Broody Hen Thread!

[DinaKay]

Same here microchick. ..lol...I'm lucky..have friends building coops..sooo guess where they'll be shopping

 

[Puddin Fluff]

Who needs a reason to have cute fluffy butts running around?

I certainly don't need them but so cute!

Just put mama in lock down with 5 eggs. I am only expecting 4 of them to hatch but we are giving #5 a chance.

 

[JaeG]

Hi 16 paws - yes they are currently residing in our laundry and my daughter and myself are handling the babies lots. We've both fallen in love with the partridge chick who is outgoing and gorgeous - 3 and a half hours after hatching she kept poking her head out from under mum to have a look around (Pixie kept shoving her back under herself as Mama knows best!). The partridge sat on my hand for 40 minutes this morning mostly sleeping and enjoying being patted. Her name is Button. We pray it's a her. I can see how addictive this is!

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Are we all just pathologically crazy or just plain nutz?

I mean seriously. Most of us have more chickens than we know what to do with. The price of feed, treats, bedding and medicines means that we don't even break even with the cost of eggs at the local grocery. (Yes, I know, we know where our eggs and for some of us meat comes from and that makes up for the expense and work)

Yet we all get ecstatically giddy when we realize that we have 1, 2, 6, or more hens that are contentedly sitting on anywhere from 4 to 12 eggs meaning that 80-100% of those eggs are going to hatch and we are going to have more mouths to feed and house because if you are anything like me, you cannot part with any of these downy darlings once you watch them break free of their egg and join the living world.

Last year I wanted 12 chickens. Ok, things happen and chicken math kicks in. Now we have 16. No wait, a hen just hatched out 8 healthy babies in an early spring broody frenzy. What am I doing? I'm wishing another hen would go broody because it was so much fun the first time around. AAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH. I'm sorry. I'm a retired nurse and I know what nutz is and frankly I am NUTZ.....in a good way of course. But I wanna 'nuther broody hen!

Sorry, I needed a laugh. Back went out yesterday, I'm missing out on a cycling get together because of it. I tend to get into mischief when left to my own devices.
But seriously guys, does that describe you like it does me?

Oh my....

Yes, I'm afraid I am in the same position.

Started with 4 hens...lost those to a fire in the coop! Oh No...so got 10 more chicks to brood (just in case some didn't make it)...they all did of course (except the roo which we gave away)...and then we added more and ended up with about 16 (?) then a hen (Buff Orp) went broody but quit.

Sooooooooo disappointed, I went out and PURCHASED a known broody Silkie. When she went broody I PURCHASED fertile eggs to put under her. Then a few large hens followed suit.
That's when the broody bug hit. Freed from incubators, and to keep fresh layers, I used every broody that went broody. At one time I had about 26 birds on 1/3 acre with MORE under broodies

....time to down size...so I fortunately found an equally addicted person with a large farm to whom I pass my older layers to.

So what did that mean? A state of equilibrium? Nooooooooo.....time to go out and purchase 2 MORE broodies! And then keep a rooster so I can easily get fertile eggs (and now breed for egg color)....

And now that my bantam Cochins don't seem to be doing particularly well at brooding? Time to trade for another Silkie and brood MORE chicks.

Oh dear...this is an obsession...and at some point I'll need intervention.....

But not yet.

I'm going to breed for that elusive egg color...like really dark choclate, and all manner of greens, and LAVENDER!

Hello, my name is...
LofMc

 

[laurieb01]

we are in the second 'broody' episode from one of our buff orpingtons....sigh....we don't have a rooster, so there is no chance for the eggs to hatch, but she doesn't know that!  We collect the eggs during the day so she is just sitting on litter.  I remove her from the nest as many time as I can, but who knows how long it will take to break her.  the first time she went broody, it took 6 weeks!


my favorite part is when I open the nest box door and she puffs up and makes the horrible shrieking sound at me.  /img/smilies/lau.gif   


I'll try to get a pic of her all puffed up tomorrow!

Hi Sandy - we have a little Cochin who goes broody a lot. We have put her in a wire floored dog cage (no bedding) with a perch in our basement. Broody jail. Once she starts eating again she is usually over it and is back out with the flock. It only takes a couple of days. She got lucky this time because we want a couple of Serama chicks and are going to let her hatch some eggs. We are picking them up tomorrow. She will be happy.

 

[microchick]

6 weeks to break? Whow, Sandy16 that is one determined little hen you have there. When our Broody Aggie went broody for the first time back in December, I tried to break her for 3 days by just stealing her eggs and pushing her off her nest. When that didn't work, three days in the broody buster jail did the trick....temporarily. I didn't have the heart to stuff her in jail a second time so I caved. The chicks are two weeks old this weekend.

 

[Wendy High]

JaeG
So glad you shared your pictures with us. Yes, I agree, having a good broody is worth their weight in gold. They are so fun to watch. Your pictures are really sweet. Did they hatch in your laundry room?

In my experience bantams sure make good broody mamas....

I have one week to go with Puff my broody white silkie. She has been a real good sitter thus far. We shall see how many of the nine eggs hatch. I have not candled any so hoping they are fertile. I have 3 roos with 30 hens. 

Can't wait to see Puff's babies. Hope all 9 hatch.

Are the 3 roosters and 30 hens all running together? What sort of offspring is Puff expecting? (Without reading back to c if already posted)...

 

[Wendy High]

I love it. The conversations on here let me know I am not the only chicken addict. I need to start intervention now. My symptoms are as bad as others on here.

 

[Wendy High]

Oh my....    Yes, I'm afraid I am in the same position.

Started with 4 hens...lost those to a fire in the coop! Oh No...so got 10 more chicks to  brood (just in case some didn't make it)...they all did of course (except the roo which we gave away)...and then we added more and ended up with about 16 (?) then a hen (Buff Orp) went broody but quit.

Sooooooooo disappointed, I went out and PURCHASED a known broody Silkie. When she went broody I PURCHASED fertile eggs to put under her. Then a few large hens followed suit.
That's when the broody bug hit. Freed from incubators, and to keep fresh layers, I used every broody that went broody. At one time I had about 26 birds on 1/3 acre with MORE under broodies ....time to down size...so I fortunately found an equally addicted person with a large farm to whom I pass my older layers to. 

So what did that mean? A state of equilibrium?  Nooooooooo.....time to go out and purchase 2 MORE broodies! And then keep a rooster so I can easily get fertile eggs (and now breed for egg color)....

And now that my bantam Cochins don't seem to be doing particularly well at brooding?  Time to trade for another Silkie and brood MORE chicks.

Oh dear...this is an obsession...and at some point I'll need intervention.....

But not yet. 

I'm going to breed for that elusive egg color...like really dark choclate, and all manner of greens, and LAVENDER!

Hello, my name is...
LofMc

 

[Wendy High]

Learning how to post and somewhat communicate on here.