Broody Hen Thread!

[crealbilly]

If she is not due to hatch----why not tilt her so you can count all the eggs??? Do other hens lay eggs in her nest now? If so being you are not looking under her---you have not been removing the fresh layed eggs daily??

No she is completely isolated - so no chance of another hen laying in her nest. Plus she's as mean as can be - she will peck my arm up and down if I get anywhere near her. I supposed I could but really don't want to mess with her today is day 11 that she's been sitting.

 

[nchls school]

Hey i have herd what makes domestic chickens domestic is that they do not have the erge to hide eggs and hatch them out and raise them. But my little banny mix will go to the ends of the earth to hide her her eggs and her nest. She makes a clutch then hatches them out. We will look every ware but the only way we know she is and has not gotten eaten is wait 21 days and then see her roming around with chicks. Sometimes we find her in a spot we cant reach and just leave her but she abandons the nest anyway.

Untrue. Many breeds will do as you describe. What makes chickens domesticated is that they have been raised in captivity for thousands of years and now rely on people to care for them. Yes, there are feral chickens, but overall, chickens would not survive on their own.

 

[PD-Riverman]

No she is completely isolated - so no chance of another hen laying in her nest. Plus she's as mean as can be - she will peck my arm up and down if I get anywhere near her. I supposed I could but really don't want to mess with her today is day 11 that she's been sitting.

Great she is by herself, but being you do not know how many eggs she has under her----where did the eggs come from---I always put the amount and breed I chose under all my broodies. Slide on a thick coat and a thick glove and go see what is happening under her----she is only a little 6/8lb chicken---LOL.

 

[crealbilly]

Yea yea just a lil ole 6~8 lb chick that'll put a hurting on you given the chance. I now have 2 others besides this one that have now went broody. Gathering eggs is now dangerous business. My wife came in bleeding and complaining...

I went to go lift her up and shes now got all the eggs covered again so its all good...

 

[Morrigan]

Thanks fisher lady and nchis school for your responses.

It was the first hot day of the year here yesterday (90+), so it's possible she was just cooling off the eggs. She was not pushed off her nest as she is in a separate brooder by herself. She is still on the eggs, but I haven't seen a chick yet. I'm still holding out hope. The group of eggs in the incubator on the same schedule are hatching nicely.

I think one mistake I made was I put food and water within reach of her nest. I was concerned about the emaciated condition she was in last year at the end of her brood. I did put water near her then as well. I had heard from other folks you were supposed to leave water nearby and we were in a heat wave, so I was being cautious. If she goes broody next year, I think I'll try the technique of helping her off to the food and water a couple of times and she if can learn that behavior.

Her health looks great this year, and the nest nice and clean, so at least there's that.

 

[PD-Riverman]

I had heard from other folks you were supposed to leave water nearby and we were in a heat wave, so I was being cautious. If she goes broody next year, I think I'll try the technique of helping her off to the food and water a couple of times and she if can learn that behavior.

She/these are your chickens---so I can not tell you what to do. I think you know I have hatched Many 150+ in the last 3 years and I will suggest no food or water close to her nest and ""I"" would Never, Never remove her from her nest, I Promise you she will be OK as long as she is not in direct sun and she will get off when she is ready to get a drink, eat, poop!! She knows she can get off the nest during the incubation----and she will when needed. Good Luck

 

[katatonic123]

I have 3 broodies. Have 3 eggs that I had a friend gather for me over the last week as well as my own stock from the last week. Planned on setting them tomorrow. If I do, they'll be due to hatch on a weekend we are going to be out of town. Would you hold off and set Monday or Tuesday? 2 sets will be bantam eggs so might hatch early. Thoughts?

 

[Morrigan]

She/these are your chickens---so I can not tell you what to do. I think you know I have hatched Many 150+ in the last 3 years and I will suggest no food or water close to her nest and ""I"" would Never, Never remove her from her nest, I Promise you she will be OK as long as she is not in direct sun and she will get off when she is ready to get a drink, eat, poop!! She knows she can get off the nest during the incubation----and she will when needed. Good Luck

Your advice is most likely spot on. I had read stories of people having broodies perish on the nest, so I may have been a bit of a helicopter parent with her. I would like to run a more natural brooding process, that's for sure.

 

[Wildflower13]

Hey Guys!

I'm in a dilemma as a first time chicken owner. I currently have a whole flock, with 4 roosters, 1 Guinea hen, and 15 hens. Before anyone says anything, that's a lot of roosters yes. My mom along with me have gotten too attached to them to find them a new home since we've had all of them since chicks.

However, to get to the point, I have 4 broody hens as of right now, a Orpington, 2 Cochins, and a Rhode Island Red. We've recently hatched some eggs and the three that hatched first are being taken care of by one of the mothers, however the two eggs that hatched next was a few days late. After a day in the incubator, I gave them to the mom and she ended up pecking and rejecting one of the chicks while I was away. Unfortunately, the poor little thing got pecked till some skin was missing and feathers, there was also some blood loss. It is still peeping and moving about with its siblings in a different area but will something like this heal or if there is anything I can do. I feel so guilty and horrible as I thought I was doing the best thing for it. I've been crying so much, it breaks my heart.

Here are some images

Please help...

 

[PD-Riverman]

I have 3 broodies. Have 3 eggs that I had a friend gather for me over the last week as well as my own stock from the last week. Planned on setting them tomorrow. If I do, they'll be due to hatch on a weekend we are going to be out of town. Would you hold off and set Monday or Tuesday? 2 sets will be bantam eggs so might hatch early. Thoughts?

If you are going to put them each in private hatching pens---they will probably do real good while you are gone! If you are going to have them all together with the other chickens----Who Knows what will happen---all I could say would be---Good Luck.