Still broody?

[LaurenRitz]

I had 1 surviving chick and gave it to the broody hen yesterday. She talked to it, let it crawl under her, and this morning they looked and sounded happy.

Problem is, she's still on the nest and has stolen the fake eggs from other nests just in the last few days. I'm concerned that she's going to reset and go broody again with a chick in the nest.

I pulled all the fake eggs out from under her. She promptly relocated to a nest that had eggs in it, confusing her existing baby.

She's just a hair over a year old. She went broody in the summer, but she chose to nest in the yard and a snake got all her eggs. I may be wrong, but I think she's at day 16 or 17 in her broody cycle. I had the eggs in the incubator from day 11 and she was broody before that.

I'm not sure if my concern is even justified. The other chick I had for her died this afternoon so another chick is not a possibility.

 

[DobieLover]

Yes, she's still broody and she will remain so until she weans the chick.
Move them to a secure area where she cannot access eggs IN SIGHT of the rest of the flock and put a chick safe waterer and chick starter in there for them to eat and drink from. Lots of fluffy dry bedding where she can back up into a corner to nest with the chick at night.
Once she's up and actively scratching for the chick for a couple of days you can let them out to nest in the open coop.

 

[SmiYa0126]

Did you give her a day old chick?

 

[LaurenRitz]

The chick was actually two days old.

 

[LaurenRitz]

Move them to a secure area where she cannot access eggs IN SIGHT of the rest of the flock and put a chick safe waterer and chick starter in there for them to eat and drink from. Lots of fluffy dry bedding where she can back up into a corner to nest with the chick at night.
Once she's up and actively scratching for the chick for a couple of days you can let them out to nest in the open coop.

Thanks.

She has bedding, and water and food for the chick. I have no way to separate them at this point, as I lent my broody box to someone else for a while.

I'll remove the fake eggs. She had collected 3 of the fake eggs and a real egg as of this afternoon.

 

[DobieLover]

Thanks.

She has bedding, and water and food for the chick. I have no way to separate them at this point, as I lent my broody box to someone else for a while.

I'll remove the fake eggs. She had collected 3 of the fake eggs and a real egg as of this afternoon.

Please post pictures of her where she is and the rest of the coop.

 

[LaurenRitz]

The coop is 10x10, the run is 6x17, 7 hens 1 roo and they free range. She chose to go broody in one of the nesting boxes, the middle one.

The roost is on the opposite side of the coop.

 

[SmiYa0126]

Did the chick die

 

[LaurenRitz]

Did the chick die

I had two chicks hatch. One died this afternoon. I put the other with her adoptive mom last night.

 

[SmiYa0126]

I'm sorry! For the chick you gave her you may need to encourage her by making clucking noises and sprinkle chick feed in front of her bad the baby.