Broody Hen Thread!

[PouleChick]

Question
I have a hen who I think is going broody. She did last year as well and hatched and reared a few chicks she was a great mother.
I cUrrently have Muscovy duck eggs in an incubator due to hatch in 2 weeks. If it put them under the broody to have her hatch and rear them will she if they hatch only 2weeks from when she went broody?
Thanks in advance

Not sure - 2 weeks in seems pretty good though I imagine she'd be OK but I'm sure someone with more knowledge will be along!

I have a broody who is getting so deep in her trance that she is skipping out on coming out some days. I haven't let her go more than 48 hrs. without getting her out to eat, drink, poo, and dust bathe. Her health is more important to me than the eggs she's on. Other than that, she's doing great and chicks are due May 15.

I was worried about my girl adn I think she missed the odd day but I also think she sneaked out when I wasn't looking and I read that somewhere that they can be very secretive so she may be getting off more than you think. I looked out for the big poo - that was my way of seeing if she'd been out into her little run or not!

 

[dunnmom]

Not sure - 2 weeks in seems pretty good though I imagine she'd be OK but I'm sure someone with more knowledge will be along!

I was worried about my girl adn I think she missed the odd day but I also think she sneaked out when I wasn't looking and I read that somewhere that they can be very secretive so she may be getting off more than you think. I looked out for the big poo - that was my way of seeing if she'd been out into her little run or not!

That's what I look for too. The broody poo. I only feed my hens in the morning. If I see her in the run after breakfast has come and gone, I bring her some pellets and she always eats it. I've only had to get her out 3 times so far. I know they don't eat as much and weight loss is normal, but I want her to keep her strength up. I will brood the chicks if I have to, but I'm going to let her have a crack at it first.

 

[aart]

I only feed my hens in the morning. If I see her in the run after breakfast has come and gone, I bring her some pellets and she always eats it. .....

All birds should have access to free feed anytime they are awake,
especially the broody hen-let her decide when to eat/drink/poop.

 

[trudyg]

Bertha's been on the nest for days now, I put the crate around her so she'd have food/water/place to poop several days now. I can see that she eats a bite or so, can't really tell if she drinks (I give her fresh water 2x/day) and she has definitely NOT pooped at all in the crate for several days. Do you think she's pooping in the nest? I scoop the poop board daily so, if she did, I'd smell something wouldn't I? Is it possible that the last time she was out free, before the crate, that she did a ginormous poop and hasn't eaten enough to need another yet? I give her some scrambled egg every day and some chopped up tomato and grapes in addition to her pellets. I can see that she pecks at it a little, but not much at all. Should I force her out? If so, maybe every other day? Her comb is looking okay, not flopping, and she looks at me as I pass in her food and water, so she's alert on some level. So far I've tended to leave her alone.

 

[fisherlady]

If she isn't looking droopy I would leave her alone... though if you can spend some time out at the coop you could remove the cage while out there to see if she want to get out. You can make sure no one bothers her nest and that she gets back to the right one, then put the cage back in place with her food and water after she is settled.

 

[trudyg]

I just went out to check on Bertha. I had earlier noticed Rosie, Henny Penny and Jewel at the door like they were visiting, so I figured she had stepped out. She ate almost all of a hard boiled egg and most of 1/2 tomato. I assume she drank something. Still no poop in the crate, so I don't know what's going on about that. Anyway, in the crate there was also a shredded up eggshell. I didn't put it there. Do you think she ate one of her eggs and put the shell out in the crate? So strange.

 

[rum3002576]

I just had my silkie go bloody. She's on 6 royal palm eggs.

 

[rum3002576]

Oops, I mean broody

 

[adstowe]

First ever broody and she's a black sex link of all things. So far it's been just over a week and she seems determined so... Fingers crossed! I've hoped to have a broody hatch chicks for years and never had one. Do I need more chicks? No. I already have 6 in a brooder that I don't actually need. What does NEED have to do with anything? LOL

 

[trudyg]

So this just crossed my mind. While Bertha is on the nest, I've been giving her the regular layer feed that she's gotten all along. She also gets scrambled egg/tuna and some raw veggies daily. Since she's not laying, should she be getting something different?

When the chicks hatch, how do I make sure the bigs don't eat all the chick feed? The bigs pellets are hanging too high for babies to reach, so that's not an issue. I have water in a bucket with nipples for babies that the bigs have to bend down for, but they can go outside to get water from a higher bucket.

I have chicks in their own pen now with food/water, but any chicks Bertha hatches won't be penned unless she doesn't mother very well. Do I just make a frame with openings too small for the bigs to get in but the babies can still get their feed? Or, as current feed runs out, should I get something they can all eat? Is that what All Flock is? I don't know how well the bigs would eat crumble, but I could start fermenting it. I'd like to plan ahead. We're about 2 weeks in already.