Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[bobbieschicks]

I give

I might have my first broody!   She is almost a one year old Araucana.  I went out this morning to let the chickens out, as soon as I opened the door. She puffed up at me and had her wings hanging out and down to the ground. VERY GRUMPY!  She was walking around making a strange noise over and over again. She came out for a second then went right back into the coop. She is not sitting on a nest, more like pacing. I am going to put some golf balls in the nest, as there are not any eggs in there. How do you test to be sure she is serious?

I give her three days on the nest at night. If she stays there and stops laying she's broody. A broody will stop laying.

 

[gg706]

Thank You, I will keep an eye on her.

 

[dretd]

I give her three days on the nest at night. If she stays there and stops laying she's broody. A broody will stop laying.

Also if you take them off the nest, they will be very, very angry and make quite a fuss. My avatar is of my Speckled Sussex doing her impression of an angry turkey (she puffs up , stalks about, growls and makes us know how displeased she is--then goes straight back to the nest).

She goes broody every August but late August is really too late for us to hatch chicks and have her raise them so I have to break her every year, poor dear.

 

[Johnn]

I'm feeling a little sad tonight. I traded my Topsy and Fluffy, both silkies, for Davy, the silky roo I used to have. He was with a great family, but they couldn't keep him so I said I'd take him back. I've been considering changing to a large fowl layer flock and this was the perfect opportunity. The family the two girls went is a very sweet Christian family with two adorable kids. I know they will love those two like I love them. I am certainly going to miss them for a awhile, but at least now Topsy won't be constantly beat up by Smokey. I did warn her that Topsy loves to go broody.

Awww, im going to miss the posts about Topsy!

 

[gg706]

She gave up on it already! She sat in the box and laid an egg with the golfballs....now she is back to normal and ranging with the others. I am confused about her behavior this morning. I have never seen her like that.
dretd she looked like your avatar minus the tail as she does not have a tail...but the wings and all looked just like that. Have you had her behave as mine before she really goes broody.

 

[gabrielle1976]

Butter is still takeing care of the class room chicks they seem happy and she seems happy she is to funny though she has always been the sweetest bird but now she puffs up and growls like a guard dog if we even talk to her lol



Little one seems so big wont be a week old till early tammrow morning. Little butter didnt grow that fast but then she was a special needs chicken . Sorry about the poop she gets so agitated when we go over there Im kinda scared to clean it but I think I will let her out with them tommarow and clean it then.


Here is the other one. THe darker baby is much more adventurous this one was trying to hide behind mom. I will try to get better pictures soon.maybe one of them sticking there little heads out of her fluff its too cute.

 

[dretd]

She gave up on it already! She sat in the box and laid an egg with the golfballs....now she is back to normal and ranging with the others. I am confused about her behavior this morning. I have never seen her like that.
dretd she looked like your avatar minus the tail as she does not have a tail...but the wings and all looked just like that. Have you had her behave as mine before she really goes broody.

gg706--Cluckles (my avatar chicken) usually starts acting cranky about a week before she glues herself to the nest. I know when she is officially broody when I take her off and she stomps around then gets right back on the nest. If she gets distracted and starts eating and doing regular dust baths I know she is not serious *yet*. I only have 2 chickens out of 7 that go broody and stick on the nest for 21 days. The rest are dabblers and they may act grumpy for a few days but their heart just isn't in it.

 

[gg706]

hmmm interesting. I will keep watch on her, hopefully she will get serious about it at some point.

 

[gg706]

I think she is playing with my emotions......

She is back on the nest, she did not go with the others to the roost.

 

[bobbieschicks]

Awww, im going to miss the posts about Topsy!

Me too.

On the plus side, I still ave Smokey. She's a great broody too.