Broody Hen Thread!

[szczur]

Hello, I have a first time broody Welsummer in a separate dog crate. I noticed she will get up and eat and drink daily, but she will not poop in the dog crate. The first week, for about six days there was no poop in the crate until I picked her up and set her down outside. As soon as her feet hit the ground she instantly emitted the foulest mess, HUGE, runny, and green, with weird clear goo spots. I am so grateful to her for not pooping that on me when I picked her up, and I can't believe she was holding that in for so long. Hopefully she didn't do permanent damage to herself holding in a softball sized poo, she's not that big of a bird! After that, I've been waiting 2 or 3 days to see if she will go in the dog crate, but she has not. I have to pick her up and take her out on the grass to go, but at least her other movements are normal broody poos. She has been a friendly broody and returns to the nest on her own each time, not too upset about the intrusion. She will be on day 14 Friday. When will a hen go into "lockdown" and not want the forced potty break? Is there a sign? Day 18?

 

[RachaelR32]

Day 17 and just candled the eggs. Quite dissapointed as I bought her 6 expensive light brahma eggs and 5 are clears :-( I also stuck 6 eggs I'd had on the counter for a week not stored properly barnyard mix from the local chicken seller. Those 6 are all moving around fine so I don't think the problem is with my hen sitting.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Day 17 and just candled the eggs. Quite dissapointed as I bought her 6 expensive light brahma eggs and 5 are clears :-( I also stuck 6 eggs I'd had on the counter for a week not stored properly barnyard mix from the local chicken seller. Those 6 are all moving around fine so I don't think the problem is with my hen sitting.

Nope...that's Murphy's Law of Chicken Hatching Eggs. Of course the hybrid vigor wins the day.

Were the 6 expensive eggs shipped? That can really affect hatchability.

You've brooded before, so I'll assume the 12 eggs are under a large fowl hen that can easily handle 12.

You may want to contact your Brahma breeder and let her know that the egg fertility was low (which can happen). Sometimes they will replace the eggs (which likely won't help if you are using a broody).

I'm 0/6 with an expensive Isbar project. Never could get one to hatch right after 2 attempts of 3 eggs each. (First all clears; second horrible late hatch with weakling chicks that eventually died). That same broody has been doing backyard mixes just fine. Sometimes it is the genetics of too much in breeding.

I think Brahmas can have fertility issues with the extra bum fluff too.

Or just lousy luck.

LofMc

 

[RachaelR32]

Nope...that's Murphy's Law of Chicken Hatching Eggs. Of course the hybrid vigor wins the day. 

Were the 6 expensive eggs shipped? That can really affect hatchability.

You've brooded before, so I'll assume the 12 eggs are under a large fowl hen that can easily handle 12.

You may want to contact your Brahma breeder and let her know that the egg fertility was low (which can happen). Sometimes they will replace the eggs (which likely won't help if you are using a broody).

I'm 0/6 with an expensive Isbar project. Never could get one to hatch right after 2 attempts of 3 eggs each. (First all clears; second horrible late hatch with weakling chicks that eventually died). That same broody has been doing backyard mixes just fine. Sometimes it is the genetics of too much in breeding.

I think Brahmas can have fertility issues with the extra bum fluff too.

Or just lousy luck. 

LofMc

Broody is a big brahma so should be fine with the 12 eggs. Shes covering them fine. If it had been some of each of the expensive and barnyard mix that weren't developing then I would have been more inclined to think maybe my broody wasn't doing so well, but I doubt she could select just the expensive ones to not cover properly.

They weren't shipped, I drove an hour each way to get them from her. I've sent her a message. She said when I got them from her that she gives money back on any infertile ones - if the infertile ones are brought back to her. I'm not likely to drive all the way back to give her some dud eggs.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Broody is a big brahma so should be fine with the 12 eggs. Shes covering them fine. If it had been some of each of the expensive and barnyard mix that weren't developing then I would have been more inclined to think maybe my broody wasn't doing so well, but I doubt she could select just the expensive ones to not cover properly.

They weren't shipped, I drove an hour each way to get them from her. I've sent her a message. She said when I got them from her that she gives money back on any infertile ones - if the infertile ones are brought back to her. I'm not likely to drive all the way back to give her some dud eggs.

Sounds like infertile eggs....rooster getting old, not enough coverage time, too much bum fluff on the girls, vitamin deficiencies in the hen, etc., etc.

Yeah...it isn't worth driving 2 hours to take her the dud eggs even though I'm sure it is tempting.

Oh well. At least your barnyard mixes are developing. Sometimes you luck out and get some really nice birds that way.

I hatched a grab bag of eggs that had been sitting on the counter at the feed store, not properly handled, not sure of age (I'm pretty sure older than a week)...of the 12??? I hatched 5 I think....a Barred Rock rooster, a dapper little game rooster, a beautiful Sumatra/EE mix pullet, another beautiful Wyandotte/Welsummer girl who turned into a good broody, then a gorgeous Welsummer apparently purebreed that laid lovely dark eggs.

Maybe you'll get a surprise mix with the farmer eggs?

LofMc

 

[RachaelR32]

Sounds like infertile eggs....rooster getting old, not enough coverage time, too much bum fluff on the girls, vitamin deficiencies in the hen, etc., etc.

Yeah...it isn't worth driving 2 hours to take her the dud eggs even though I'm sure it is tempting.

Oh well. At least your barnyard mixes are developing. Sometimes you luck out and get some really nice birds that way.

I hatched a grab bag of eggs that had been sitting on the counter at the feed store, not properly handled, not sure of age (I'm pretty sure older than a week)...of the 12??? I hatched 5 I think....a Barred Rock rooster, a dapper little game rooster, a beautiful Sumatra/EE mix pullet, another beautiful Wyandotte/Welsummer girl who turned into a good broody, then a gorgeous Welsummer apparently purebreed that laid lovely dark eggs.

Maybe you'll get a surprise mix with the farmer eggs?

LofMc

The last load I hatched were barnyard mic from the same guy so I could get a load that look like what I already have! They might give more of a range of egg colour though as the last lot hatched from 2 blue and 4 pale brown eggs. They are just coming up on 17 weeks so I don't know what they will lay yet. The 6 eggs I've got this time are 2 whites, 1 pale brown, 3 mid-dark brownbrown, so from different hens this time.

 

[kendallb12]

Hello! My BO is raising 6 chicks! She keeping them warm, showing them food and everything. I noticed the my BO has poop ALLLLLLLL over her stomach and bottom. Tried to clean her with paper towel and water.. didn't do much. I'm worried that the chicks will die sitting under her in the poopy feathers. The smell is so bad. I can't explain PLEASE REPLY ASAP!!!!

 

[SillyMissLily]

Hello! My BO is raising 6 chicks! She keeping them warm, showing them food and everything. I noticed the my BO has poop ALLLLLLLL over her stomach and bottom. Tried to clean her with paper towel and water.. didn't do much. I'm worried that the chicks will die sitting under her in the poopy feathers. The smell is so bad. I can't explain PLEASE REPLY ASAP!!!!

Is she separated from other hens? If so, maybe the area she is confined to is not big enough for her to go away and poop. It seems like new mommas don't want to poo too close to the "nest" and will hold it as long as possible... Maybe she did that and when she go, she got it all over herself? Clean her up as best you can and give her more space to move around - if that was even an issue. Just my thought, but I am no expert...

 

[SillyMissLily]

Okay, my turn

I have been reading and reading and yet to find info to help me with my question. So, sorry to but in, but maybe someone can provide some insight:

Last year I had a hen go broody, gave her eggs I bought online, only one hatched. Another hen went broody, same procedure but eggs from different seller/location, only one hatched. No more than 10/11 eggs each time. The first batch I don't remember how many were fertile and quit, or if I even checked. The second batch I did see quite a bit of development in some of the duds, but it seemed like they quit and various points in development. SO: is it possible, being in high-elevation, dry Colorado that maybe the chicks needed more humidity later on? What other factors (besides the obvious shipped-egg variable) could be causing such low success?

I really didn't poke at the hens too much to candle, and had them completely separate from the rest of the flock to reduce stress or accidents. I could give more details, but I don't want to get carried away. Everything else with raising the two individual chicks went so well. I'd like to try it again, but need to get some ideas on what could be going wrong or how to hopefully improve my hatch rate to anything more than one! Any advice?

P.S. both chicks turned out to be hens (whew!) so statistically speaking if I try again I may only get 2 roos. And at almost $30 for eggs and shipping, each time, I don't want to spend that kind of money on boys I don't need!

 

[kendallb12]

Is she separated from other hens?  If so, maybe the area she is confined to is not big enough for her to go away and poop.  It seems like new mommas don't want to poo too close to the "nest" and will hold it as long as possible... Maybe she did that and when she go, she got it all over herself?  Clean her up as best you can and give her more space to move around - if that was even an issue.  Just my thought, but I am no expert...

Hello! My hen is by her self! I cleaned her off as best as I can (still lots of poop) she has a lot of space to get up and walk around though but she never does