Broody Hen Off Nest a Lot

[PouleChick]

I"m having similar issues with my current broody. Currently have all 11 in the incubator after she broke one this afternoon. Let us know how you get on.

This read should give you all the information you need to know.
http://www.brinsea.com/Articles/Advice/PowerOff.aspx

Interesting article!
Above 40.5 °C (104.9°F) no embryos will survive.
I thought this was concerning considering my hen is in a black plastic shelter and we are heading into summer where heat wave days can easily be above this. What are your thoughts?

 

[MadChickenMama]

What breed of hen is it?
How old is she?
Has she hatched chicks before?

If the eggs are left unattended for more than a couple hours at 80F or below, it isn't very likely the embryos will survive.
This read should give you all the information you need to know.
http://www.brinsea.com/Articles/Advice/PowerOff.aspx

Yeah I've read everything, but it doesn't hury to try.

She is a california white. Over a year old. She is the first of her flock to go broody. I only used her to see if she could do it and do it better. I started them in an incubator and only gave her 3 out of my 22. Including those 3 I am down to 14 altogether.

I just took the eggs from her no problem. She stood up for me and I reached in and took them. Candled them and there is still movement but their air cells haven't progressed much past day 14.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I"m having similar issues with my current broody. Currently have all 11 in the incubator after she broke one this afternoon. Let us know how you get on.

Interesting article!
Above 40.5 °C (104.9°F) no embryos will survive.
I thought this was concerning considering my hen is in a black plastic shelter and we are heading into summer where heat wave days can easily be above this. What are your thoughts?

If the shelter is in the sun, my thoughts are to suspend some shade cloth over the plastic shelter. That should reduce the internal temperature substantially.

Yeah I've read everything, but it doesn't hury to try.

She is a california white. Over a year old. She is the first of her flock to go broody. I only used her to see if she could do it and do it better. I started them in an incubator and only gave her 3 out of my 22. Including those 3 I am down to 14 altogether.

I just took the eggs from her no problem. She stood up for me and I reached in and took them. Candled them and there is still movement but their air cells haven't progressed much past day 14.

It doesn't hurt to try. California whites have had broodiness pretty well bred out of them. That said, I had a black leghorn that raised several broods of chicks for me and was a good mother. When they are iffy about sitting, it rarely is successful.
I had a pullet I was convinced was broody. She would religiously sit on eggs all night an for hours during the day but she clearly wanted to spend lots of time foraging with the flock. I tried locking her into the broody apartment but whenever I opened the door, out she would come. I knew she wasn't serious.

 

[Shezadandy]

I would give those eggs a really good candling to see if you see any signs of life. If you do, and have access to an incubator, then I would put them in the incubator and be prepared to brood them yourself.

Sometimes if you move them before they hatch the eggs- they lose interest/focus and that's that, unfortunately. Just had a hen do this - had to raise her chicks- but got extremely lucky and was bailed out by the next broody hen- who took them even though they were 11 days old. They're all living happily together- her two little babies and the abandoned chicks. Usually grafting to another hen when they're that old doesn't work. I got very, very, very, very VERY lucky.

Since then- even though I've moved several with no problems at all - I've decided to wait until the eggs have hatched, then I move them to the broody apartment- by then all she cares about is making sure she has her babies with her.

 

[MadChickenMama]

Honestly, I was surprised she went broody at all. I would have thought the buff orpington or isa brown would have been the first ones.

When she was in her coop she had to be removed from the nest and made to go eat each day. She was so stressed there. Got her here and she began doing so much better. She sat on them great until this morning. *shrug* I just wanted to see if she'd do it. She's part of my sister's first flock so we were pretty excited to see her go broody.

The chicks in the eggs I'd put under the hen had plenty of movement in them. They are back with the other 11 eggs I kept in the incubator. Lockdown is Saturday morning. I'm hoping their air cells progress more by then.

 

[Shezadandy]

Yes- always the ones you wouldn't suspect! Our first one was a Barred Rock. The Buffs and Speckled Sussex are 3 years old and never had a broody thought in their lives!!

 

[MadChickenMama]

My sister only has hens in her 1st flock anyway so it's not a big deal. Her 2nd flock is made of 4 silkies. One is male and he has begun crowing in the morning and trying to mate with his ladies. The females haven't started laying yet, though. They were 16 weeks sometime early last month I believe. They'll be better for broodiness when the time comes ^_^

And my seramas will be good, too once they're old enough.

 

[aart]

I started them in an incubator

How long were they in the incubator before you gave them to her?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

...

When she was in her coop she had to be removed from the nest and made to go eat each day. She was so stressed there. ....

Absolutely unnecessary.
A broody hen won't starve themselves to death. They have a job to do and they know how to do it. They need to be left alone. Food, water and dust bathing space should be given them and go back 3 weeks later to count chicks.
They haven't needed human intervention for millions of years. If all of a sudden, once domesticated, they forgot how to hatch and keep themselves alive, they would have become extinct centuries ago.
I've kept broody hens in their own small apartments with fresh bedding. By peeking in the window, I can tell how frequently they come off the nest to eat, drink and defecate by how many of those huge stinky piles of feces there are.
It is usually once a day but occasionally they'll miss a day.
They're in a trance and any disturbance disrupts them from doing their jobs.
I usually have about 3 or 4 broody hens a year but have had as many as 20. I don't make them eat and miraculously, none have died.
The only time being broody is dangerous is if the keeper doesn't either give them fertile eggs in a timely manner or break their broodiness.
I had a friend with a broody turkey hen. She didn't break the hen but rather let her sit for a couple months till the hen couldn't move. 3 months of physical therapy, $2000 of vet bills and the hen still died.

 

[MadChickenMama]

Absolutely unnecessary.
A broody hen won't starve themselves to death. They have a job to do and they know how to do it. They need to be left alone. Food, water and dust bathing space should be given them and go back 3 weeks later to count chicks.
They haven't needed human intervention for millions of years. If all of a sudden, once domesticated, they forgot how to hatch and keep themselves alive, they would have become extinct centuries ago.
I've kept broody hens in their own small apartments with fresh bedding. By peeking in the window, I can tell how frequently they come off the nest to eat, drink and defecate by how many of those huge stinky piles of feces there are.
It is usually once a day but occasionally they'll miss a day.
They're in a trance and any disturbance disrupts them from doing their jobs.
I usually have about 3 or 4 broody hens a year but have had as many as 20. I don't make them eat and miraculously, none have died.
The only time being broody is dangerous is if the keeper doesn't either give them fertile eggs in a timely manner or break their broodiness.
I had a friend with a broody turkey hen. She didn't break the hen but rather let her sit for a couple months till the hen couldn't move. 3 months of physical therapy, $2000 of vet bills and the hen still died.

Well from the fact that her comb was turning purplish-red I think getting her up to eat and drink and also moving her here did good for her. She was constantly being bothered by the others so she refused to get off the nest, not wanting to allow the other hens to lay. After a day here she began doing much better and would come off the nest like she should have since she didn't feel like her eggs were in danger or something.