Broody Hen Thread!

[16 paws]

Any thoughts here?

I think removing the duck eggs and replacing them with chicken eggs is fine. I also think leaving fake or real eggs in your nest box may or may not encourage broodiness. It really depends on their hormones.
good luck

 

[the poppster]

Fake eggs, I use them if I want to check a broody...if I start to find floor eggs....and if someone starts to peck at the eggs.

 

[PD-Riverman]

Any thoughts here?

I have my first broody!!!! I was leaving 1 fake egg per nest box and removed fresh eggs daily. My muscovy duck decided she wanted to lay in chicken boxes so i was going to leave her eggs there till she had 12 or so to hatch... Well after 4 eggs my smaller breed chicken is now sitting the nest. 2 days now..... Can i safely remove duck eggs from beneath her this evening and put some fertile chicken eggs in there?? Would leaving 4 or more fake eggs in boxes encourage broodiness?

Sure you can remove the duck eggs and place MARKED chicken eggs under her--------if you want to save the duck eggs under her---Hmmm---I do not know how that might work.

I believe a nest of fake eggs might encourage---get a hen in the mood to set, Might not. I know if I walked down to the creek and seen a piece of gold---look around some and found more and more pieces---enough to fill a pan----I sure would get in the Mood to Dig some gold---even though I was Not in the Mood---before finding it!!!

 

[microchick]

I tried the fake egg thing. Admittedly I was dubious but after 5 days, one hen went broody and a second was well on her way. Just to see what would happen, I removed the fake eggs. The broody stayed broody and is on day 10 happily sitting on 12 eggs. The second broody spent 12 hours sitting on a single egg. I was hoping to get some Delaware and black Orpington hatching eggs for her to incubate for me but she got off the nest to roost with her flock mates, clucked around for another day and then returned to normal behavior.

Do the fake eggs work. I dunno but it sure looks suspiciously like they do.

 

[goldie1234]

HELP!!! QUICK!
I have 2 broodies on day 21. One chick hatched this morning. I've peaked in a few times and the hatchling is out and about out from under mom. Both hens are still sitting on 15 eggs (7 under one and 8 under the other).
I peaked in just now and one of the hens off her eggs and sitting on the other hens chick by her nest box. I can hear another chick under the hen who hatched one.
I picked her up and put her back on her eggs and put the chick in the box with her. She has taken one chick but the other doesn't seem to mind.
Now another problem. I'm seeing ants. Maybe there is a bad egg!!!
What should I do?!?!?
Move the hen that got off her eggs? Candle them and put the good ones under the other hen?!?
Do nothing?!

 

[16 paws]

HELP!!! QUICK!
I have 2 broodies on day 21. One chick hatched this morning. I've peaked in a few times and the hatchling is out and about out from under mom. Both hens are still sitting on 15 eggs (7 under one and 8 under the other).
I peaked in just now and one of the hens off her eggs and sitting on the other hens chick by her nest box. I can hear another chick under the hen who hatched one.
I picked her up and put her back on her eggs and put the chick in the box with her. She has taken one chick but the other doesn't seem to mind.
Now another problem. I'm seeing ants. Maybe there is a bad egg!!!
What should I do?!?!?
Move the hen that got off her eggs? Candle them and put the good ones under the other hen?!?
Do nothing?!

This is why I always separate them. I would do that now if it were me. The same thing happened with my 2 broodies and a chick almost got killed.
Marie

 

[mandzz]

HELP!!!!omg what an afternoon! Our broody girl has 11 eggs under her and for whatever reason she moved them to the center of the crate last week, but still laying on them. Problem was, with the plastic tray under her the bedding moved aside and her legs couldn't grip so she was laying get in the splits. I kept thinking she would work it out, but no. Today she stood up but pretty much wobbled on a circle and then sat down and pooped something nasty....like dead things nasty, my nose hath been assaulted! So the eggs and she had poo everywhere. We are at day 21!No popping though. I made her a cardboard box with and opening, put in new bedding (thinking that would help with her legs), tried to clean her and cut off nasty feathers....between gags... and wiped the eggs with a wet warm rag. I tried not to turn or handle the eggs much.....anything else I need to do? So worried about the eggs, the list Brahma belongs to my son and he's been so excited...ugh

 

[16 paws]

Update on Chicken Little, my little blind chick....
She is still doing well. Gets a little more brave each day. Sometimes I find her off by herself but I think with time that will improve.
Her new thing is she likes to roost on top of her feed dish. That is a good sign that she can balance on that.
Taking one day at a time

Here is a picture of her with her family.


She is sitting on top of her feed directly to the right of mama. That is the heating pad brooder she sleeps in at night.

 

[UrbanFarmOC]

Update on Chicken Little, my little blind chick....
She is still doing well. Gets a little more brave each day. Sometimes I find her off by herself but I think with time that will improve.
Her new thing is she likes to roost on top of her feed dish. That is a good sign that she can balance on that.
Taking one day at a time

Here is a picture of her with her family.


She is sitting on top of her feed directly to the right of mama. That is the heating pad brooder she sleeps in at night.

Glad to hear that baby is adjusting well!

 

[wannahomestead]

Well I went out to check the broody hen today and found her off the nest, 2 eggs missing, and all the straw pulled out of the nest box. Too bad too, I candled last night and noticed the startings of growth. These eggs were a bit dirty, so it's not a "total loss" and I'm glad I didn't place the other eggs I was planning to add.

I'm going to revisit my setup tonight and see what I can do to improve it.