Broody chickens

[tomato lady]

Quote:
That photo is a riot! Are you going to try to break them of their broodiness or just wait it out?

I am just waiting them out so far, but I may try to break them if they don't stop. Today my rooster was in there with them. That was a sight.

 

[Sequin]

That is quite a funny sight to see!!! Makes me laugh - ha ha ha....

But I must say, what a brilliant idea for a nest box!!!

 

[silkieowner]

i have 2 broody silkies that are sitting on 6 silkie eggs under each hen. I also have a broody light sussex sitting on a empty nest. I've done the sipping in cold water with the sussex didn't work, I keep kicking her off the nest and locking her out of the coop that didn't work either. I have given up she starves herself so be it. She only gets off the nest for like 5 minutes and within that 5 minutes she hardly eats anything.

 

[pgpoultry]

Tomato lady....I hope your rooster hasn't gone broody, too!

Silkieowner, why not give a few of the silkie eggs to the Light Sussex no matter what stage of incubation they are at, she will hatch them for you and the silkies won't miss them? This way you will have the chicks you want and all 3 of the the hens. Place food and water close to the Light Sussex, she is likely to take enough to maintain herself during brooding. From sitting to leaving the chicks is likely to be less than 8 weeks.

sandie

 

[tomato lady]

When I took the eggs away from the broody hens I just couldn't toss them. I kept thinking what if one of them is ready to hatch. So, I put them in a makeshift incubator. It is a greenhouse hot pad with a planting tray on it. I have a clear plastic lid for the planting tray. I put the eggs on a wash cloth so the heat from the bottom doesn't get too intense, and I have a wet sponge inside. Adding to the heat I have an adjustable lamp over it with a 60 w bulb. The thermometer is inside and the temperature range has been from 94 to 103. This morning one chick hatched.
I have used this makeshift incubator before and had two chicks hatch -- one after two weeks. Amazing what they can survive. The hard part is to watch it carefully enough so I have it right in the family room where I walk by 100 times a day and check the temp.
As for the parentage of the chick, my rooster is Ameraucana (not EE) and there are several breeds of hens in with him. The chick is black. The egg was brown so it is different that the one that hatched from a white egg from that coop. Guess whatever it is, it is an EE. I hope at least one more hatches so I don't have to buy a chick from the feed store to keep this one company.

 

[gryeyes]

I've got the giggles now. That photo looks like they're all piled into a cab, ready to go somewhere. Chicken commuters. *snort* They were just waiting for the driver to show up.....

 

[silkieowner]

Quote:
Tryed doing that but the sussex managed to break 2 eggs she even started eatting one of the broken eggs. She needs a new nest box the one she has is too small. Well one of the silkies hop off the nest and didn't hop back on so i only have 1 broody silkie and sussex now.

 

[chica57]

That picture is priceless !!!