with a hen. It ends up being perfect timing because the feedstores have chicks, but I don't know when I should try and sneek the other babies under the hen-before this egg hatches tonight or the evening after?? I worry if she senses chicks before this egg hatches she may abandon the egg and not let it hatch before moving off with the chicks (saying she accepts them...), but that if I wait she may balk and be less likely to accept the other chicks. I know it is a chance either way, just looking for some guidance for someone who has grafted chicks before. Also some recommendations on how many to get-the broodie is a leghorn x bantam conchin and about 4-5#. She has been an excellent brooder so far-I very rarely see her leave the nest, so I am fairly confident she will be a decent mom esecially considering she was raise by a good broodie herself, but am prepared to brood them myself if needed. Thanks for any advise!!

Be careful you may bring in any foreign diseases/bugs. Or the opposite. The chicks might pick something up. I have tried it, the hen rejected them and it looked as tho she felt they were a threat to her own little ones. I'm sure there are many people who have been successful with it. IMO I would be careful.

 

[ShockValue]

So this morning I went down to do an egg check on MsBroody. She's stripped her underside bare of feathers.

Things are getting

 

[16 paws]

I have a first time broodie who has only one egg that has developed. It is due to hatch tomorrow. I don't like that it will be a lone chick even if it is with a hen. It ends up being perfect timing because the feedstores have chicks, but I don't know when I should try and sneek the other babies under the hen-before this egg hatches tonight or the evening after?? I worry if she senses chicks before this egg hatches she may abandon the egg and not let it hatch before moving off with the chicks (saying she accepts them...), but that if I wait she may balk and be less likely to accept the other chicks. I know it is a chance either way, just looking for some guidance for someone who has grafted chicks before. Also some recommendations on how many to get-the broodie is a leghorn x bantam conchin and about 4-5#. She has been an excellent brooder so far-I very rarely see her leave the nest, so I am fairly confident she will be a decent mom esecially considering she was raise by a good broodie herself, but am prepared to brood them myself if needed. Thanks for any advise!!

I think if it were me I would wait till the chick hatches and then that same night or next night if she hatches at night,
*I would slip the new babies under her when all was quiet and still.
*Make sure none of the others in the flock can bother them. Its good if they can see them but just not touch.
*Then first thing just before daylight hits I would go to the coop and observe how she is with them.
*Just make sure the new chicks are not more than a couple days old.
Good luck!
Marie