Broody Hen Thread!

[chicksurreal]

Hi guys, I have a question about a situation with one of my broody girls.

Background -Molly, a Cuckoo Marans/Dark Cornish mix hen went missing for a week or so, I thought a predator got her, but then I saw her dust-bathing one day and followed her when she was done. It was obvious that she was broody, so I wanted to see where she went.

She had found a pile of eggs (16) that my Hamburgs and Leghorns had laid over a period of a few weeks out under a bush and was sitting on them. I decided to let her have them because it appeared that she could cover them, she's a big girl!

Anyway, now to the question... It's nearing the time that the chicks will hatch and I found two eggs that had rolled out from under her this morning, they were not warm, but not cold either. Is it possible that they will still hatch?

Our temps are in the 90's during the day and I know they must have been moved sometime today. I think I can see movement in one of them when I candle. They are very close to hatching, within a few days. I put them under another broody whom I didn't give eggs to yet, but she's persistent, I'm hoping they hatch, but have to wonder... Anyone have experience with this kind of thing?

 

[ShrekDawg]

It will typically be a month.

A month!?

I have a hen that's been broody probably 2 or 3 weeks almost maybe a little longer and I finally started breaking her last night. Put her in a wire crate.

I can't believe it might take that long for her to start laying again!

But oh well, I have 7 other chickens and I guess I haven't really missed her eggs this month anyway hah

 

[Deltabwa]

View attachment 1020092 View attachment 1020093 View attachment 1020094 View attachment 1020095 View attachment 1020097 Look who emerged about an hour ago! I think it's a boy.

OMGsh so cute!!!!!

 

[Honora]

View attachment 1020092 View attachment 1020093 View attachment 1020094 View attachment 1020095 View attachment 1020097 Look who emerged about an hour ago! I think it's a boy.

So cute! That's something you don't see every day.

 

[Top Rooster]

Well after she hatches them and raise them somewhere around 4-8 weeks then after she ween them and then she'll begin to lay a few days after

 

[lpyrbby]

I have no idea what all went into this chick, but my broody stuck with this egg for the last week and today, we have success! This is the egg that I picked up from a neighboring farm So far so good! (I had the chick out for maybe a minute, tops, then put her right back under mom where she was)

 

[Deltabwa]

Hi.

I have a broody sitting on 2 eggs (the other 6 didn't make it) that are at day 14. They are from MPC, the Fun and Funky assortment and they are both small eggs. I don't know if that makes a difference, if they are bantams and hatch earlier or not so I'm including that in case it does.

Both have veins but 1 of those eggs, the air cell is HUGE! I have hatched out of a bator before, but never under a hen. I have never seen a sac so big, even at day 18. It also, has a saddle look on 1 side.

Does this have a chance? It was moving last night, and I believe that it means it will be a shrink wrap hatch, but will it even make it to hatch day? Should I take a pic to show you?

I wanted to update and ask if I should be concerned as I haven't seen this before.

I am attaching a pic from today, and it looks like some part if this chick is already into the air sac. Could there be that much stretch or is this about to hatch? 21 days is this Saturday. There was movement.

You can also see part of the pencil line i made on saturday. The other pic or me holding it, is how long the air sac was this past Saturday. Should i be concerned or keep a close watch?

 

[ChxLadyCass]

Hi guys, I have a question about a situation with one of my broody girls.

Background -Molly, a Cuckoo Marans/Dark Cornish mix hen went missing for a week or so, I thought a predator got her, but then I saw her dust-bathing one day and followed her when she was done. It was obvious that she was broody, so I wanted to see where she went.

She had found a pile of eggs (16) that my Hamburgs and Leghorns had laid over a period of a few weeks out under a bush and was sitting on them. I decided to let her have them because it appeared that she could cover them, she's a big girl!

Anyway, now to the question... It's nearing the time that the chicks will hatch and I found two eggs that had rolled out from under her this morning, they were not warm, but not cold either. Is it possible that they will still hatch?

Our temps are in the 90's during the day and I know they must have been moved sometime today. I think I can see movement in one of them when I candle. They are very close to hatching, within a few days. I put them under another broody whom I didn't give eggs to yet, but she's persistent, I'm hoping they hatch, but have to wonder... Anyone have experience with this kind of thing?

Someone just recently answered on here that they can go a little while without their mama on them and still hatch! My hen just took off a month and a half ago and brought back 14 chicks without any human care whatsoever! I think it was good that you got them back to her. You may have a staggered hatch and if she is a natural she will sit and wait for the majority to hatch. I would just let her do her thing!

 

[lpyrbby]

In my broody hen saga, I was going to try coop brooding and leaving my girl in with the flock. Well, I'm thinking Ms. Olive wanted MORE babies and was enticed to continue setting on fake eggs. I guess at some point, she got kicked out of the nest box with her chick in tow. When I went to check on them, I panicked and went looking for the chick when I saw her out of the nest box, sitting on the ground. The chick came out and Olive got up and decided she wanted back in the currently occupied nest box.

Long story "short," the hen in the box snatched the chick up and flung it to the ground twice like a mouse she was trying to kill to eat. I grabbed the chick from her and swatted her out of the box in frustration. Olive got in the box and I gave the chick back to her, picked up the tote (nest box) and carried it to the in-coop brooder. I shooed all the other chicks/chickens out of the brooder and locked them in.

It's been over 24 hours now and the chick is still alive. There's a large area of chick down missing on the back of her head and I did see some blood seeping around her beak after the incident. I'm surprised the chick is still alive, but now I'm cautiously hopeful...

Has anyone been through something like this? Is there a point in time where I can "rest easy" that we're "in the clear?"

From today:

 

[Joanmcm]

This year one hen went broody and she was limited to 12 eggs. 6 were in there for a day or two when she first appeared to quit for a day, her sister hens filled up the nest then she began sitting. After 28 days (yes 28) a sister hen who visited from time to time decided to steal her nest. Or so I thought. Both hens were sitting very close together, practically eye to eye clucking.
Yesterday four chicks hatched (two died, two lived). I tried to remove the interloper but the original hen got upset, and appeared to be telling the interloper 'get back on the eggs'. The interloper did just that and the original broody gathered up the live chicks. (The dead chicks were removed.)

This morning, one more chick is under original broody (making 3) and interloper continues to sit on eggs. Both softly clucking. Chick food and water was left by the hens but at this point, apparently they know what they are doing and have worked a system out.

Has anyone heard of this? I searched posts but did not see anything similar.