Broody Hen Thread!

[chickchick8]

Amazing picture! Have you considered adding it to the BYC calendar contest?

No I hadn't, but maybe I will! Thanks!

 

[Angie16hearts]

I have a question?

I ordered some eggs to put in incubator or under one of my broodys. I have one contemplating. Anyways I got a very dirty eight should I leave it alone if I put it in the incubator? Are trying to get the dirt off? It's a black copper Maran egg

 

[GitaBooks]

I have a question?

I ordered some eggs to put in incubator or under one of my broodys. I have one contemplating. Anyways I got a very dirty eight should I leave it alone if I put it in the incubator? Are trying to get the dirt off? It's a black copper Maran egg

The egg could contaminate the others, which would be my main concern. I've had dirty eggs hatch, but usually they got dirty later in development. You could try brushing away from of the dirt, or even attempt scrubbing it with a damp cloth, but this removes the protective layer on the outside which can make the chick inside more prone to bacterial infection.
All and all, I'm really not sure.

Its a beautiful colored egg though.

 

[Fizzgig]

I put dirty eggs in after a dip in sterilizer. Mostly they hatch.

 

[SpoilMyPooch]

I have a question?

I ordered some eggs to put in incubator or under one of my broodys. I have one contemplating. Anyways I got a very dirty eight should I leave it alone if I put it in the incubator? Are trying to get the dirt off? It's a black copper Maran egg

This is a bit of a delicate balance! I think the important point here is to do as little as possible to get rid of the dirt so that it does not contaminate the other eggs or the chick inside the dirty egg. If the dirt can be lightly brushed away, then that is great. Otherwise gently scrub it with a dry cloth or if that doesn't work, use a damp cloth. As Gita noted, an egg is covered by an invisible protective layer and so you don't want to damage that otherwise the chick inside is more at risk of infection.

 

[YellowRose1]

I will go back to the beginning of the thread and read through when I finally get a minute. Broody momma is in the brooder pen right now. Tis where she hatched chicks. Question is this. Will she eventually take the chicks to the hen house or should I see about moving them there? The brooder pen is in the coop yard. So they have basically all been together, separate but together. Should I just let her deal with it on her own time? Nights are starting to get rather chilly.

They are 2 days old - I offer to let her out and will be allowed to free range when she chooses to.

I'll just let her decide unless it gets to freezing temps

 

[crowinncluckn]

This pullet did not come home to roost one evening and I thought she had been taken by a predator. About two weeks later I was weeding a flower bed and found her sitting on a nest in a clump of ferns. I decided to leave her be as she had survived this far on her on and was pretty well hidden as I had passed by that spot daily and never noticed her. About ten days later she was out and about with her brood of 10 little cutie pies teaching them to scratch for insects. I set out a feeder and water for them, but pretty much left them on their own and they are all thriving.

 

[OnlyOrps]

This pullet did not come home to roost one evening and I thought she had been taken by a predator. About two weeks later I was weeding a flower bed and found her sitting on a nest in a clump of ferns. I decided to leave her be as she had survived this far on her on and was pretty well hidden as I had passed by that spot daily and never noticed her. About ten days later she was out and about with her brood of 10 little cutie pies teaching them to scratch for insects. I set out a feeder and water for them, but pretty much left them on their own and they are all thriving.

Cute!!!!!

 

[animalgrl]

Do I have a broody on my hands? My Cuckoo Marans pullet (who only started laying exactly two weeks ago) seems to be going broody. She is sitting in the nest box and shrieks if I go in there. I went out right at dusk last night to get the egg from under her and she pecked me. I disturbed her enough rooting around under her for eggs that she got out of the nest box and didn't go back in, but she made the saddest little clucking noises as she settled in for the night. And then later today she was back on the nest. I don't mind her not laying because she is in an egg withdrawal period, anyway, but I don't have any hatching eggs so she isn't going to hatch anything. Do I just keep taking her off the nest and hope she snaps out of it sooner rather than later? Will she eventually go back to normal on her own if I just leave her alone? Also, since she is only about 8 months old and already going broody, is this an indication that she may be a hen that goes broody often?

 

[the poppster]

Do I have a broody on my hands? My Cuckoo Marans pullet (who only started laying exactly two weeks ago) seems to be going broody. She is sitting in the nest box and shrieks if I go in there. I went out right at dusk last night to get the egg from under her and she pecked me. I disturbed her enough rooting around under her for eggs that she got out of the nest box and didn't go back in, but she made the saddest little clucking noises as she settled in for the night. And then later today she was back on the nest. I don't mind her not laying because she is in an egg withdrawal period, anyway, but I don't have any hatching eggs so she isn't going to hatch anything. Do I just keep taking her off the nest and hope she snaps out of it sooner rather than later? Will she eventually go back to normal on her own if I just leave her alone? Also, since she is only about 8 months old and already going broody, is this an indication that she may be a hen that goes broody often?

Take her off every time she is in there if you think she's broody....if she's just trying to lay an egg she might act like that.