Best scenario for my broody?

[Donna Lynn]

I have a broody barred rock so I talked the DH into letting me get some fertile eggs. They will be here Monday, 5/20. I have an "A" frame coop with the nest buckets and roosts in the top. My three girls insist on all laying in one nest. Soooo...I put a makeshift wire up there separating the two nest buckets to keep my other two out along with a nipple watered and some food. I'll open it up and let her out once a day as she has been only coming down for a brief interval. I'm separated them because all three were squished in the one box this morning with my broody having a fit.

I'm afraid the fertile eggs will get broken if I don't quarantine her. Any advice? Please help?

 

[diamond8s]

Definitely quarantine her or what happened to me will happen to you...mine always laid eggs in same box until broody hen was in one. Then they switched boxes and started laying in the other nest. I guess the broody hen got confused because she went and sat on the wrong eggs! I found the fertile ones cold in the morning. I ran them into the incubator but they never hatched! I gave them until day 25. After talking to people they all said I should have moved her out and away from the others. Good luck.

 

[Donna Lynn]

Thanks diamond8! I put some 1" wire between my nest buckets and set out some food & water for her. I'll check her later today to see if she wants to come down dust bathe a little.

 

[diamond8s]

Mine does leave at times to eat ect. I'm scared to put eggs under her. I'm afraid she might hurt them. Still debating what to do because I have other chicks and then to try to incorporate everyone in with mamma hen may not work. So I think I'm keeping the babies in the incubator....still not sure.

 

[UnlabeledMama]

I did NOT separate my broody and it worked out fine (well, my eggs had issues, but she did everything right). She was in the favorite nestbox too and after a few days they stopped trying to get there and laid elsewhere. Now that she's out in the tractor with chicks running around they still are avoiding that box! Cracks me up.

 

[diamond8s]

Wow that's great. Mine eggs were in there awhile under mamma hen and the other hens never gave up that nest box! I remember mamma was squeezed in there with my bantam and neither would budge!! I guess you never know but after my experience its not worth the risk. I paid a lot for those eggs and it was so disappointing to start all over again.

 

[Missa Chickabee]

I have a broody barred rock so I talked the DH into letting me get some fertile eggs. They will be here Monday, 5/20. I have an "A" frame coop with the nest buckets and roosts in the top. My three girls insist on all laying in one nest. Soooo...I put a makeshift wire up there separating the two nest buckets to keep my other two out along with a nipple watered and some food. I'll open it up and let her out once a day as she has been only coming down for a brief interval. I'm separated them because all three were squished in the one box this morning with my broody having a fit.

I'm afraid the fertile eggs will get broken if I don't quarantine her. Any advice? Please help?

Hi Donna Lynn! I went looking for you and here you are, having broody issues, too! (I mean your chicken, not you....

) Quarantined her when I got some fertile eggs. When the first chick pipped the shell, my broodie (Nancy) just tore into the shell, damaging the chick's vent area. She was born alive but died short after because the absorbed yolk just came right out again. And yes, I cried. Nancy heard the peeping inside and got too excited and impatient.

There were two more. One died and the other is now a 4 wk feisty rooster who thinks I'm his mom (Samson) She started to do the same thing with Samson's shell so I rescued him and quickly made a make-shift incubator (cooler and a touch lamp with a red 24 watt lightbulb and a bowl of water) that he lived in for a couple of weeks. Now he's in a rabbit cage with two other chick-gifts. He gonna be big! It;'s going to be hard to put him outside. Better get him a diaper,yes?!

Anyway, I have since learned that one year old hens do not always make the best moms...so keep a close eye at day 20. I just plunked myself in the coop with a book after the first mishap and almost missed saving Samson when I got engrossed in the book.

I was looking for you to let you know thatI finally put in an order for 1000 mealworms, Expecting them any day now. How is your crop of them doing? I did this because of your encouragement some months ago.

 

[Donna Lynn]

Hi Cheryl,

Long time no talk! Wow! Do you know I was looking at our messages and it was almost a year ago we were talking about you doing meal worms? Time flies!

Yes, my broody, Mabel, hatched two out of 17 eggs. I have two frizzled feathered chicks that are eight weeks old now.

One is part easter egger and the other part speckled hamburg. They are so cute with their crazy feathers. Mabel did really well as a momma but she was done at five weeks. The chicks are in a grow out area I fenced off. I'm slowly introducing them to other three as they grow. We have supervised visitations everyday. LOL Let's hope neither are roosters because although we have moved up to the mountains and live on three acres our neighbors aren't too keen on crowing so I'll keep to hens. My girls are all back to laying in the same box again.

I'm about to get four or five more chicks in the next month or so. I want to sell eggs here locally.

Have I even chatted with you since we moved? We are in the Sierra Mountains about 25 miles below Yosemite and on the edge of the National forest. We love it but that's not to say it hasn't been interesting at times. Mainly, I struggle with the deer eating everything. My veggie garden is enclosed, so far, so good but the one little flower bed I put in gets ravaged at least once a week no matter what I do. They also eat herbs they aren't supposed to like. Sigh...

We made the chicken coop a secure as we can get it from top to bottom. There's even 1/2" hardware cloth buried around and beneath it. One inch over the top of the run with the coop inside. Hubby thought it was overkill until we had been here awhile and started seeing bear, coyotes, wild boar and fighting off raccoon.

We really do love the quiet and we have great neighbors. Our little town is wonderful and we are so happy we moved up here.

Your little rooster sounds great! What breed is he? I'll be getting some tolbunt polish here in a few weeks. If you don't know what they look like, look them up. They are hysterical!

If you need any help with the meal worm bins, let me know. And my blog is really up and going now so check it out at
www.gardensandchickensandworms.blogspot.com Your chickens are going to love you when you show up with live meal worms! Mine know the little blue cup I use to bring the worms to them. They go nuts! Mine are still doing great. This winter will be interesting though as they are in my shed and I will need to keep them warm. We get cold weather and periodic snow up here.

Keep me posted and it's so good to hear from you again!

Donna
www.gardensandchickensandworms.blogspot.com

 

[Missa Chickabee]

WOW.....what beautiful place to live!

I dropped in to your bog-spot. Nice job. You are so gifted and organized. Lovely work.

Well, I am still waiting on my worms. I'm starting off with the one bin method for now. Can't wrap my brain around anything too complicated for the time being. Still much on the burner...a

new norm.

I've got 9 new (a few Buff Orps and 3 EE's) coming into lay soon. Then I've got 3 more sets....younger, younger yet and youngest. Winters are harsh and early up here so I will be careful with the ones that are just 4 weeks.

Very good to hear from you Donna Golden Feather!

 

[Egghead_Jr]

We left our broody in with the other hens and rooster this year. She was bound and determined to be a mother so after several attempts to break her, she'd break for a week tops, I finally gave her five eggs. It's important to mark the eggs she's going to brood on. I forgot to and sure enough there were a few more in her nest before I knew it so marked the seven to know what had to stay and what we could eat there after.

Three hatched and she was some exhausted as it was 5 weeks or more of her broody and broken twice before we gave her eggs. The two problem areas that happened for me was my chick ramp was not ready for hatch time. Assumed the full 21 days but weather put them early and also assumed they'd stay in the nest and coop and I could feed them there. After a day or two they jumped the 2 ft to the ground and I made a "chick friendly" ramp they hardly used to get down nor would they use to go up. Had to catch them to put in coop each night for two weeks which gets old sooner that that. Think if it was all prearranged they'd have used it the first time and all the time. The other problem area was the assumption they'd stay in pen with mother. Not the case so ensure small openings bottom of run or they'll be in and out all the time. Lost one to predator (dog, stray cat, skunk?) due to this.

All and all it was a great experience and am simply greatfull for not having to monitor an incubator or brooder or deal with intergrating them and especially housing them until integration to flock. It was all done for me via nature and that rocks.