Broody Hen Thread!

[A6chickenhome]

I'm sorry you haven't  connected with anyone yet, and sorry I can't help you. The first time I went on a broody search, I used the swap page on BYC and found my local chicken swap meet. Type in your state or location with "swap" in the search to find what is listed for your area. Then I sent out an ad to that meet group, and a very nice lady responded and sold me my beloved Silkie Oma San, who I picked up at the actual physical meet. Oma-san brooded faithfully for me every 4 months for almost 4 years until she was recently taken by a Cooper's Hawk staying tried and true as the Silkie breed is known for.

I then posted an ad on that original swap group as well as several others that I had since linked up with over the years (through that original swap group), and have just recently been gifted by a fellow chicken lover (and Silkie breeder) a beautiful faithful broody Silkie hen of 4.5 years to give her a loving forever home to do what she does best, brood.

I also, in my search, located a farm through Craigslist that sold bantam Cochins, and purchased several pullets that were out of a very, very broody Cochin momma. They are a bit of a risk for me as I do not know if they will be good broodies themselves, but the breed is known for brooding, and their momma was a very good broody, so chances are of the 2 girls, at least one of them will be a good broody for me too. I plan not to get caught flat footed without a faithful broody again but keep a "spare" broody and always be raising the next broody generation up.

I also use whatever odd hen comes into brooding during the normal brooding season (April to June), which may work out for you. I never discourage a brood if I can help it as I never know when I might need to use a hen. I've actually had good luck with these seasonal hens, several have brooded for me just one batch and then have never gone broody again, but they did a great job. It is a gamble as you never know who will go broody, and if they will stay the course, so I let them sit on fake eggs for at least a week to observe their behavior, and don't put really expensive eggs under them. I also have a plan B (either an incubator, or a brooding queen).

Good luck in your search. I hope you find your broody soon.
Lady of McCamley

Thanks you for the suggestions. Looks like posting on this thread did the trick as I have received some responses. So, hopeful?

 

[lilpeepers]

Thank you Fisherlady! This morning we have two fluffy chicks to call our own. I'm over the moon. There are a lot of eggs still to be hatched, next time I'll know to separate her right away (or get the eggs under her all at the same time). First hatch, live and learn. I was so casual about it at first, I didn't even mark the day she started sitting on the calendar. Who knew that in a few weeks I'd be a nervous wreck about the whole thing! But having two chicks makes it all worth it, Momma Stormy worked so hard!
Here is a pic, they are the tiniest things ever...I'm in love!

 

[lilpeepers]

That is the cutest thing ever! She looks very proud of her adventurous baby!

 

[lilpeepers]

All aboard the Sussex express! My week old FWM chick hitching a ride on her hatch mumma.

Sorry, I should have quoted your post so my comment made sense (noob to forum posting!

) Anyway, they are too cute, what a pair!!

 

[lilpeepers]

The above is why I have repeatedly warned about staggered hatching dates. A hen is genetically programed to get on with raising her babies after a short time hovering them to let them warm up, dry off, and recover their strength after self-birthing themselves.

Staggered hatching and a chicken keeper who can't keep their nose, eyes, and hands off the peeps is the number one and two reasons hens go insane and kill their brood with collateral damage by trying to protect them from prying human hands and eyes. This in my humble opinion is not the fault of the hen but rather the fault of her keeper. This is the second meaning of "DON'T COUNT YOUR CHICKS BEFORE THEY HATCH. It should be, "Don't count your chicks before they FINISH hatching.

I would love guidance about this topic! My situation: My silkie hen went broody, sitting in the nest box in the community coop for about 3 days. I checked under her, and she had 3 eggs. After about 4 days, I checked under her again, and she had 10 eggs! Obviously, she had been stealing everyone's eggs (We have 3 EE hens and 2 other silkie hens). At this point, I moved her to her maternity ward. Now, I've got her with two hatched chicks, and 8 eggs that show no signs of activity (no pips, movement, etc, but also heavy and clean).

So today, her chicks are about 12 hours old, and she seems restless and is preening, and seems vexed with itchiness. So either she is starting to go insane or just got mites or some other terrible thing! Being new to this whole broody/hatching thing, I assumed nature would take it's course, and she knew what she was doing gathering up eggs after starting to sit? Next time, do I remove her after she starts sitting on her first egg? Or pull all eggs out from her, put her somewhere to brood and add all eggs later?

With the eggs she has, should I take them away so she can relax and focus on her two babies? She now seems a bit peckish towards them. I have tried to leave her alone except to clean out poop and do quick checks for problems. Any opinions/knowledge is welcome...

 

[PD-Riverman]

I would love guidance about this topic! My situation: My silkie hen went broody, sitting in the nest box in the community coop for about 3 days. I checked under her, and she had 3 eggs. After about 4 days, I checked under her again, and she had 10 eggs! Obviously, she had been stealing everyone's eggs (We have 3 EE hens and 2 other silkie hens). At this point, I moved her to her maternity ward. Now, I've got her with two hatched chicks, and 8 eggs that show no signs of activity (no pips, movement, etc, but also heavy and clean).

So today, her chicks are about 12 hours old, and she seems restless and is preening, and seems vexed with itchiness. So either she is starting to go insane or just got mites or some other terrible thing! Being new to this whole broody/hatching thing, I assumed nature would take it's course, and she knew what she was doing gathering up eggs after starting to sit? Next time, do I remove her after she starts sitting on her first egg? Or pull all eggs out from her, put her somewhere to brood and add all eggs later?

With the eggs she has, should I take them away so she can relax and focus on her two babies? She now seems a bit peckish towards them. I have tried to leave her alone except to clean out poop and do quick checks for problems. Any opinions/knowledge is welcome...

Hey Lilpeepers. First thing """I""" would advise it to leave her alone----If you are tilting her/ picking her up etc----That Is NOT good for the unhatched eggs. Do not even put food where she can eat and drink while sitting on the nest. She has a staggered hatch---so she is probably dealing with alot-----do I stay on the nest and let the 2 hatched chicks die or do I get off the nest with the 2 already hatched to take care of them and let the unhatched chicks die??? I do not put my hens through that so I remove ALL eggs Every day----even under a new broody hen----Then in a couple days or so---If I want to set her I will put fresh layed--marked eggs under her. I then check her daily and remove any new eggs. Then when the eggs start hatching---all that is good will hatch around the same time. She then can bring them all the nest together and not have to worry about unhatched eggs.

Most of the time when a broody is setting----other hens get in her nest with her or when she gets off the nest to eat---and they lay more eggs in her nest----these need to be removed. To keep this from happening--- a couple days after I set her "I" will move her at night to a private hatching pen---so she is not bothered. Good Luck!

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I would love guidance about this topic! My situation: My silkie hen went broody, sitting in the nest box in the community coop for about 3 days. I checked under her, and she had 3 eggs. After about 4 days, I checked under her again, and she had 10 eggs! Obviously, she had been stealing everyone's eggs (We have 3 EE hens and 2 other silkie hens). At this point, I moved her to her maternity ward. Now, I've got her with two hatched chicks, and 8 eggs that show no signs of activity (no pips, movement, etc, but also heavy and clean).

So today, her chicks are about 12 hours old, and she seems restless and is preening, and seems vexed with itchiness. So either she is starting to go insane or just got mites or some other terrible thing! Being new to this whole broody/hatching thing, I assumed nature would take it's course, and she knew what she was doing gathering up eggs after starting to sit? Next time, do I remove her after she starts sitting on her first egg? Or pull all eggs out from her, put her somewhere to brood and add all eggs later?

With the eggs she has, should I take them away so she can relax and focus on her two babies? She now seems a bit peckish towards them. I have tried to leave her alone except to clean out poop and do quick checks for problems. Any opinions/knowledge is welcome...

10 eggs is probably too much for your Silkie, especially if they are large fowl eggs mixed in (the EE's) with Silkie eggs AND two lively hatched chicks.

I would take the 8 eggs, candle them to see how they are progressing, and put those that show development in an incubator if you want them to hatch so mom can get up with the hatched chicks. She sounds as if she is indicating restlessness and stress between the 2 hatched and those still in the shell. Most hens won't stay with the unhatched eggs but after a couple of days will simply move on with the hatched chicks abandoning the eggs....it sounds like she is about to do that.

As to the itching, she may just be preening, or about to molt (the hormones kick in a molt after brooding...Nature's way of cleaning mom up)...or she may have mites/lice as brooding hens are prone to an overgrowth since they are not dust bathing as frequently. Silkies as a breed are prone to overgrowth because of their unique feathering. If she does have mites or lice, you can dust her with permethrin poultry dust. It won't hurt the chicks. Dust her using an old nylon filled with the poultry dust and "powder puff" her under her wings and at her vent generously, and a puff or two on her back. The chicks will pick up dust as they run through her feathers. Lice and mites can drain baby chicks very quickly.

As to future protocol, when my broodies begin to show brooding behavior, I let them sit on "dummy eggs" for a few days to be sure they are indeed contemplating brooding. I then move them into the broody hutch with the dummy eggs at night and let them settle for a day or two. THEN I put in the real eggs I want hatched so there is no risk to my good (and often expensive) eggs being abandoned and no risk of others tromping on them or laying additional eggs and confusing things. I don't like to disturb my hens or precious hatching eggs regularly fishing for eggs out from under them daily. I try to avoid ever having to move a broody and her developing eggs as well as over handling developing eggs. I do all the moving with the dummy eggs (either throw away eggs or golf balls or ping pong balls), and once she is set in the broody hutch, she is set. I check on her daily for food and water (actually morning and evening), which I do put within a step or two from the nest so my very faithful broodies will remember to eat. (They do have to get up to walk to it, but it is within easy sight of the nest...useful for chicks as well.)

Over time I have set up a permanent broody hutch with attached fenced run covered with hawk netting so that my designated broodies are in it 24/7. They live there all the time. I only move out the chicks when they have grown enough to integrate into the main flock after mom has fledged them. (The flock has beak to beak access to see the chicks as they grow, which helps with integration later). I do this because I have a large fowl flock and lots of hawks...my regular broodies are banties who get NO respect from the flock, and are tasty tidbits for the hawks (who tend to leave the larger birds alone)....but this is my set up.

The important thing is to move the hen with dummy eggs and settle her in the broody nursery THEN put in the real eggs. I choose to keep them totally separated as I have never had luck with communal brooding...eggs get kicked around, others lay additional eggs that skews the hatch dates, so I marked, but.it is always the marked ones that seem to get tossed on the fringe as the hen tries to sit on too many....I've just had too many issues with communal brooding so I do designated area only.

My 2 cents
Lady of McCamley

EDITED TO ADD: if it is lice/mites, don't forget to treat the bedding as well...cleaning out the old and thoroughly dusting the area before adding new bedding.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I would love guidance about this topic!...

PD-Riverman's advise is spot on. But also remember that baby chicks come into this world with their own lunch pail in the form of a yoke sack. There should be enough egg yoke remaining in the yoke sack to tide a chick over for 72 hours.

If all of the yoke is not absorbed by the chick and they drag their yoke sack through all the filth in a chicken pen you will be looking at chicks with infected navels and there really is nothing that you can do for that.

I don't know what is going on with your hen that makes her poop in the nest. Any sitting hen worth her salt will set for about 3 days then leave the nest for a little while in order to eat, drink, maybe take a dust bath and of course empty her bowels. You should also see (and smell) the pile of poop that she deposits at this time, it is truly impressive. If you must clean the nest daily it sounds more like another hen or two is roosting in the community nest with your brooding hen and using the natal nest for a latrine. Which bty is another good reason to have single stand-alone nest with a top, then the entire nest can be carefully picked up and moved to a new location, box, nest, eggs, straw, hen and all in the dark of the night without disturbing or alarming the hen.

The "itchiness" sounds like your mother hen is itching to be about the business of brooding chicks, and she may just quit the nest at the most inconvenient time for both you and any un-hatched chicks. I like my hens to be in a cool dark place while they are hatching out their eggs. I find that this helps prevent problems with hens quitting the nest in order to squire around the first chick or two that hatches.

 

[abserbean]

Do you guys ever use old english game bantams as broodies? We have one pullet, she hasn't even started laying yet, but I had read that they can be a very broody breed. I just don't see how she could, she is so tiny, and not fuzzy like a silkie. Maybe she could cover one or two large fowl eggs? I'm just curious, we obviously aren't there yet, just wondering at your experience!

She is 16 weeks, so I know she will grow a little more.

 

[lilpeepers]

Hey Lilpeepers. First thing """I""" would advise it to leave her alone----If you are tilting her/ picking her up etc----That Is NOT good for the unhatched eggs. Do not even put food where she can eat and drink while sitting on the nest. She has a staggered hatch---so she is probably dealing with alot-----do I stay on the nest and let the 2 hatched chicks die or do I get off the nest with the 2 already hatched to take care of them and let the unhatched chicks die??? I do not put my hens through that so I remove ALL eggs Every day----even under a new broody hen----Then in a couple days or so---If I want to set her I will put fresh layed--marked eggs under her. I then check her daily and remove any new eggs. Then when the eggs start hatching---all that is good will hatch around the same time. She then can bring them all the nest together and not have to worry about unhatched eggs.

Most of the time when a broody is setting----other hens get in her nest with her or when she gets off the nest to eat---and they lay more eggs in her nest----these need to be removed. To keep this from happening--- a couple days after I set her "I" will move her at night to a private hatching pen---so she is not bothered. Good Luck!

Appreciate this input! Next time I get a broody I will take all the eggs out from under her straight away. I didn't think of that, and it makes sense. I definitely have not been tilting her or picking her up! I did tap on one egg that was at the edge of her feathers - and it peeped and that was reassuring!