Broody Hen Thread!

Pics
Date sort Score sort
Ivytalon said:
My broodies never seem to stay set, until now. My Sumatran started to set on a clutch of about eight eggs. She was happy for about four days...and then my Barred Rock decided she wanted to be broody two and sat on a clutch of four eggs. The Sumatran is lower on the pecking scale, the Barred Rock is at the top. Somehow they seem to get along, except I have a few problems. 

1: They keep switching which clutch they're on. They both want the bigger clutch. If the Sumatran gets in first she will set on the large clutch and the Barred Rock will come in and set on the smaller clutch. Vice versa if the Barred Rock makes it in first. No fights break out over this, but I'm worried that if the babies make it they will have issues between the two hens.

2: My coop is raised about two feet off the ground out to the run, and I haven't moved the hens out of their nest boxes because I am afraid they will break out of broodiness. Most of my hens set for two or so days then just walk off like nothing happened. The Sumatran has been set about a week, and the Barred Rock about three days. I'm worried that if I don't move them the chicks will fall and be injured, get stuck and perish (recently had this happen to one of my big polish hens), or get attacked by the other hens. Yet I'm so frightened to move the hens. 

3: If I do move them, should the two hens be kept together in my smaller coop i have saved or should they be divided, one in the small coop one in a in-house cage?
I'm freaking out, these two have me in such a knot!
Click to expand...


I was in a similar situation as few weeks ago. I had two hens go broody at about the same time. The nesting boxes they were in had gaps at the bottom of the dividers that were big enough to fit eggs through. Each time one hen would get off the nest, the other would steal as many eggs as she could before the other got back. I only stepped in when one would have so many eggs that she couldn't cover them all.

I tried moving my girls about a week from hatching but the one got freaked out and hid next to the other (they were raised together and have always been buddies.) So I moved her back. After her first two chick's hatched, I moved her back down with the other hen. This time when she hid under the other hen, I put their eggs together along with their chicks. They both stayed in the same milk crate nest box for the next two weeks while their 12 chicks hatched. (It was a very staggered hatch. After the 2 weeks they abandoned the last few eggs which are due to hatch within the next week. Three were muscovy eggs.) One laid on the eggs while the other cared for the chicks.
 
Last edited:
Update on the bra hatching!

Last night when i was locking up the chickens i put all the chicks back in the nest and sat mum on top. I put the egg in as well, because i was worried about crushing it in my sleep, and i blocked the entrance to the next box so she couldn't leave. I just went in to let them out this morning and she's managed to push her way out the box and was on the floor again with some of the chicks, the egg was left cold in the nest again. I was worried, this is the second time she's left it and i'v found it cold. I candled it and after a few seconds of panic i saw it's beak moving slightly, so it's still alive! I'v now got it back in my bra and i'm going to keep it there till it hatches, my bra is evidently more reliable than mummy hen at this point. It's more in the air cell now too, i think it will hatch by tomorrow morning so looks like i'm going to be awake all night keeping an eye on it. This is probably going to be messy...... Cool thing though is i can feel it moving, like a baby in my tummy. The wonders of life :)
 
Last edited:
Demidog said:
Update on the bra hatching!

Last night when i was locking up the chickens i put all the chicks back in the nest and sat mum on top. I put the egg in as well, because i was worried about crushing it in my sleep, and i blocked the entrance to the next box so she couldn't leave. I just went in to let them out this morning and she's managed to push her way out the box and was on the floor again with some of the chicks, the egg was left cold in the nest again. I was worried, this is the second time she's left it and i'v found it cold. I candled it and after a few seconds of panic i saw it's beak moving slightly, so it's still alive! I'v now got it back in my bra and i'm going to keep it there till it hatches, my bra is evidently more reliable than mummy hen at this point. It's more in the air cell now too, i think it will hatch by tomorrow morning so looks like i'm going to be awake all night keeping an eye on it. This is probably going to be messy...... Cool thing though is i can feel it moving, like a baby in my tummy. The wonders of life :)
Click to expand...

THAT IS SO COOL!!! I love it. I was reading a thread on here about bra hatching from a couple of years ago and wondering at the dedication of hatching that way. Keep us updated...(I love it that you can feel the chick moving!!!)
lol.png
 
Texas4T said:
THAT IS SO COOL!!! I love it. I was reading a thread on here about bra hatching from a couple of years ago and wondering at the dedication of hatching that way. Keep us updated...(I love it that you can feel the chick moving!!!)
lol.png
Click to expand...
I know, isn't is amazing :)

The chick has now pipped! I'm sure it will be out by the morning. It's just gone 4pm here. I think i'm going to be up all night with this!
 
Disaster struck here with the broody guineas. Saturday evening early, when I was out feeding, the guinea hens set up a horrible chatter. All the dogs were in the barn eating dinner because we were going to have a fireworks show later and I wanted them where they wouldn't be too freaked out (I usually feed them in the morning). I went out into the pasture to see what the ruckus was about, and almost tripped over a 5' long brown snake about 3 ft from the nest!!! I was not armed, and by the time I ran back to the barn and got something, the snake had found a hidden pile of pallets under some mesquite that had been left out there about 3 years ago. Apparently, the serpent had taken up residence. There was nothing I could do, afraid to get bitten, so I had to leave it. I was hoping the guineas would fuss if it bothered them. Well, yesterday morning I went out and checked them, and the guineas had abandoned the nest! Only 10 eggs were left...out of about 30...and all cold. I picked them up and candled them, and only 6 had embryos, four were clear. I popped the six under the broody Australorp that I had setting two guinea eggs from that nest (removed earlier because of too many eggs). Hopefully, they are close in development. I will probably remove those that hatch early, if any hatch, and let her set the rest, then give back all. I have a separate broody cage. Still, it was really a bummer because I was looking forward to letting the two guinea hens hatch their own and maybe keep them in the small paddock where I could watch over them. Oh well. Nature had another idea.

Little bantam hen is still setting on her clutch diligently (her first time). Two more Australorps went broody yesterday (we shall see if it sticks--I mark them with leg bands so I can tell them apart when they go broody!). Think good thoughts for me...and whatever will be, will be.
wink.png
 
Okay I candled the eggs for both hens. I had to remove two of them from the small clutch, the other two are veining. The other batch of eight are showing air sacs and ... I think they're a lot more developed than I had originally thought!! It is very dark inside those eggs, I'm thinking they're maybe on day 12 or even day 14 it's so dang dark inside those eggs!! I scared off the barred rock on accident and I don't know if she'll set again, she is so fickle. These hens are driving me up the wall. I'm going to have to leave before the chicks are fully developed because of college too.
 

Similar threads

C
Two broody heans on same nest and Danger to hatching chicks. Need advice today
Replies
4
Views
665
ChicksbyGrace
C
Rare
Brahma hens
Replies
2
Views
220
Rare
Rare
Gigachad poultry
    • Love
    • Like
BROODY SILKIE HEN HATCH ALONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2 3
Replies
24
Views
1K
CoopBoots
CoopBoots
Slothinc
From incubator to broody?? Shipped eggs.
2
Replies
13
Views
456
Companihen
C
J
    • Like
Broody hen
Replies
4
Views
172
Debbie292d
Debbie292d

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom