Broody Hen Thread!

[RachaelR32]

Oh good...at least one of them was the Brahma....how many of the expensive eggs hatched?

Cute chicks
LofMc

Just the 1 :-( She offered to replace them, but thats not much good for me. Or asked if I wanted growers, but I don't have housing to taking in older birds.

 

[Chicken-Eye]

Yes, most of the time. Some hens will allow people around their chicks, Most hens not-------its about messing/handling the chicks that makes them more tame.

Brooder it is then! Though I'm worried about the incubator.

 

[fisherlady]

I brood both ways and I think it all depends on you. If you handle the chicks a lot they will get used to you and be tame. I can handle all of my mama brooded chicks as much as my brooder chicks because my broodys are mellow enough. I have mostly bantams brood for me and they are very good about letting me handle the chicks. Hope that helps.....
Marie

X2....
If you make a point to be actively involved with the chicks and spend some time sitting on the ground with them to offer treats and company they can become very tame. If you are hands off and let them alone you will find they behave much like their mama does, if she is standoffish they will lean that way, if she is a beggar they will soon learn that trait also.
Even within the same clutch you will have some chicks very friendly and some shy away, it is just normal to have personality variations in any group, but they can all learn to view humans as the giver of treats and good stuff if you take the time to teach them.

 

[RachaelR32]

X2....
If you make a point to be actively involved with the chicks and spend some time sitting on the ground with them to offer treats and company they can become very tame. If you are hands off and let them alone you will find they behave much like their mama does, if she is standoffish they will lean that way, if she is a beggar they will soon learn that trait also.
Even within the same clutch you will have some chicks very friendly and some shy away, it is just normal to have personality variations in any group, but they can all learn to view humans as the giver of treats and good stuff if you take the time to teach them.

My last mother hen is friendly but I can't even touch the young ones normally. They do all come running when I go down with treats and will peck at my boots. But if I try andand touch them they are off.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Are chicks raised under a hen less tame than those who grew up in a brooder? Just want to know. This question will be the one that makes my decision between hen or brooder.

Yes, most of the time. Some hens will allow people around their chicks, Most hens not-------its about messing/handling the chicks that makes them more tame.

I brood both ways and I think it all depends on you. If you handle the chicks a lot they will get used to you and be tame. I can handle all of my mama brooded chicks as much as my brooder chicks because my broodys are mellow enough. I have mostly bantams brood for me and they are very good about letting me handle the chicks. Hope that helps.....
Marie

I too have done it both ways, and I've learned not to fret over it as much.

I make an effort not to interfere with momma as it is her job to raise those babies not me, so I really keep hands off the first week to allow them to bond well with momma.

Then I try to feed treats to momma and chicks, letting momma feed out of my hand and in turn feed her chicks. In time the chicks will eat out of my hand as well. This can help them be calmer around you.

BUT...and it is a big but....I've noticed that even chicks handled a lot as babes still often become fearful adults if you do not periodically re-handle them. Over the years, I have been amazed at how quickly taming "wears off."

I don't have a lot of time to continuously handle all my birds, and I don't view them as pets, per se, so I simply allow that they are not lap pets. They are conditioned to run to me for the treat bucket and are generally calm(er) if I pluck them off a roost at night, but I do not expect them to toddle after me all day or coo to be picked up and cuddled.

I'm okay with that as they are very happy and healthy being chickens in my backyard....to them scratching in dirt, lazy in the sunshine, having a full tummy is chicken heaven. For me, they are enjoyable, low demand "pets" that provide breakfast, an occasional meal, lots of fertilizer for my garden beds, and hours of entertainment with their antics.

LofMc

 

[Mezzer]

I have my first Broody!! Yay!!! I just bought six fertile eggs and set them under her.

 

[PD-Riverman]

I have my first Broody!! Yay!!! I just bought six fertile eggs and set them under her.

Great, is your broody in the main pen with other chickens-----if so did you mark the eggs and mark your calendar? Good Luck

 

[microchick]

Hey 16 paws sorry it took me so long to get back to you. DH and I have been out working on the shed/new coop project. Got the door hung and while he worked on building vent grates, I worked on the nesting boxes and the built in broody pen. All I have left to do on my end is make the hinged lid and get the fencing in done around the broody pen, sand out the nesting box holes, sanitize and fill with hay. Tomorrow we will hang the tin on the interior wall and build the roosting poles and we will officially be ready for the flock to move in.

A Hatch a-Long? I love it! My #2 hen continued to be all clucky, fluffy, I wanna be broody this morning and I caught her sitting on an egg later in the AM. When I pulled it out from under her and set it in front of her she immediately stuffed it back under herself and gave me the stink eye so I considered her broody at that point in time. When I went by at 1 PM to see if there were any more eggs I could give her, she was off the nest and acting business as usual. Who knows. She might do this for days before she decides when and if. In the meantime, Aggie is on day two and stuck fast to her nest.I'm wanting to get the flock out of the main coop so she can use it for a broody pen for her without having to have a cage wrapped around her. When her chicks are all hatched and 48 hours old, I will move them out to the new broody pen/nursery so the flock can get used to them.

I have to agree that handling of the chicks depends on the hen. All of my BO hens are sweet natured. Aggie had no problem with me handling her chicks her last hatch. Would my Wellies be as amiable? I really doubt it. They are good girls but just not as friendly as the Buffs are. Aggie only stayed with her chicks for 2 weeks and started laying again. As they were still under a heat lamp it gave me an opportunity to handle them more without momma glowering at me.I wish I had started a little sooner with them cause they all have 'don't touch me' attitudes at 11 weeks. The little Buffs are squeeky squawky when I pick them up and give me little pecks but calm down when I start scratching their necks and rubbing wattles. Then when I put them down, they are standing on my toes begging me to pick them up again! The Welsummer/Buff crosses are just more Wellie than Buff in nature cause they do not want to be picked up or handled at all.

Thanks for the tip on the yogurt. No, I don't do fermented feed. I do use Rooster Booster with pro-biotics in them, tho.

 

[Mezzer]

Great, is your broody in the main pen with other chickens-----if so did you mark the eggs and mark your calendar? Good Luck

She's in the main pen now, once they hatch I have a large dog cage I can put them in with mama untill they are bigger. I marked them with a light pencil and marked my calendar. I'm worried my cats will
Get them if I don't put them in a pen right after hatching.

 

[Mezzer]