Broody failure

[MountainWoman73]

Hello I would be interested in some advice on farm store chicks vs egg hatch trick. My hen went broody two weeks ago. I gave in and put 4 fertile eggs (99% sure fertile bc I picked the eggs based on my roosters favorite hens) but sadly 3/4 broke yesterday and she was full of yolk and her own poop. I got it cleaned up and cleaned her up and decided to try another round. However I am concerned because by the time the new eggs hatch (if they even do) she’ll be almost 6 weeks brood mode and it’s taking a toll on her.

Here's the good advice I received. I can't take credit, as this was my first time trying it, too!

1.) Get chicks as close to one day old as you can. They'll behave more like newly hatched chicks and have needs more similar to newly hatched chicks, which will help mom take care of them. I got one that had arrived at the farm store one day earlier, and one that had come in a shipment a few days before, so mine were probably 3 and 5 days old? But 1-3 days old is best if you can get them.

2.) Slip them under her in the dark, shortly after sundown. This will give them all night to get used to each other and she'll be unlikely to move in the dark. Remove dead/fake eggs at the same time you put the chicks in.

3.) Get them a little cold first. Leaving the chicks outside for 10-15 minutes won't kill them, but it will make them peep loudly. Let mom listen to them peeping in the dark for a couple minutes before you slip them underneath her. This helps her accept them, but MORE importantly, it makes chicks more likely to accept her. If they're cold, they're going to snuggle right up under mom and stay put, rather than try to run away or jump out of the nest. Often if there is a problem, it's not really the broody rejecting the chicks, but the chicks rejecting the broody.

4.) Check back in 15 minutes to make sure no one has fallen out of the nest, then go to bed and leave them alone until the next morning!

5.) If the broody is in a nest box, you'll need to move her down the next day so chicks can access food and water. (Real newborn chicks don't need food or water until day 2-3, so broody won't know this.) I moved mine around 11 am the next day. I set up food and water in a safe enclosed area away from the rest of the flock, and made a new nest on the floor in a sideways milk crate. Then I took the chicks out from under mom and put them down by the food. They started eating, and she followed them, clucking and complaining, and got them back under her to warm up right away. I kept them shut in their small space for another day before leaving the door open for her to take them out, and they've been doing fine since!View attachment 3490588View attachment 3490590View attachment 3490589

There's my whole post above. I will also add that my broody hen was an experienced mom already. She hatched and raised two by herself last year, so I was fairly sure that she would take care of these if I did a good job transferring them to her. If your hen is inexperienced, I would probably break her at this point and let her recover before giving it another shot.

 

[Possum-Pie]

This is day 21 that she has been on the nest. As I say, there is one non-viable egg left under her. Will she "give up" since it should have hatched? I can do the dog crate thing, but it seems kinda mean (but so is letting her continue to think she will hatch this egg). I feel so bad for her.
She is in a nesting box 14" off the coop floor with a lip around it...an egg can't accidentally fall out.
There are "experts" saying of course chickens can tell a bad egg, they evolved to not waste time/energy on nonviable eggs. Then there are "experts" who say there is no way a chicken can tell...

 

[NightingaleJen]

My broody's eggs also failed this time. She had 2/5 fertile, then lost both for different reasons. After 23 days I let her "hatch" two farm store chicks, and she's very proud of them.

Let me know if you want advice on giving a hen farm store chicks. I got some great advice on here and it went well for me.
View attachment 3490055

If you don't mind sharing regardless, that might be helpful to many! I have a broody on day 20/21 right now. Crossing my fingers, but it's the first time for both of us!

(I hope you do not mind my asking, @Possum-Pie!)

 

[Possum-Pie]

Agreed. MountainWoman, how did you get your broody to accept an adopted chick?

 

[NightingaleJen]

Thank you for the tips, @MountainWoman73! Darling pictures.

 

[MountainWoman73]

Yes, thanks MountainWoman. The only local supplier of chicks only has 2-week-old chicks so I don't want to chance that she will reject them. I guess I'm going to put her in isolation later today. I feel SO bad that she went through 3 weeks of sacrifice for nothing...

Bummer. But probably a good decision.

Interesting that you can't find them. I have 5 different farm stores within an hour of me and they all have chicks February to June. (In Colorado) Maybe your state has different regulations for live animal sales or something.

 

[Possum-Pie]

No, we have 3 TSC stores within reasonable distance but all of their chicks are "older" Same with the Agway 20 min. away.
I've put Orpington in hen jail, a large dog cage in the coop. She has water, food, and a roost but is standing looking over at her broody box. The other 3 hens and even the rooster are in the coop with her, trying to figure out how to set her free and get her back to the nest. UGGG I feel like a meanie. Everyone tried so hard to make it happen.

 

[MROO]

No, we have 3 TSC stores within reasonable distance but all of their chicks are "older" Same with the Agway 20 min. away.
I've put Orpington in hen jail, a large dog cage in the coop. She has water, food, and a roost but is standing looking over at her broody box. The other 3 hens and even the rooster are in the coop with her, trying to figure out how to set her free and get her back to the nest. UGGG I feel like a meanie. Everyone tried so hard to make it happen.

Check your local "Craig's List" or contact your Ag extension agent to see if any 4H kids have extra peeps. It's hatching time for local elementary schools, too, so there may be some kindergarten dropouts to be had. Two of my best hens are KDO's!

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Here's the good advice I received. I can't take credit, as this was my first time trying it, too!

1.) Get chicks as close to one day old as you can. They'll behave more like newly hatched chicks and have needs more similar to newly hatched chicks, which will help mom take care of them. I got one that had arrived at the farm store one day earlier, and one that had come in a shipment a few days before, so mine were probably 3 and 5 days old? But 1-3 days old is best if you can get them.

2.) Slip them under her in the dark, shortly after sundown. This will give them all night to get used to each other and she'll be unlikely to move in the dark. Remove dead/fake eggs at the same time you put the chicks in.

3.) Get them a little cold first. Leaving the chicks outside for 10-15 minutes won't kill them, but it will make them peep loudly. Let mom listen to them peeping in the dark for a couple minutes before you slip them underneath her. This helps her accept them, but MORE importantly, it makes chicks more likely to accept her. If they're cold, they're going to snuggle right up under mom and stay put, rather than try to run away or jump out of the nest. Often if there is a problem, it's not really the broody rejecting the chicks, but the chicks rejecting the broody.

4.) Check back in 15 minutes to make sure no one has fallen out of the nest, then go to bed and leave them alone until the next morning!

5.) If the broody is in a nest box, you'll need to move her down the next day so chicks can access food and water. (Real newborn chicks don't need food or water until day 2-3, so broody won't know this.) I moved mine around 11 am the next day. I set up food and water in a safe enclosed area away from the rest of the flock, and made a new nest on the floor in a sideways milk crate. Then I took the chicks out from under mom and put them down by the food. They started eating, and she followed them, clucking and complaining, and got them back under her to warm up right away. I kept them shut in their small space for another day before leaving the door open for her to take them out, and they've been doing fine since!View attachment 3490588View attachment 3490590View attachment 3490589

What breed is she?

 

[Possum-Pie]

A bielefelder.

The second picture you posted could be a calender photo. What a great picture!