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  1. Phoenixxx

    Broody Hen Thread!

    Roflmao!!! Actually, it doesn't hurt to keep checking. I left my fbcm to take care of things on her own. When I finally did do a proper check, 3 partly-hatched chicks were dead because she covered the pipped ends with the empty shells from the already-hatched chicks suffocating them. Lesson learned!
  2. Phoenixxx

    Broody Hen Thread!

    My broody was that high up or higher also. Babies that fell out/jumped down were just fine! Give them a soft landing, like a thick layer of hay or a pile of moss or something, just to be nice ;)
  3. Phoenixxx

    Broody Hen Thread!

    I've used DE successfully against ants! Find their entry point and lay a THICK strip all across it. They need to be forced to walk through it and it needs to be deep enough that it gets on the ants' bodies. It's not instant but you will notice the numbers rapidly dwindling until they're all...
  4. Phoenixxx

    Broody Hen Thread!

    Chicken math! I fell victim to that almost immediately when I started! :lau All my girls are broody breeds but I only have one that's brooding. She just started, so it's too early to tell if she'll set off the others. I have chicks that I hatched artificially (because no-one was in the mood)...
  5. Phoenixxx

    Broody Hen Thread!

    You can also hold them up to your ear and listen for "talking". If you don't hear anything, try candling; if they're alive you should see movement. With a weak flashlight you'll at least be able to see the edge of the air sac flexing and changing shapes as the baby moves. I had 8 that didn't...
  6. Phoenixxx

    Broody Hen Thread!

    I FINALLY HAVE A BROODY!!! :weee Know what it took? I hatched some eggs artificially, but from day 1 (day 2 for some) I put the chicks outside for the days. One of my hens seemed to take a particular interest in the youngsters, and yesterday she decided she was gonna start sitting on an empty...
  7. Phoenixxx

    Broody Hen Thread!

    DE!!! I've noticed chicks love to eat ants but grownups tend to pass them over. Anyway, DE TOTALLY works! My house has an ant problem. First year in it I tried sprinkling borax as per internet natural pesticides, but that didn't really work. Last year, I swept up the remaining borax and replaced...
  8. Phoenixxx

    Broody Hen Thread!

    Awesome, good to know! I was just wondering if it might mess with their instincts, having, say, chicks hatching in a week and mama thinkin "wait a minute, this isn't right..."
  9. Phoenixxx

    Broody Hen Thread!

    Has anybody started eggs in an incubator while waiting for a broody, and then giving the already-started eggs to the chicken to finish? I've been stockpiling eggs that I want to hatch but the never-ending winter is keeping my girls from going broody (others in my area are having the same...
  10. Phoenixxx

    Broody Hen Thread!

    Turns out that was an april fool's hoax :p
  11. Phoenixxx

    Broody Hen Thread!

    I think she'll be fine. I remember growing up when we let a hen brood once, we didn't do anything special for her. The nesting arrangement was 2 or 3 shelves running the length of the coop seperated into cubbies. I don't remember there being any problems and all the eggs hatched! We had the...
  12. Phoenixxx

    Broody Hen Thread!

    Thanks! So looks like I'm in for a looooong wait.... While the days may be lengthening, they're not warming up anytime in the foreseeable future :hit As for the fake eggs, they keep kicking the ping pong balls out of the nests. They were actually playing soccer with one the other day!
  13. Phoenixxx

    Broody Hen Thread!

    I've been waiting for a broody for ever! It's supposed to be spring but it's still more like winter. Plus I had a really bad dog attack in the coop 2 days ago. I do have some "broody breeds", some less than a year old and the rest between 2-4 years. Anyone have any idea how much longer I might...
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