Broody Hen Thread!

[SIMZ]

Our third broody of the year is happily raising 4 Black Copper Marans! They became available and I decided to see if she'd take them to raise. She did and it's working out perfectly for me!

My two other groups of chicks are going into the main coop at night all by themselves. There was quite a bit of drama on the first night that I made them, but after that it's been fine. The older group's mom comes down off the roost and sits with them in a nest box at night. The other hen still lets her chicks hang out with her during the day at times. I always thought the ending of the hen/chick relationship was much more abrupt then this. I guess I didn't pay attention.

 

[Texas4T]

My BA hen hatched 2 guinea keets yesterday, and the banty hen hatched 2 banty sexlinks. So last night, I moved the banty to a broody pen (picked up her whole nestbox) and popped the two keets under her as well. I put the unhatched eggs under the BA hen, who didn't seem to realize anything hatched. Lets see how a banty raises keets AND chicks together!

 

[chicksurreal]

Two of our Dark Cornish broodys were in the same coop together when the chicks hatched and I watched one broody kick the chicks out of her nest as they hatched and the other one get them to go under her. Weird. Now one girl has three chicks and the other has none.

 

[ceceuu]

I have eight hens of 7 different breeds/varieties that were one year in March. Got my first broody third week of June - Black Marans. I let it go for a week just moving her off the nest whenever I could to try and get her to eat and drink. Put her on roost after dark. After about 1.5 weeks I separated her out into a very large bird cage The cage floor was positioned about 5 inches off the floor. She had water and food. The first day after a few hours I (a Thursday)I let her out and she ran outside to be with the other ladies for a bit and then headed back to nests for brooding. Second day (Friday) let her out and she ran for the nest box. The evening of the third day (Sunday night at dusk) I noticed she was eating quite a bit. The morning of the 4th day she continued to gobble up food and when we let her the other girls out for recreation she started throwing a huge fit. So we let her out too. She ran to be with her friends and never returned to the nest box!! This was last Monday and still no eggs, but she is engaging in normal activity with no hint of broody.

 

[Henrybetta]

Hi, I posted a couple days ago, and was given the advice to relax and remove fake eggs, well I did! Tomorrow I thought, was supposed to be day 21 but I just went out to the coop and there was at least one baby in there! So exciting!

I am wondering, my broody is in a wire dog crate in the coop. The chicks won't be able to reach our hanging feeder for a while. Should I just give it a day and open the crate for her, and put some chick starter in there for them? How does it work having them in a crate in the coop like that? Will they continue using it as a nest until they're older?

 

[aart]

Hi, I posted a couple days ago, and was given the advice to relax and remove fake eggs, well I did! Tomorrow I thought, was supposed to be day 21 but I just went out to the coop and there was at least one baby in there! So exciting!

I am wondering, my broody is in a wire dog crate in the coop. The chicks won't be able to reach our hanging feeder for a while. Should I just give it a day and open the crate for her, and put some chick starter in there for them? How does it work having them in a crate in the coop like that? Will they continue using it as a nest until they're older?

Some folks put a creep feeder in.....an area with fencing that the chicks can get thru but the big birds can't get into, put a chick feeder and waterer in there.

Or feed the whole flock a starter feed with a second lower feeder(and waterer) for the chicks.

A couple days after hatching is done and when mama brings the chicks off the nest..
.......just open the crate door and mama will protect them from the flock and they will probably all go in there to sleep at night.

 

[16 paws]

Some folks put a creep feeder in.....an area with fencing that the chicks can get thru but the big birds can't get into, put a chick feeder and waterer in there.

Or feed the whole flock a starter feed with a second lower feeder(and waterer) for the chicks.

A couple days after hatching is done and when mama brings the chicks off the nest..
.......just open the crate door and mama will protect them from the flock and they will probably all go in there to sleep at night.

I feed the whole flock a starter feed where the chicks can get to it as well. I let the flock free range in the afternoon so I keep mama and babies in a sectioned off space so they can still see the flock and be right next to them but they cannot get out to free range for a while. We have a lot of predators and I think a hawk may snatch them up. I have a lot of bantie chicks and they are so small so they have to wait a bit to have range time with mama.

 

[S5apiotrowski]

Do it at night, VERY sneakily. Do not give them to her all at once, but one at time.If she accepts the first one, wait about twenty minutes and add another, then twenty minutes and add another. From then on, you can give them to her closer together. Just be VERY SNEAKY. She likely will not get up if you add all those chicks as long as the last one does not take too long. You can get her to stay on the nest for a lot longer if you give her food and water on the nest for herself and the babies and give her enough room to use the bathroom a few inches from the nest that you clean up. I have kept a hen on the nest for five hatching days doing this. When I keep her on longer, I usually sit by the nest and act her midwife/servant. I get her to understand that I am a friend in this. I have not had a hen freak about me helping her, and you should not either if you are slow and smart about it.

I appreciate the advice!

My first Broody had busted/attacked eggs about day 3. We lost a couple more eggs about day 10 (busted - not sure if exploded or attacked). Today is day 14 - I candled tonight and removed 3 more. There are 7 left - of those 2-3 are pretty questionable. I was excited to see the nearby Southern States Coop got chicks this week and will get one more shipment next week. I am very suspect we will hatch ANY eggs and I was hoping to get a few day old chicks to try to satisfy my Broody's mothering instincts...

 

[Henrybetta]

I feed the whole flock a starter feed where the chicks can get to it as well. I let the flock free range in the afternoon so I keep mama and babies in a sectioned off space so they can still see the flock and be right next to them but they cannot get out to free range for a while. We have a lot of predators and I think a hawk may snatch them up. I have a lot of bantie chicks and they are so small so they have to wait a bit to have range time with mama.

Thank you both. Seems easy enough.

We don't usually free-range but we have a large 1400+ sq ft run full of trees and long grass, so I am not too worried about hawks. I will have to keep an eye out for cats though, they don't bother the bigger girls but I suppose they might try and go for the babies. Thanks for the food for thought and insightful advice!

 

[MelissaZeno]

I have one Dominique broody that this is her 2nd time within 2 months her first brood didn't make it because I tried to relocate her too many times. She became brood the second time 2-3 days after my Sussex went broody now my Chantecler has gone broody. We have about 12 days left before some chicks hatch!
I haven't moved any one them this time but they keep changing nests, will this be a problem? Once I finish off my second coop I will them in there to finish the brooding and hatching.

So I have less than 2 weeks to go till chicks hatch and now I have a coop to hold 4 hens, should I move my hens now and let them hatch them out in a completely closed coop with small run? If I do move them does it need to be complete dark out?