Broody Hen Thread!

[Jocasta]

Quote:
I don't know. I was wondering something similar. I have two coops and run enclosures next to each other that I've joined together with chicken wire. That's my entire chicken enclosure. When my hen went broody, I shut her in the smaller of the two coops and thus the other birds out. I'm wondering when it'll be safe to let the other chickens back into both coops?

And an update - one of my meatie egges hatched and I've also got a blue baby in there too - barnyard mixes are FUN!!! Especially considering I've not even seen the birds that laid them so I've no idea what I'm going to get haha! I'm gonna check her again after dinner tonight and see if we have any more babies. Hopefully I'll get some pics then too.

 

[FarmerBoy24]

SO far 2 of my broodies hatched out a dozen eggs, 1 more to go!!!

 

[mstrawn3]

My little blue cochin banty hatched her eggs yesterday!

 

[mprivett]

If you can let the broody hen do all the raising once the chicks hatch, I would definitely go for that option. My broody was a good mama (with the exception of rejecting a chick that was born a week later than all the others-

it lives inside with me now in a brooder and has a friend). She shows the chicks how to eat and drink, forage for bugs, eat greens, take dust baths, and is teaching them the complex language of chicken talk. I don't have to do anything! They are separated in their own little "coop" and run combo. They free range now with the big chickens and do ok. There were some pecking order issues at first (I still have one of my hens very upset at my mama hen for some reason) but things have settled down now.

My problem now is, the chicks are only 4 weeks old and mama is already laying again! Not sure if it's too early to move her back to the "grown ups" coop?

 

[csaws]

We are eight days in to our Broody Seabright bantam that is sitting on 10 eggs and doing very well, the eggs were bought from a lady that has silkie and frizzle hatching eggs, I think some are bantam polish silkies?, a bantam blue cochin and at least one or two other breeds. My wife was wanting some "Don Kings" as we call them and some D'Uccles we are going to wait for our next broody to do the D'uccles as Arannia (my 6 year old named her) has all she can handle.

Link to pics of our broody coop, our broody and the rest of our flock and their coop/run will be there
http://gallery.me.com/cwitham/100009

 

[PetRock]

Quote:
We just slipped three 1 day old babies under our broody BA who had been sitting on a wooden egg for 2 1/2 weeks. We went out about 2 hours after dark so she would be sleeping. She gave a little peck on the first one which I was having problems getting to go under her. I almost took the chick back into the house to raise in the brooder. But took a risk, lifted mama, and shoved the baby under. We watched for a while and mama was busy adjusting her self while clucking. So we took the other two babies and did the same thing. The next morning, we were out there at dawn to check on them. All three were under her. We could hear little peeps and our BA was clucking happily. Later we saw all three come out to eat and drink. By the end of the first day, they were running all over her and even pecking her in the eye. She dotes on them! It is so cute and we are all happy!

 

[sgtmom52]

These are a few of the chicks that my 3 headed monster hatched out since yesterday. There are 2 Ameraucana & 1 EE hens sitting on a nest that had 9 blue & splash Ameraucana eggs. I can see 5 here, but I'm not sure how many have hatched so far.

 

[Lakemuse.com]

We have broody hen sitting on 9 eggs. Originally 10 but somehow she lost one during tornadic activity. We live in Phil Campbell Alabama. The chicks are scheduled to begin hatching tomorrow. Hope the tornado didn't cause trauma to the eggs/chicks. We'll see... I have a pic of Hannah Hen sitting, but don't know how to post pics...

 

[FarmerBoy24]

Can chickens hatch out Duck eggs?

 

[Jocasta]

Quote:
Yes they can although hatch rate often isn't as great as with other eggs as the incubation requirements are different. It's definitely possible though. I know of a large mutt hen who hatched out 8 duck eggs last year.