Broody Hen Thread!

[JaeG]

Here is our first chick - hatched yesterday. 2 more hatched this morning. Mama hasn't moved off of them yet. These are Serama chicks and mama is a Bantam Cochin. We put her in a crate to brood and she is inside the hen house. It's very cold and windy today or we would have moved the crate out into the run. How long will it be before the chicks begin to venture out from under her? We have their food in the crate and their waterer ( full of pebbles to prevent drowning, these babies are teeny!) right at the door of the crate. I want to lift her to check on them, but don't want to stress her.

How long should we wait? Thanks.

P.s. Can you tell I'm a nervous grandma?

She won't move off the nest until she thinks all her eggs have hatched and she thinks all her babies can keep up with her. I recently had a broody where the chicks hatched day 19 (an hour after that one was born he was sticking his head out to be nosy), 20 and last one on day 21. It was 24 hours after the last one hatched that the Mum started to move around, though little Diamond squeaked a lot for a mummy cuddle and she would ignore her in her quest to scratch around finding food, so we cuddled her (such a hardship)!

You could try offering the Mum some food/hand feeding her. I've been turning the chick crumbles into warm mash as bantams are so tiny. The mum will make her "come eat" noise and any hungry chicks will pop out from under her to investigate. I offer mine water on a soup spoon too which the babies will also investigate. The mum might be a bit defensive of her babies at first but once they are up and moving she will chill out. I have fished egg shells out from under my girls as they look so uncomfortable but don't lift her up as there may be newly hatched chicks dying off under her. It is hard to wait I know!

 

[mo puff]

I hope some one is still monitoring and answering questions about broody hens. I need help. One of my Cuckoo Marans is Broody AGAIN!! The first time , I diligently took her off the nest 3 times a day .. sometimes more... it did NO GOOD> Her broody period went on for 7 weeks!! She started laying again, but now only 4 months later.. here she goes again.
I have put 3 golf balls under her and just said the heck with her.. let her just sit in there all day while the other girls frolic! My husband just made a strange suggestion, so I thought I would ask in here... He proposed that maybe I could go buy a new chick from the feed store and sneak the baby under her. What do you think? Wil she still sit in there until all 3 golf balls hatch? Do I take the balls away and sneak the chic in? I don't want 3 more chicks but could do one more, IF you think it would get her out of the coop??!! HELP me! any other suggestions to stop this behavior would be helpful too!

 

[Pattycat]

Now, this may work, but wait for her to get to day 19 before doing so. Leave the golf balls under her until you get to day 19 then try replacing the balls with chicks. If you do this too soon, what will happen is that she may actually reject them. You have a better chance of her taking to them if you wait. Another thing you can look into is getting her some eggs to hatch.

 

[laurieb01]

She won't move off the nest until she thinks all her eggs have hatched and she thinks all her babies can keep up with her. I recently had a broody where  the chicks hatched day 19 (an hour after that one was born he was sticking his head out to be nosy), 20 and last one on day 21. It was 24 hours after the last one hatched that the Mum started to move around, though little Diamond squeaked a lot for a mummy cuddle and she would ignore her in her quest to scratch around finding food, so we cuddled her (such a hardship)!

You could try offering the Mum some food/hand feeding her. I've been turning the chick crumbles into warm mash as bantams are so tiny. The mum will make her "come eat" noise and any hungry chicks will pop out from under her to investigate. I offer mine water on a soup spoon too which the babies will also investigate. The mum might be a bit defensive of her babies at first but once they are up and moving she will chill out. I have fished egg shells out from under my girls as they look so uncomfortable but don't lift her up as there may be newly hatched chicks dying off under her. It is hard to wait I know! 

Thank you. When we walk up to the house we can hear peeping but when we open the door mama clucks and the peeping stops. Lol!

 

[nchls school]

Here is our first chick - hatched yesterday. 2 more hatched this morning. Mama hasn't moved off of them yet. These are Serama chicks and mama is a Bantam Cochin. We put her in a crate to brood and she is inside the hen house. It's very cold and windy today or we would have moved the crate out into the run. How long will it be before the chicks begin to venture out from under her? 12 to 24 hours. We have their food in the crate and their waterer ( full of pebbles to prevent drowning, these babies are teeny!) right at the door of the crate. I want to lift her to check on them, but don't want to stress her.

If your hen is tame, take a look. If not, be patient. She will bring them out when they are ready.How long should we wait? Thanks.

P.s. Can you tell I'm a nervous grandma?

Yes. But do not feel alone.

I raise serama. Do not think that small means frail. My tiny chicks are as healthy and rambunctious as their larger counterparts.

In the last year I have lost just one serama chick out of dozens.

 

[fisherlady]

Now, this may work, but wait for her to get to day 19 before doing so. Leave the golf balls under her until you get to day 19 then try replacing the balls with chicks. If you do this too soon, what will happen is that she may actually reject them. You have a better chance of her taking to them if you wait. Another thing you can look into is getting her some eggs to hatch. 

@

X2 on above answer, I would call around to local feed stores and find out when they get their chick deliveries, find a delivery which is no sooner than 14 days after the hen started to sit...pick up 2 or 3 chicks as early as possible on the day of delivery, take them home and swap them out for the fake eggs.

I prefer at least 2 and preferably 3 chicks in a hatch...and the chicks need to be as close to newly hatched as possible to improve chances of successful grafting.

You can do a 'search this thread' for the word 'graft' and the word 'stages' under my user name to find some old posts about this particular issue, it is covered frequently.

 

[laurieb01]

She won't move off the nest until she thinks all her eggs have hatched and she thinks all her babies can keep up with her. I recently had a broody where  the chicks hatched day 19 (an hour after that one was born he was sticking his head out to be nosy), 20 and last one on day 21. It was 24 hours after the last one hatched that the Mum started to move around, though little Diamond squeaked a lot for a mummy cuddle and she would ignore her in her quest to scratch around finding food, so we cuddled her (such a hardship)!

You could try offering the Mum some food/hand feeding her. I've been turning the chick crumbles into warm mash as bantams are so tiny. The mum will make her "come eat" noise and any hungry chicks will pop out from under her to investigate. I offer mine water on a soup spoon too which the babies will also investigate. The mum might be a bit defensive of her babies at first but once they are up and moving she will chill out. I have fished egg shells out from under my girls as they look so uncomfortable but don't lift her up as there may be newly hatched chicks dying off under her. It is hard to wait I know! 

I just tried the water on a soup spoon and it worked well. She drank a lot. Then I cleared out space s moved the chick waterer close to her. She drank and drank. I swear I could hear her tummy rumbling! I put mash in a low plastic jar lid and that is by her, too. I will shut her door before I allow the rest of the flick in for the night. Thanks for advice. It's supposed to be warmer tomorrow so maybe we will see some little faces.

 

[16 paws]

Thanks, they sure can keep me from getting chores done around here! LOL

Yea I know what you mean. The floors in my house have never been this dirty and I really dont give a darn. This is too much fun...
Marie

 

[16 paws]

I have posted it many times----Its alot of typing so I jst went back a few pages and copied it------

Most all my nesting boxes are movable. If I have a hen that becomes broody in a non-movable box or corner---I get a movable box ready--with hay and fake eggs---that night I pick up the hen, remove nesting materials, place movable box in that nest/or spot---place her back in the nest with fake eggs(or eggs that I will remove daily and leave her a few more each day I remove the others till I set her) I let her get use to the new nest---usually a day or so----then at night I move her to the hatching pen in total darkness(only flash a light for a second to get bearings). I ease the nest with her in it into the hatching pen and Leave. ALWAYS get the hatching pen set-up before the move---food water etc. If you did that when you move her---that could and will up-set her. I have set just before day break and watch at a distance---when the hen can start seeing a little she knows she is in a new place as she can see a little more she can see her food and water across the pen from her(never where she can get to it while in the nest). She sits there as it gets lighter and "I" feel she is taking in her new place and not being bothered by no one/chicken----I have seen them come out the nest and check the place out, eat, etc then go get back in their nest. I have sit there for a hour and they just sit---so I move on---LOL. When I know she is going to stay, I set her with fresh eggs. Once the hens go broody a second and third time---they know they are going to be moved and I place their fertile eggs under them before I even move them. I do Not NEVER allow a broody to collect her own eggs---I want them to hatch at the same time so I put fresh ones in her nest.

Let me say this----"THIS" is what I do---i am Just sharing--- I am not saying my way is the best way----I am just saying this is what works for me---with great hatches and No Problems. Good Luck.

Thanks so much. Cant wait to try this...
Marie

 

[PD-Riverman]

I hope some one is still monitoring and answering questions about broody hens. I need help. One of my Cuckoo Marans is Broody AGAIN!! The first time , I diligently took her off the nest 3 times a day .. sometimes more... it did NO GOOD> Her broody period went on for 7 weeks!! She started laying again, but now only 4 months later.. here she goes again.
I have put 3 golf balls under her and just said the heck with her.. let her just sit in there all day while the other girls frolic! My husband just made a strange suggestion, so I thought I would ask in here... He proposed that maybe I could go buy a new chick from the feed store and sneak the baby under her. What do you think? Wil she still sit in there until all 3 golf balls hatch? Do I take the balls away and sneak the chic in? I don't want 3 more chicks but could do one more, IF you think it would get her out of the coop??!! HELP me! any other suggestions to stop this behavior would be helpful too!

If you do not want chicks---It only takes 3 days to break any broody I ever tried to break---might take a little longer for some but never any that I got and I only had to touch her twice for a few seconds each time.