Broody Hen Thread!

[Junglefowlboss]

I think I may have a broody hen. Shes in the nest right now and its getting dark. She makes the noises and puffs up. I really hope she is. Ill take a picture of her tomorrow so I dont bother her. She is bantam game mix.

 

[microchick]

My Welsummer just hatched out 8 beautiful OEGB chicks for me. It was her first time broody and she hatched 8 out of 8. DH did a movie for me yesterday. I'll post as soon as he has it uploaded.

I went into the coop tonight to find my partridge OEGB pullet parked on 6 eggs. I took them away from her and she kept sitting until I finally took her out of the nest and up onto the roost with the others and told her it was all in her head.

I hatched 11 in my incubator, now Dolly's 8, I don't need no mo chicks right now....which means at least 4 more will go broody on me,

 

[Chicken5555]

I have a one year old OEgame/BBred mix bantam hen that has been on the nest box since yesterday. I'm not sure when she started exactly because I had to run errands. She huffs, puffs, screeches and such when anyone (chicken or human) walks near and she walked around like a blown up toad when my LF easter egger pushed her way into the nest to lay an egg. I quickly made a broody area in the nursery coop and she went right back to sitting on the eggs when I transferred her and the eggs.
If she is broody, this would be her first time. Should I wait another 24 hours to be sure, then give her some eggs that I want hatched? How many LF Polish eggs can she successfully hatch?

 

[homestead 101]

The rule is that a hen can hatch 12 of her own sized eggs. If there bigger try 6 . Wait one more day before trying anything

 

[lilwildrabbit]

I have a one year old OEgame/BBred mix bantam hen that has been on the nest box since yesterday. I'm not sure when she started exactly because I had to run errands. She huffs, puffs, screeches and such when anyone (chicken or human) walks near and she walked around like a blown up toad when my LF easter egger pushed her way into the nest to lay an egg. I quickly made a broody area in the nursery coop and she went right back to sitting on the eggs when I transferred her and the eggs.

If she is broody, this would be her first time. Should I wait another 24 hours to be sure, then give her some eggs that I want hatched? How many LF Polish eggs can she successfully hatch?

The rule is that a hen can hatch 12 of her own sized eggs. If there bigger try 6 . Wait one more day before trying anything

I will agree no more than 6 my Dutch had 11 was a stretch and the eggs are just half the size of a normal egg so I'd be on the safe side and say 5

 

[Chicken5555]

Quote:

@homestead 101 and @lilwildrabbit

Thank you so much. If she's still on the nest tomorrow, I'll trade the easter egger eggs out and put five Polish eggs under her. This is so exciting!!

 

[lilwildrabbit]

If she is anything like my squirrel she will do great!!

 

[homestead 101]

I know it can get exciting, i have a little bantam that is sitting in four eggs. She hatched one in day 20 and nomore pips or movement out of the other three

 

[Junglefowlboss]

I have a hen that acts broody but she only sits on the eggs in the evening and sleeps there but she gets off the nest in the morning and doesnt return to the nest until evening again. She used to be actually broody but she abandoned the nest at two weeks. What could this be? Shes not sick or in anyway unhealthy. Pls help

 

[LadyCluck77]

I currently have a broody, not my most reliable, but she's been broody for a while, so I picked up 6 bantam chicks for her today. I tried moving her to a solitary coop today, thinking I could slip them under her tonight. I made the coop very inviting, made a hay nest, and put her eggs in it. Then I put her in it. She was having none of it.

When I checked on her, she had scattered the eggs and nest, and she was perching, and glaring at me with hatred in her eyes.
So I grabbed her, thinking she was no longer broody, and let her back into the general layers coop.
She immediately ran back to the middle box of the nesting boxes. After a few minutes, I fetched her eggs and put them back under her.

My question is, tonight, should I wait until late and then move her back, or should I place the chicks under her in the second story box where she is? I lean toward moving the mama, because the big coop isn't ideal for chicks. Should I just keep trying?