Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[butterfliesdoku]

Broody ameraucana hatched four chicks.

These are cream legbar/white leghorn chicks. Two have mustard-colored spots on their heads. Could that possibly mean male?

It would depend on if the legbar was the hen or rooster. If momma hen was the legbar then males would have a spot but if legbar was the dad then it means that chick will be barred and it doesn't mean girl or boy. At least that is what I understand from my readings.

 

[quiltinkaycee]

I have a question. I acquired two free range chicks on May 20th. One looked full grown and one looked like a pulley. Perhaps mother and daughter because they were caught together. Btw the are bantams but unsure of their type. The older of the two laid eggs for about six weeks then stopped and hid out in the nesting box. She has been sitting on eggs for 13 days. the other chicken has never laid an egg and stays with the broody nesting hen. She does come out several times a day to scratch and drink. The broody does occasionally. They are both weird because they don't like herbs, watermelon, fruit, etc. the don't eat much of the layer feed either. I have not isolated the broody from the other chick because she is the boss. When and if her 7 eggs hatch, will she protect her babies from the other or should I separate them? I have a very small kit coop. It will be very hard to separate them. Though they were raised free range they only get to room around a 5x6 foot pen I added to the coop. TIA for your help.

 

[ShinShien]

It would depend on if the legbar was the hen or rooster. If momma hen was the legbar then males would have a spot but if legbar was the dad then it means that chick will be barred and it doesn't mean girl or boy. At least that is what I understand from my readings.

The rooster's the legbar. Mom's the leghorn. This is confusing.

 

[kilby]

I have a question. I acquired two free range chicks on May 20th. One looked full grown and one looked like a pulley. Perhaps mother and daughter because they were caught together. Btw the are bantams but unsure of their type. The older of the two laid eggs for about six weeks then stopped and hid out in the nesting box. She has been sitting on eggs for 13 days. the other chicken has never laid an egg and stays with the broody nesting hen. She does come out several times a day to scratch and drink. The broody does occasionally. They are both weird because they don't like herbs, watermelon, fruit, etc. the don't eat much of the layer feed either. I have not isolated the broody from the other chick because she is the boss. When and if her 7 eggs hatch, will she protect her babies from the other or should I separate them? I have a very small kit coop. It will be very hard to separate them. Though they were raised free range they only get to room around a 5x6 foot pen I added to the coop. TIA for your help.

If you have 7 new chicks in 7 days where you going to put them?. How many do you have now and what do they get to run i?. 10 sq. ft per hen during the day is what they need and you I think are causing them stress and malnutrition. If they are not eating they are sick and stressed. Those are basics to survival. If they are all bantams less room needed, if mixed maybe the bigger ones are pushing them or beating them. If you watch them maybe you will find out.

edited by staff

 

[kilby]

The rooster's the legbar. Mom's the leghorn. This is confusing.

Are you saying the male carries over most of the color? I did not know that.

 

[kilby]

It would depend on if the legbar was the hen or rooster. If momma hen was the legbar then males would have a spot but if legbar was the dad then it means that chick will be barred and it doesn't mean girl or boy. At least that is what I understand from my readings.

If legbars are sexed at hatching what would a pure bred male color be on the head? Maybe judge that way. Me I think roos because that is what mine always turn out. Unless it fades away and it did not mean anything.
does that help or confuse the issue

 

[butterfliesdoku]

Are you saying the male carries over most of the color? I did not know that.

The male does not carry over most of the color I am only basing this off of the "barred" gene. And because Legbar roosters have barring I would think if crossed with another breed that is not a legbar then most offspring would have barring thus showing the spot on the head. But I could be wrong.

 

[MelissaZeno]

I have 3 broody hens and have a coop made for 4 chickens, is it possible to place all three together or will that cause problems when the chicks hatch? We have 2 weeks to go before the eggs start to hatch. Also when I move them does it need to be dark outside or just dark enough for the hens to head inside? At the moment these three are taking up out old nest boxes and the other hens are not happy with the new ones.
Thanks for any advise.

 

[The Raw Mama]

I have 3 broody hens and have a coop made for 4 chickens, is it possible to place all three together or will that cause problems when the chicks hatch?  We have 2 weeks to go before the eggs start to hatch. Also when I move them does it need to be dark outside or just dark enough for the hens to head inside?  At the moment these three are taking up out old nest boxes and the other hens are not happy with the new ones.
Thanks for any advise.

We had the same problem. Two broody hens taking up the two nesting boxes. I put down new ones but the hens were laying on the floor and were being stepped on and eaten. I moved the boxes to another coop so they had privacy but could still see the other chickens through the fence. When I moved them, they went right to their eggs and nestled in with no hesitation. When the chicks hatched, they co-parented all the chicks together. It was cute to watch them take turns.

 

[ChicagoClucker]

I have a broody, that won't stop. She sat for 4 days, I finally thought I broke her, until later that evening she was back in the nesting boxes sitting. So, I figured I would let her sit, since I was getting some fertile eggs every once in a while. So, I moved her and she is a great broody. Well, candled the eggs yesterday they were not fertile, so I tossed them. She has sat a total of 22 days at this point.

She went over and ate and drank with some of the other girls. Then I go to collect eggs and there she is back in the nesting boxes. I took the eggs, so she went back to her broody nest. She was not happy, making lots of noise. I felt so bad, I just set some eggs in the incubator yesterday that I bought. I ran down and got 4 for her.

I am worried that if she sits for another 20 days, her health will suffer. She is my first broody and she is very determined. Has anyone ever had a broody sit for so long. I need advice