Broody Hen Thread!

[Morrigan]

Update on my broody.

At around 6 p.m. last night when I went to check on her she had moved so that she was no longer sitting on the nest at all, but sitting about a foot away. She was still puffed up and acting broody. The eggs were still warm.

She has brooded twice for me before and never acted this way. I did three things different this year. First, I moved her out of the main coop into an adjacent brooder. I think she never did like that . Second, I periodically forced her off the nest. Because she was in her own space I could see after 3 days that she wasn't getting off to do business. Third, I gave her eggs that had already been incubating 5 days. Maybe their development felt wrong? Or maybe she's just a lousy broody. Two previous "hands off approach" broods had been characterized by soiled nests, rotting eggs, poor hatch rates 3/8 and 3/10 (to be fair an egg or two in those clutches were duds) and a seriously thin, poo-encrusted mother who could barely walk by the end.

I feel like I just can't do right by this hen. I didn't know what to do with those abandoned eggs. I candled them and correctly ID'ed one as a quitter. The rest I just couldn't tell -- They had big air sacs and I could still see some veining. I couldn't tell if I was seeing movement, or just a floating corpse. They smelled ok. In the end, I decided to put them back on the nest and stand up the the broody right next to it and see what she did. She tottered back on to them. She was still sitting there this morning, now day 21.

I have chicks hatching in the incubator right now. My plan is to put them under her tomorrow if her eggs don't hatch and hope she adopts them. As I said before she was a great mother.

On English Game Hens

I did a search -- what beautiful birds! Some of the reviews I read said they can be very aggressive. Anyone find this to be true?

If I can every get some honest-to-goodness broody hens I hope to become a regular here.

 

[fisherlady]

Update on my broody.

At around 6 p.m. last night when I went to check on her she had moved so that she was no longer sitting on the nest at all, but sitting about a foot away.  She was still puffed up and acting broody.   The eggs were still warm.

She has brooded twice for me before and never acted this way.  I did three things different this year.  First, I moved her out of the main coop into an adjacent brooder.  I think she never did like that .  Second, I periodically forced her off the nest.  Because she was in her own space I could see after 3 days that she wasn't getting off to do business.   Third, I gave her eggs that had already been incubating 5 days.  Maybe their development felt wrong?  Or maybe she's just a lousy broody.  Two previous "hands off approach" broods had been characterized by soiled nests, rotting eggs, poor hatch rates 3/8 and 3/10 (to be fair an egg or two in those clutches were duds) and a seriously thin, poo-encrusted mother who could barely walk by the end.  

I feel like I just can't do right by this hen.  I didn't know what to do with those abandoned eggs.  I candled them and correctly ID'ed one as a quitter.  The rest I just couldn't tell -- They had big air sacs and I could still see some veining.  I couldn't tell if I was seeing movement, or just a floating corpse.  They smelled ok.   In the end, I decided to put them back on the nest and stand up the the broody right next to it and see what she did.  She tottered back on to them.  She was still sitting there this morning, now day 21.  

I have chicks hatching in the incubator right now.  My plan is to put them under her tomorrow if her eggs don't hatch and hope she adopts them.  As I said before she was a great mother.  

On English Game Hens 

I did a search -- what beautiful birds!  Some of the reviews I read said they can be very aggressive.  Anyone find this to be true? 

If I can every get some honest-to-goodness broody hens I hope to become a regular here.

It sounds as if you are trying your best to give her a chance. Some folks prefer private quarters and total hands off, and with most hens it works great that way, some hens just seem to need a boost once in a while. I have an old hen who went broody and was not leaving the nest to eat or drink. Due to her age and confirming she hadn't been up I did lift her off of the nest once a day for 3 or 4 days. She had quite a bit of trouble walking the first day, she even needed help getting back to the nest that 1st time.... each day she did better and after the 4th day she got up on her own and I was able to just leave her go. She finished brooding, hatched out all of her eggs and is still raising a brood of 12 even though they should have been on their own 2 or 3 weeks ago.
Moral of the story...to give them their best chance sometimes you have to intervene when behaviors are out of the norm. If it is a routine issue with the same hen then you may have to recognize she isn't dependable as a hatcher but makes a great mama...a bird like that is one I would give 3 eggs to and place the rest in the incubator and give the chicks to her after hatch to let her do her thing.

It's not highly likely but your hen may have just been too warm and opted to not sit back onto the eggs for a bit, once she sat though she didn't realize the passage of time and she didn't get up to go back to the nest, again a sign of an undependable hatcher but she can still be a good broody mama. During our mid summer I have seen hens off of the nest for up to 90 minutes.

 

[WVduckchick]

Show this to your husband----tell him you are OK----that old boy in SC has a problem----this is about 30 of my 60+ pens---LOL

I will definitely be showing this to my husband! Awesome!

Yeah, the two Welsummer roosters are more funny than anything. Mostly sneaking up behind me and wham, whacking my heel once then running like heck. They know if I catch them it's the walk of shame for them. My big problem rooster is my year old Lavender O. This bird is big and beautiful. Two months ago he decided that it was time to go hormonal on me. He does everything he should not be doing. Namely tidbitting for me then raising his hackles. If I try to walk through him he blocks me and then flies at me. Last night I was in the pen with my muck boots on, thank heavens. I was holding two water containers, empty ones, and when he stood those hackles up, I swung an empty water container at him, and yes, made contact. Didn't mean a thing to him. I kept trying to get him to back up and away from me and finally, after he hit one of my water containers so hard that he knocked it out of my grasp, (I was using them as a shield at this point, knowing the worst thing I could do was concede defeat) I put my foot up hoping to be able to push him back that way. Boy was I wrong. He hit my boot so hard that he penetrated the rubber and left two puncture wounds in the side of my foot. I was done being the nice lady treat giver at that point and grabbed a broom. Let's just say that he's been a perfect rooster today and has a healthy respect for my broom. Except when I was going up into the loft and he followed me around the parameter of the run tidbitting me all the way.

Anybody want a gorgeous Lavender Orpington rooster, with a healthy respect for brooms?

I've got 2 HUGE lavender orpington roosters, and they are the biggest scaredy cats! So yours started this behavior all of a sudden? At what age? Mine just turned a year old. They both move to the other side of the coop when I enter. But if they decide to come at me some day, oh boy! They are very intimidating looking, because they are turkey sized!

Yes, LofMc I agree with you 100%. I have a sweetheart of a rooster in the Buff O alpha. My broody's hatch gave us a pure bred son of his and I'm hoping he grows up to be just like his old man. So far he has the same attitude Red had at his age so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Even the two Welsummers for their occasional missteps are pretty good natured roos. This is Larry BIrd's last chance. He's as strong as a young bull and will be dangerous if this last ditch effort doesn't work. Tonight I kept my broom at my side and there wasn't a problem with him. He hates that broom even though all I did last night was chase him with it. There was no question about him staying out of my space.

I do not want my roosters to be lap pets, but co-existence and mutual respect is mandatory. I could have been hurt a lot worse last night if I hadn't been wearing my muck boots. Luckily, the only person who ever enters my coop/run beside myself is my husband and he won't take any nonsense from him either. He's out of chances. Next time it's the freezer camp.

I have a bantam frizzled cochin boy that has been nipping at my boots for a month or so now. He's about to get my boot placed firmly up his beak. I've tried pinning him down, carrying him around, I even caged him alone a few days ago, but he is still very hormonal. Sadly, he is gorgeous, but I think his new son is about to take his place in the flock.

Update on my broody.

At around 6 p.m. last night when I went to check on her she had moved so that she was no longer sitting on the nest at all, but sitting about a foot away. She was still puffed up and acting broody. The eggs were still warm.

She has brooded twice for me before and never acted this way. I did three things different this year. First, I moved her out of the main coop into an adjacent brooder. I think she never did like that . Second, I periodically forced her off the nest. Because she was in her own space I could see after 3 days that she wasn't getting off to do business. Third, I gave her eggs that had already been incubating 5 days. Maybe their development felt wrong? Or maybe she's just a lousy broody. Two previous "hands off approach" broods had been characterized by soiled nests, rotting eggs, poor hatch rates 3/8 and 3/10 (to be fair an egg or two in those clutches were duds) and a seriously thin, poo-encrusted mother who could barely walk by the end.

I feel like I just can't do right by this hen. I didn't know what to do with those abandoned eggs. I candled them and correctly ID'ed one as a quitter. The rest I just couldn't tell -- They had big air sacs and I could still see some veining. I couldn't tell if I was seeing movement, or just a floating corpse. They smelled ok. In the end, I decided to put them back on the nest and stand up the the broody right next to it and see what she did. She tottered back on to them. She was still sitting there this morning, now day 21.

I have chicks hatching in the incubator right now. My plan is to put them under her tomorrow if her eggs don't hatch and hope she adopts them. As I said before she was a great mother.

On English Game Hens

I did a search -- what beautiful birds! Some of the reviews I read said they can be very aggressive. Anyone find this to be true?

If I can every get some honest-to-goodness broody hens I hope to become a regular here.

My broody Old English Game Bantam, and her sister by her side.
So far, it appears that sis steps in when the main girl wants a break.

These are my favorite birds! Sweet as pie. Even the boys have never been aggressive, except for one occasion when I carried feed in with a RED scoop. Oh he did not like the RED. He went for the scoop, not at me, but he doesn't mind the clear scoop. One day, hubby fed them, and said the little rooster came at him. I said "let me guess, you used the red scoop?" He said yes.

 

[microchick]

They are adorable, Dani4Hedgies. Glad that they hatched for you and are doing well.

Today I'm starting my egg switch to see if I can get one of these silly hens to go broody for me. My 12 hens generally give me anywhere from 6 to 11 eggs per day right now and like most hens they have a favorite nest to lay in out of the 3 that are available to them. I take it you swap out the eggs in the 'favorite' box. It will be interesting to see if the theory does work for them.

Roosters wars seems to have a working cease fire going with me at the moment. All I have to do is take my brightly colored broom into the run and set it where I can easily get to it and the boys are making a wide circle around it and treating me with respect. I'm hoping that since they are for the most part 'good' boys, their sudden fascination that three of them have with showing me who is boss is somehow connected with spring hormonal surges. I saw the LO rooster this morning try his best to court one of the little BO juveniles from Aggie's hatch only to have her run screaming back to her brood mates. Do I see a 'rooster pen' in the future? Probably but at least not until I get the new coop up and running.

Aggie's brood is almost three months old now. Strange to think that by the end of July the little pullets will be starting to lay. Like children they grow up so fast.

 

[nchls school]

Update on my broody.

At around 6 p.m. last night when I went to check on her she had moved so that she was no longer sitting on the nest at all, but sitting about a foot away. She was still puffed up and acting broody. The eggs were still warm.

This sounds like something (another hen) forced her off the nest and she set nearby; she hadn't returned, yet, when you found her where she was.

She has brooded twice for me before and never acted this way. I did three things different this year. First, I moved her out of the main coop into an adjacent brooder. I think she never did like that . Second, I periodically forced her off the nest. Because she was in her own space I could see after 3 days that she wasn't getting off to do business. Hens can be sneaky about leaving their nest. Not seeing her do so does not mean she wasn't taking breaks. I have had numerous broodies of many different breeds and none starved, etc. Third, I gave her eggs that had already been incubating 5 days. Maybe their development felt wrong? Doubtful. I have done this many times with good results. Or maybe she's just a lousy broody. That is a possibility, or, it's just rotten luck. Two previous "hands off approach" broods had been characterized by soiled nests, rotting eggs, poor hatch rates 3/8 and 3/10 (to be fair an egg or two in those clutches were duds) and a seriously thin, poo-encrusted mother who could barely walk by the end. If food and water are very close to the nest, soiled nests often result. A soiled nest can reduce hatch rates. Bacteria.

I feel like I just can't do right by this hen. I didn't know what to do with those abandoned eggs. I candled them and correctly ID'ed one as a quitter. The rest I just couldn't tell -- They had big air sacs and I could still see some veining. Veins quickly break down when an embryo dies. Seeing veins could mean that the egg is alive. I couldn't tell if I was seeing movement, or just a floating corpse. They smelled ok. In the end, I decided to put them back on the nest and stand up the the broody right next to it and see what she did. She tottered back on to them. She was still sitting there this morning, now day 21. Good luck.

I have chicks hatching in the incubator right now. My plan is to put them under her tomorrow if her eggs don't hatch and hope she adopts them. As I said before she was a great mother.

On English Game Hens

I did a search -- what beautiful birds! Some of the reviews I read said they can be very aggressive. Anyone find this to be true?

If I can every get some honest-to-goodness broody hens I hope to become a regular here. Silkies are good. So to are Japanese bantams. Really small, but excellent brooders are serama bantams.

 

[irishsilkie]

3 day old chick has been attacked by a hen what do I do now its been separated

 

[nchls school]

3 day old chick has been attacked by a hen what do I do now its been separated

Was the hen the mother? Clean and disinfect the wound. Keep the chick separated until the wound scabs over (other birds will attack if there is blood or red). At that point, if the mother was innocent of the attack, return the chick to its mother. If the chick is more damaged than the picture shows you may have to keep the chick separated until it heals.

 

[microchick]

Quote: Yep, that pretty well describes my Larry also. He's the size of a turkey and when you pick him up he's solid as a concrete block. When he hits your ankles, you know you have been hit.

He started doing this just recently. He isn't quite a year old yet. I think I got him in July and he was a few weeks old and supposed to be a pullet-go figure. Usually he acts the same as your boys, as he is the low rooster in the flock, but recently I noticed that he was challenging me when I went to herd him into the coop at night. Instead of obediently heading for the coop when I got behind him (he habitually is the last bird in at night) he started putting his head down, ruffling his hackles and sidestep around me. If I stepped towards him he would step up the aggressive posturing. If I tried to nudge him towards the coop, that's when he would come flying at me.

Is he doing this because he is the lowest ranking rooster? Dunno. I've never seen him square off with the other roosters. Is he doing this because he sees me as dominate and is challenging me? Maybe. But then he doesn't challenge the higher ranking roosters. Most of the time if you leave him alone, he will leave you alone. On the occasions that I've had to catch him and carry him around with me he's been the rooster who has shown the least motivated to be submissive to me, yet I have seen him run like crazy when one of the Welsummer hens gives him H-e-double toothpicks.

He's been a perplexing one. I hate the thought of putting him in the freezer without giving him the chance to amend his behavior, especially since his behavior is so erratic as far as to what sets him off. If I go into the run, he doesn't approach with the other birds to see what treat I have and if I offer him a treat, he refuses it. The only time he really acts up is when he is going to roost at night and since I've started carrying around the broom at night, he has been very compliant.

I'm hoping he will modify. He is really nice to the hens, respectful of the other roosters. It's me he has issues with, LOL

 

[WVduckchick]

Yep, that pretty well describes my Larry also. He's the size of a turkey and when you pick him up he's solid as a concrete block. When he hits your ankles, you know you have been hit.

He started doing this just recently. He isn't quite a year old yet. I think I got him in July and he was a few weeks old and supposed to be a pullet-go figure. Usually he acts the same as your boys, as he is the low rooster in the flock, but recently I noticed that he was challenging me when I went to herd him into the coop at night. Instead of obediently heading for the coop when I got behind him (he habitually is the last bird in at night) he started putting his head down, ruffling his hackles and sidestep around me. If I stepped towards him he would step up the aggressive posturing. If I tried to nudge him towards the coop, that's when he would come flying at me.

Is he doing this because he is the lowest ranking rooster? Dunno. I've never seen him square off with the other roosters. Is he doing this because he sees me as dominate and is challenging me? Maybe. But then he doesn't challenge the higher ranking roosters. Most of the time if you leave him alone, he will leave you alone. On the occasions that I've had to catch him and carry him around with me he's been the rooster who has shown the least motivated to be submissive to me, yet I have seen him run like crazy when one of the Welsummer hens gives him H-e-double toothpicks.

He's been a perplexing one. I hate the thought of putting him in the freezer without giving him the chance to amend his behavior, especially since his behavior is so erratic as far as to what sets him off. If I go into the run, he doesn't approach with the other birds to see what treat I have and if I offer him a treat, he refuses it. The only time he really acts up is when he is going to roost at night and since I've started carrying around the broom at night, he has been very compliant.

I'm hoping he will modify. He is really nice to the hens, respectful of the other roosters. It's me he has issues with, LOL

Interesting stuff. Thank you so much. I have always kept an eye on mine, mainly because of their size alone, but I will definitely keep both eyes open from now on.

 

[irishsilkie]

Was the hen the mother? Clean and disinfect the wound. Keep the chick separated until the wound scabs over (other birds will attack if there is blood or red). At that point, if the mother was innocent of the attack, return the chick to its mother.  If the chick is more damaged than the picture shows you may have to keep the chick separated until it heals.

Thanks