Broodies BOTH Quit Today!!

[Sunny Side Up]

It certainly is an individual thing with broody & mama hens. I think that since chickens have been domesticated for so many centuries, and selectively bred for traits other than maternal instinct, hens that will go broody display varying degrees of devotion and success.

Here I've had broodies that leave their chicks at 4 weeks, and others that will hang with them until they're adults. Whenever the chicks are left alone I add them to the pen of birds eating chick starter. The girls will one day make breakfasts, the boys will make dinners.

 

[gritsar]

Oh, great! Now my never-gonna-go-broody hens are infecting other BYC'ers chickens!

 

[speckledhen]

Today, Nugget was very sad. She is being harrassed back in the flock and she keeps pacing the fence. So, DH let her and her own baby back together. She was in heaven. Perhaps, she was premature in pushing him away. They ran all over together, but she won't tolerate Dusty's baby and pecks it on the head. So, DH put the baby in with Dusty after locking Suede in his coop. Omigosh, she tried to kill it. She went after it with a vengeance and we had to rescue him. She only quit on him yesterday and today, treated him like a foreign creature of some sort. So, the brothers are back together in the dog crate tonight.

 

[PQ]

Can you tell me how long is normal for them to sit on eggs? I have a silkie that has been sitting on eggs (different ones) for almost 2 months. Is this normal?

 

[speckledhen]

They can go overboard and if she sits back to back clutches, she could starve to death. I'd try to break her up. Are the eggs not fertile? did she hatch any chicks?

 

[steffpeck]

I sure wished I lived closer.

 

[speckledhen]

Me, too, Steff!

 

[PQ]

Yes she has hatched chicks out of the eggs. Then I had 2 other hens go broody they all shared the box. Then other mommas walked away with the silkies chicks and she is still on there eggs. When she gets up to eat and drink it is always when the other mammas return to the nest to rest with the chicks the took from her. I hope this makes sense. She still gets up to eat and drink through out the day but always goes back to those eggs. I'm worried it is a bit long and also about the chicks that have not hatched. I have a incubator I can put them in it till they hatch if you think it may cause her more harm to sit on them and wait. What do you think?

 

[speckledhen]

I've never had that experience, so I'd be hard pressed to say what is best. I would just be worried about her health. EVen though she eats and drinks, she is still on a very limited diet for an extended period and is probably malnourished.

 

[PQ]

Quote:
Maybe if I brought her in a put her in a crate with the eggs so I can watch her better and put some vit in her water.. I dont want her to be sick. Thanks for your advice.