Anyone on broodie overload?

[meepitqueenie]

here are my 2 broodys been sitting here 2-3 days now with out eggs. I am supposed to get some shipped eggs in the mail this week.

should I put some of those under them or should I put some of the eggs that I already started in the incubator under them. once I know something is growing?

first time with a broodie so just wondering

 

[Judy]

I've decided there is no predicting a broody. She may set and not mother, she may abandon after a couple of weeks, she may protect her chicks wonderfully or not....

I had a first recently, for me, anyway. I bought a few chicks to slip under a broody and she kicked them out of the nest. I have maybe a 5x6 pen in my coop so I put them in there with a heat lamp. A week or so later, another hen went broody, snuggling down right next to the broody pen. She sat there for a few weeks, then suddenly decided that the chicks in the pen were hers. She called to them and paced the chicken wire walls of the pen until I finally opened the pen to see what would happen. Sure enough, she went about "teaching them to eat." That was over a week ago and she still acts like she is their mother and clucks to them, although I don't think they ever really figured it out -- they sleep together in a huddle and she sleeps somewhere else, having made a nest as if to cover them in. They go about their chicken business and she follows them. I think today I saw some sign she is about to give up, though. Would be nice, I'd like to start getting some more eggs!

The first broody has now accepted another set of chicks I bought. Why this set and not the first one, I have no idea, she had been broody for at least a month the first time.

Chickens.....

 

[yook2000]

I have 2 hens broody. But one of them still gave eggs in 2 or 3 days.

 

[shelleyd2008]

My frizzle cochin hen is also broody, add another one to the list

I don't think I mentioned my doves and pigeons? I have 2 pair each on eggs. Since both the male and female set the eggs (males at night, females during the day) I guess that's another 8 added to the count

 

[twinlights]

Two are hatching. I can here peeps from their buckets!

 

[twinlights]

Just a quick update. Three broodies had chicks this morning. One got off to eat and left one chick and all her eggs. So I think one was ahead of the others (?). That chick got put under the first broodie hen with chicks and the other hen went back to her nest, so we will see. So far I see an Orloff, a golden necked d'Uccle and an ee under the first hen. The chick that I put under her is some sort of a bcm/jersey giant cross I think. (I replaced most of the eggs under all these broodies with eggs I gathered from my breeder pens, so most are purebred). The third hen has at least one chick and it looks like a light colored d'Uccle, or a Mille Fleur Bantam Cochin.
And Can add another broodie to the count.

And today is day 21 on my incubator eggs. So far I have two pips on the three Orloff eggs from my girls. One or the two ee's is pipped, and one of the three Jersey Giant eggs is pipped.
Then there is a dozen Orloff eggs that I got from Mr. Weiss (?spelling) and one is three are pipped and two are on their way out.

Happy hatching everyone!

 

[shelleyd2008]

I've had hens do that, leave the nest with young chicks. I've had a few that left the nest to eat while they had eggs pipped or zipping. Young hens seem to do that a lot.

Current broody count: 4 ducks, 1 goose, 16 chicken hens, 2 dove pairs, 2 pigeon pairs.

1 of the ducks (actually 2 since they decided to move in together) should be hatching soon. 1 of the dove pairs is now brooding 2 young chicks, maybe a pigeon pair too, I have to check. I don't remember when the chicken hens started brooding but I'm sure some should be hatching anytime now. Can't remember which one started first

 

[DAFox]

On Friday, I'm going to have to take 11 chicks born on Easter from 2 Mamas, because I need the room for 2 broodies hatching the following week. They'll be going in my brooder, which will be vacated by the bunch going into the growout pen, which will be vacated by the pullets going into the flock.
Currently, I have 3 with babies, 6 LF on eggs, (On 3 of those -- I gave eggs to on the same day. I will probably be giving all the chicks to 1 Mama unless I can manage more room), 1 more that wants to be broody, 1 bantam cochin on eggs, 2 Silkies on eggs, 1 Silkie just starting, and 1 Silkie that just quit 2 days early and left eggs stone cold.
Anybody else juggling for room like me?
Dale-Ann

 

[shelleyd2008]

All right, this is getting a bit out of hand. Yesterday, my broody hen count was at 16 (chickens only, not counting other species). Today I have 21 hens on nests

I think I need an intervention!

 

[twinlights]

LOL, we are all enablers here, the only intervention will be of the enabler kind!
Do you have any hens that aren't broody?