Broody Hen Thread!

[Basil G]

All the chicks that have been hatching from the incubator have found their way under the broody with her few days older chicks.lesson learned the hard way, don't add chicks in during the day when everyone has lots of energy and can get crushed (up to 14 chicks and one very questionable cracked cheeping egg

 

[Dknichelson]

Theres nothing you can really do unless uou want to super glue her to the nest lol one of my broodys got off the nest really fast once every day when i went to feed her but hatched many successful clutches all the same. How long did she stay off the nest??

She didn't stay off long. Just a few minutes if that.
I'm more wondering about once the chicks start hatching. Is there anything I should watch for or be concerned about?
I'm pretty confident that nature will just take it's course, but I just want to make sure there's not some golden rule of chick hatching that I don't know about or something! Lol!

 

[ocap]

That would work... though I wouldn't go more than about 4 or she will have a heck of a time covering them after week 2!

I agree...with large breeds under a small banty, keep the clutch size small or they out grow mom too quickly and in cooler weather (which I still have), that can be bad. (You can see what I mean by out growing mom's care below...difference is from 4 weeks to 6 weeks, I think)

Lady of McCamley






My Silkie Banty mothering 2 EE's....

we had snow this morning and 30F forecast for the low tomorrow morning. Two live chicks might/would be all she could handle.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Two broodies confirmed....

Oma San (my faithful Silkie) is now glued to a nest...and I was able, after 2 attempts and a well placed board, to get a new broody re-located from the main nest (snarling up the works) to my broody hutch and she is glued. (She is actually my avatar chick...Ms. Marvel has decided to brood being 10 months old).

Yippee....

The good news is I pick up Rhodebar eggs tomorrow. (Sadly my Buckeye eggs have fallen through)...oh well...I'll have to make up for it with Olive Eggers with the next batch.

I'm going to only risk 2 eggs with my new broody, but my faithful will have a full clutch.

Ah well...can't wait for tommorrow

Lady of McCamley

 

[fisherlady]

Two broodies confirmed....

Oma San (my faithful Silkie) is now glued to a nest...and I was able, after 2 attempts and a well placed board, to get a new broody re-located from the main nest (snarling up the works) to my broody hutch and she is glued. (She is actually my avatar chick...Ms. Marvel has decided to brood being 10 months old).

Yippee....

The good news is I pick up Rhodebar eggs tomorrow. (Sadly my Buckeye eggs have fallen through)...oh well...I'll have to make up for it with Olive Eggers with the next batch.

I'm going to only risk 2 eggs with my new broody, but my faithful will have a full clutch.

Ah well...can't wait for tommorrow

Lady of McCamley

Congrats!!! and lots of pictures please!

 

[sonderah]

Today is "lockdown" day for the egg in the bator which were set the same day as my 1st broody's eggs!!!! She is in a "house" 3 ft off the ground, so I am going to block her in with good and water today. Then set up a place to move her after hatch. The 5 sizzle eggs she is sitting on are sold, so I will have to do a little switch-a-roo! Lol Gonna give her 2 BO babies after hatch so I can watch her raise babies!!! So excited!!!!

 

[fisherlady]

Today is "lockdown" day for the egg in the bator which were set the same day as my 1st broody's eggs!!!! She is in a "house" 3 ft off the ground, so I am going to block her in with good and water today. Then set up a place to move her after hatch. The 5 sizzle eggs she is sitting on are sold, so I will have to do a little switch-a-roo! Lol Gonna give her 2 BO babies after hatch so I can watch her raise babies!!! So excited!!!!

Hoping it all works out!

 

[pogmobum]

Well.. Out of five one egg hatched, one didnt develop at all, one made it to day 18 then stopped developing, another made it to day 18 then got crushed by the mother and the last one hatched and fluffed up perfectly then got crushed by the mother.

This is what i discovered after taking her off the nest and candling the two eggs i found. She is officially the worst broody i have ever had.

 

[fisherlady]

Well.. Out of five one egg hatched, one didnt develop at all, one made it to day 18 then stopped developing, another made it to day 18 then got crushed by the mother and the last one hatched and fluffed up perfectly then got crushed by the mother.

This is what i discovered after taking her off the nest and candling the two eggs i found. She is officially the worst broody i have ever had.

Sorry the end result wasn't better... it is hard to tell exactly what happened to cause the broken eggs, sometimes the hens just get confused or maybe their legs are starting to weaken toward the end of incubation and it causes them to be more off balance when trying to shuffle in the nest. Next hatch she may do better, but impossible to say for sure.

 

[Morrigan]

My chicks are now 4 days old. Mom and chicks are out of their cage and into the main coop now. Hurray!

I have 7 BO and 3 Speckled Sussex, all 10 months old. I'm really hoping there is at least another broody in the bunch.

Did anyone here after hens that did not go broody until they were 10 months or older? When I do searches, all I keep finding is people discussing how their hens went broody right after they started laying eggs.