Broody Hen Thread!

[microchick]

Now she's back at it...lol. I'm just leaving her alone for now.

Don't feel alone. Mine is doing the same thing. She has been broody for three days now, Yesterday she set on the nest and three fake eggs all day. Last night at lock down time, she was off the nest and on the roost. I took her down, showed her the eggs again and she plopped right down on them. An hour later, back on the roost.

I figure either she will or she won't. Given that she is a first time broody, anything goes. Usually when my Buff O's go broody they mean it but this one is breaking that rule.

It's kind of like a woman being 'a little' pregnant. Either you are or you aren't. Right now she aren't, LOL!

 

[mcclucker]

You all weren't kidding about the broody poops. She still won't eat unless I take her off the nest and put her outside with food. Finally after about 4 days - yeah the worst chicken poop of all time lol.

4 days until my chicks come. She will have been broody about 2 weeks. I hope that's enough time!

 

[microchick]

I would think that would be long enough, Mcclucker. Good luck on the grafting.

Well, my idiot hen is back on the nest and fake eggs again. I've got eggs sitting on the counter top waiting for her to make up her mind so I can stuff them under her. Hope this time she sticks.

 

[WVduckchick]

Good luck microchick! Hope she makes a decision soon.

I'm thinking I really messed up by letting my co-broodies stay in the coop so long. I know it was a mistake, since one of the hens killed the first chick (I since removed her) but now the development of all the eggs must have been further apart than I thought.

I've seen one chick, now over a day or two old, and I saw another empty shell (which could be from the killed chick) but I don't think any more have hatched. I think there were 8 eggs, so now I'm wondering how long she will sit, and ignore the little one that hatched a couple days ago?

 

[microchick]

Well, Maddy stayed on the nest until I removed an egg she had been donated. The last time I saw her she was outside enjoying a rousing dust bath.

Time will tell but at the moment, she is an untrustworthy broody.

WVduckchick, I've never had one stick on the nest longer than 48 hours after the first chick has hatched.Time to crank up the incubator and hope for the best.

 

[Honora]

Well, Maddy stayed on the nest until I removed an egg she had been donated. The last time I saw her she was outside enjoying a rousing dust bath.

Time will tell but at the moment, she is an untrustworthy broody.

WVduckchick, I've never had one stick on the nest longer than 48 hours after the first chick has hatched.Time to crank up the incubator and hope for the best.

I had a chick hatch 3 days early on my first hatch, and the hen sat on the nest for 3 more days after until the others hatched. So don't give up hope @WVduckchick

 

[WVduckchick]

Well, Maddy stayed on the nest until I removed an egg she had been donated. The last time I saw her she was outside enjoying a rousing dust bath.

Time will tell but at the moment, she is an untrustworthy broody.

WVduckchick, I've never had one stick on the nest longer than 48 hours after the first chick has hatched.Time to crank up the incubator and hope for the best.

My incubators are almost always running

I had a chick hatch 3 days early on my first hatch, and the hen sat on the nest for 3 more days after until the others hatched.  So don't give up hope @WVduckchick
 

Thanks ladies. I noticed one egg sticking out from under her this afternoon, zipped but the chick wasn't out yet, so I tucked it further under her. Checked later and it still wasn't out, so I "popped the cap" without removing the egg. Another hour later it was still laying in half the egg, so I touched it to see if it was alive and saw blood on my finger, so I grabbed the chick and egg. It was starting to get dark out. I put it in the incubator for a couple hours till it was dry and moving around, took it back out to her, it crawled up under her, no problem.

Then I saw 2 eggs off by themselves, assumed they maybe quit, so I brought them in. Both had internal pips and were chirping, so I put them in the Bator with some other eggs that I just locked down today. One has now externally pipped. I'll check her other eggs tomorrow.

 

[mich9510]

Don't feel alone. Mine is doing the same thing. She has been broody for three days now, Yesterday she set on the nest and three fake eggs all day. Last night at lock down time, she was off the nest and on the roost. I took her down, showed her the eggs again and she plopped right down on them. An hour later, back on the roost.

I figure either she will or she won't. Given that she is a first time broody, anything goes. Usually when my Buff O's go broody they mean it but this one is breaking that rule. 

It's kind of like a woman being 'a little' pregnant. Either you are or you aren't. Right now she aren't, LOL!

Yea she was off the nest most of the day yesterday...
Now shes sitting and screaming at anyone or any thing that gets close.
I wish she would just make up her mind!
Although ayam cemanis are not known to be good mothers...
Is this normal for a first time broody?

 

[microchick]

Isn't it amazing how hard WE work when we have a broody?

Hens are silly. Last night Maddy was on the roost all fluffed up, dragging her wings, doing the broody cluck. I picked her up and showed her her fake eggs. She immediately plopped back down on them and was still on them when I locked up an hour later. So who knows where she will be this morning. I told my husband that maybe she just wanted more eggs under her. I originally planned to only put two eggs under her but if it takes 4 to get her over the top and serious then I'll give her 4 eggs. I only separated my bantam hens from the standards two weeks ago and I've seen my Welsummer roosters mating the bantam hens in the past so there is a good chance the bantam eggs I'm planning to give her are OEGB/Welsummer crosses.

I wish my OEGB cockerels would get busy!

 

[HeavensHens88]

Hannah, my 13-lb SS hen, hatched out 3/5 OEGB/D'anvers/D'uccle crosses today and yesterday! What's funny- the only thing I'm concerned about is that the big klutz will crush them with her feet.