1st time broody hatched a chick!

[nayalusa]

So excited to report that our 2 year old Black Australorp girl had her first broody cycle ever and successfully hatched a chick! She sat faithfully for all 21 days even as the 5 eggs we gave her dwindled down to 1 tough little egg through no fault of her own. We had to leave the day the chick hatched so we closed them in the coop together to save her the stress of fending off other hens and returned 3 days later to a healthy, fluffy, little chick nestled under mama. We'll definitely give her more eggs next cycle!

 

[nchls school]

So excited to report that our 2 year old Black Australorp girl had her first broody cycle ever and successfully hatched a chick! She sat faithfully for all 21 days even as the 5 eggs we gave her dwindled down to 1 tough little egg through no fault of her own. We had to leave the day the chick hatched so we closed them in the coop together to save her the stress of fending off other hens and returned 3 days later to a healthy, fluffy, little chick nestled under mama. We'll definitely give her more eggs next cycle!

Next cycle may come soon. It does seem that once a hen goes broody it happens again and again. Two of my silkies are brooding. They raised serama and silkie chicks earlier. There was only about 2 weeks between leaving the chicks and going broody again! The one hen was more like a week. Oddly enough the serama chick teenagers often sit in the nest while mom broods a fake egg.

 

[nayalusa]

That would be fast! I would be worried about a 2 week old chick alone in the flock. Hopefully protecting the chick from other hens will keep her too busy to go broody again too soon.

 

[nchls school]

That would be fast! I wold be worried about a 2 week old chick alone in the flock. Hopefully protecting the chick from other hens will keep her too busy to go broody again too soon.

I think you may have misunderstood. My chicks were 8 weeks or older before the hen stopped caring for them. Then it was two weeks or less before they went broody again. I am sure that your hen will care for her chick for as long as needed.