Broody Hen Thread!

[Curnow]

We should have hatch in the next day or so. Set eggs under out broody Cuckoo Marans. Shortly after, our Light Brahma thought she might try, but didn't stay with it. Now I have one sitting all day and cranky who really puzzles me. Not completely sure what she is, but she's about 5 or 6 years old and no longer lays. Last year we got an egg from her every now and then, but I have not seen one in quite a while. We don't know exactly what she is. She (Rosie) looks just like a Crested Cream Legbar, but with rose comb and very lightly feathered legs. She was part or my father in laws original flock before he passed away. He had a gal staying with him that was trying to hatch eggs. We know they had Cochin roosters. In that original flock we used to get 1 blue egg, but nothing resembled an Easter Egger or the like, so we assumed it was Rosie. The few eggs we got from her last year were white. There are only two old hens from that original flock left.

My question is....

Do old hens who no longer lay go broody? Guess I just figured once they went through chicken menopause they no longer had the instinct. She is not sick, quite spry and still on top of a flock of 30+ hens.

 

[microchick]

Hi Curnow. We have friends that have a trio of chickens that are mainly pets now as they have gotten old and only lay an occasional egg, Last spring one of their hens went broody but as their little platinum winged bantam roo is old also, none of the eggs hatched. We are waiting to see if she goes broody this spring so we can set her on some of my flock's fertile eggs. So I would wager a guess that yes, older hens an go broody.

 

[nchls school]

We should have hatch in the next day or so. Set eggs under out broody Cuckoo Marans. Shortly after, our Light Brahma thought she might try, but didn't stay with it. Now I have one sitting all day and cranky who really puzzles me. Not completely sure what she is, but she's about 5 or 6 years old and no longer lays. Last year we got an egg from her every now and then, but I have not seen one in quite a while. We don't know exactly what she is. She (Rosie) looks just like a Crested Cream Legbar, but with rose comb and very lightly feathered legs. She was part or my father in laws original flock before he passed away. He had a gal staying with him that was trying to hatch eggs. We know they had Cochin roosters. In that original flock we used to get 1 blue egg, but nothing resembled an Easter Egger or the like, so we assumed it was Rosie. The few eggs we got from her last year were white. There are only two old hens from that original flock left.

My question is....

Do old hens who no longer lay go broody? Guess I just figured once they went through chicken menopause they no longer had the instinct. She is not sick, quite spry and still on top of a flock of 30+ hens.

I'm not absolutely positive on this, but I think not. However, I've had old hens in the past lay one or two eggs and then go broody. These hens were 110+ years. Are you sure the hen didn't lay an egg or so?

 

[Dani4Hedgies]

Omg look what I found this afternoon when scooping the coop...it was either laid from the roost and fell into the bucket of water next to the roost or in the 15 mins I was scooping the roost.... since I found the remains of one *possible* two no shelled egg im thinking the water bucket...


(And nope it a very light cream not the yellow my pic makes it and it had a ton of clear liquid and just a smidge of yolk  ....that's right we no longer have freeloaders we now have egg laying chickens!!!!

Now they just need to laid for va couple months and then have someone decide they want to raise chicks

 

[fisherlady]

Omg look what I found this afternoon when scooping the coop...it was either laid from the roost and fell into the bucket of water next to the roost or in the 15 mins I was scooping the roost.... since I found the remains of one *possible* two no shelled egg im thinking the water bucket...


(And nope it a very light cream not the yellow my pic makes it and it had a ton of clear liquid and just a smidge of yolk  ....that's right we no longer have freeloaders we now have egg laying chickens!!!!

Now they just need to laid for va couple months and then have someone decide they want to raise chicks

Congratulations! First eggs are so cool! Provide one nest box in a darker and more secluded area of the coop than the rest and let mother nature do her thing!

 

[microchick]

Congratulations Dani4hedgies, just wait till you have enough eggs to enjoy a platter of 'over easys' some morning soon. Nothing will taste as good as those eggs knowing that your own hens provided them for you.

As for broodies, when you want them to go broody, they won't and when you don't want them to they will. I swear it's a mass conspiracy on their part.I got me a hankerin for some Banties. I thought about setting a hen on Oprington eggs the next time one goes broody but I'm about at my capacity for hens and over capacity for roosters right now. I'm looking at a 4/4 split on my Aggie's brood if I'm lucky. That means a bachelor pen is in the offing as I will potentially have 8 count them loud mouthed roosters on my hands. I culled two last year because of aggression. I can take and handle aggression towards me with a well aimed cup of water and the 'walk of shame' with the cockerel that has had a lapse in judgement and decided to fight with my boot while my back is turned. These two were super aggressive towards other cockerel. While I understand that the they are roosters and have to work out their pecking order, cornering a smaller roo and trying to kill him is a bit over the top for me so they were rehomed.

Speaking of roosters. One of mine has laryngitis. Idiot bird has been crowing his brains out till all he can do is squeak. No other symptoms just 'squeak a squeakle doooo' and naturally you can't tell him to shut the you know what up and rest his voice. On the bright spot, maybe they all will start to squeak and give us some peace and quiet., LOL

 

[Dani4Hedgies]

Fisherlady,
Lol I spoil my girls they gave no less then 4 nest boxes in the coop all different sizes and locations and I have each spot "spiked" with a fake egg. Hopefully found another one or more this afternoon when we get home

 

[fisherlady]

Fisherlady,
Lol I spoil my girls they gave no less then 4 nest boxes in the coop all different sizes and locations and I have each spot "spiked" with a fake egg. Hopefully found another one or more this afternoon when we get home

Your girls will be happy then...broodiness will come with time, and probably at the most inconvenient time! LOL

 

[fisherlady]

Congratulations Dani4hedgies, just wait till you have enough eggs to enjoy a platter of 'over easys' some morning soon. Nothing will taste as good as those eggs knowing that your own hens provided them for you.

As for broodies, when you want them to go broody, they won't and when you don't want them to they will. I swear it's a mass conspiracy on their part.I got me a hankerin for some Banties. I thought about setting a hen on Oprington eggs the next time one goes broody but I'm about at my capacity for hens and over capacity for roosters right now. I'm looking at a 4/4 split on my Aggie's brood if I'm lucky. That means a bachelor pen is in the offing as I will potentially have 8 count them loud mouthed roosters on my hands. I culled two last year because of aggression. I can take and handle aggression towards me with a well aimed cup of water and the 'walk of shame' with the cockerel that has had a lapse in judgement and decided to fight with my boot while my back is turned. These two were super aggressive towards other cockerel. While I understand that the they are roosters and have to work out their pecking order, cornering a smaller roo and trying to kill him is a bit over the top for me so they were rehomed.

Speaking of roosters. One of mine has laryngitis. Idiot bird has been crowing his brains out till all he can do is squeak. No other symptoms just 'squeak a squeakle doooo' and naturally you can't tell him to shut the you know what up and rest his voice. On the bright spot, maybe they all will start to squeak and give us some peace and quiet., LOL

Very true on the broody timing!
Funny about your laryngitis rooster, hope you get to enjoy the quiet for at least a short while!

 

[RubyNala97]

I am new to having broody hens and it's getting pretty stressful! Weather here is terrible. 28 degrees and an ice storm. My hen hatched 3 babies in the nest box, inside the chicken coop on Friday/Saturday. This morning I was outside and I heard a baby crying. So I went to investigate. There was 1 baby out of the nest box (there's about an 8 inch lip on the box) and the baby could not get back in with mom. He was cold and crying like crazy and mom was just sitting there like nothing. So I put him back under her. I put up a heat lamp because I was worried if it happened again and I was not around the baby wouldn't have much time before he froze. I've never used a heat light inside the coop before. I also put a chick feeder and waterer, right outside the nest box, so mom can bring the babies out to eat and drink but she hasn't yet. I'm nervous about the light so I went back out to check now and again the one baby was out of the nest and crying. And mom is just sitting there. It's about 50 degrees in there now with the light. Is this normal for the baby to keep leaving the nest solo? How is she going to get them all in and out of the nest box?? Should I seperate her and the babies and bring them inside?? Any advice is appreciated. This hen was a year old when I got her, so I don't know if she's ever been a mom before now.