Broody Hen Thread!

[tatertot]

She tried hatching out some eggs I bought online but none hatched so I fostered some day old chicks under her...only 6...
So she will sit tight

 

[pickinchicken]

Ok normally when I candle there is only one dark "blob" like my first pic and it doesn't move. Tonight when I candled one of the eggs had 2 dark blobs and they moved! A lot!
Is this twins?!
It was so strange to see it moving.
I can't wait to see what happens. This is our 3rd round and hopefully will be our first baby from egg. First round none hatched, second time I think a guinea kicked the hatching baby out of the chickens nest. This time they are in the broody pin with the two broody hens and 4 adopted chicks.

So does anyone else ever see an egg like the second one?

 

[Lady of McCamley]

If they moved separately, then yeah, it could be twins...which is very unusual...and often doesn't end in a successful hatch...but some do!

Keeping my fingers crossed.

Lady of McCamley

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Congrats! Sounds like Dixie is getting ready to raise a brood for you!

Thank you fisherlady for your warm welcome. I will have lots of questions and will also do my best to read up on this thread over the next week or so --so as not to make you feel like you have to repeat yourself too many times.

Little Background about Dixie. She came to us last fall and semi-integrated with my flock over the winter and into this spring. She is still acclimating herself to our yard and woods--I free range. She came with a flockmate from a breeder. But that bird was heavier crested, not as mobile and I fear she was picked off by a bird of prey. She disappeared one day without a trace. (My first and only loss due to assumed predation) Dixie is much more active than the other bird was and is very spunky-more difficult to catch. This personality and eptness to free range and make it this far suits our flock set-up well. As Dixie's crest has tried to grow back in I think my flock of standard sized birds have been helping her keep her field of vision open.

It's all okay when it comes to survival she's better off...but she will not be winning any county fair ribbons.

Here she is:





Through our tough cold winter. I lost a hen, and am now suspicious or just certain that I have two hens with Egg Yolk Peritonitis. So there are openings coming up as I try to control myself with the chicken math conundrum. Our winter is too long in the coop and run to push our numbers...that is certain. In the meantime. Dixie sits on two golf balls to prove she's a solid broody this week and until my breeder has her BLRW eggs ready to roll out. It's all working out perfectly for timing right now. She's throwing her roo in the breeding pen this week and Dixie's showing us what she can do.

In the cherry-picked nest box Rose, my EYP hen, has been sleeping. So here she is trying to reclaim her resting spot from Dixie. Oh Boy. Time is coming for flock management though. Rose is our baby and flock favorite. It's a tough one for us.

After this picture I pulled Rose out and lifted her to the roost.



I looked at some boards I salvaged from pine paneled cupboard doors. They're fairly big. And I'm thinking: "Broody" coop. My mind is swimming with ideas and comfort features for Dixie and future babies. I think I'll start it tomorrow night....

So first thing I do when I get these eggs early next week, which will be delivered by mail. Is to let them set pointed side down without movement to allow the air sacks to reattach if they had detached at all during the shipment. Is that correct? After 24 hours of "resting" I should be able to put them under Dixie.

I'm so excited!

 

[pickinchicken]

Thanks! How cool would it be for our first baby from egg to be twins. I have 4 eggs that look promising so far. Hope it works out this time. My 4 yr old would be sooooo excited. I'm soooo excited too! Do you think if I open the broody pen and let the chicks start going out both moms would leave or one would still stay. Most of the time one is always on but they seem to take turns. I think now that the weather is getting warmer they are not both sitting all the time and maybe one gets off the box to be more social with the chicks.

 

[fisherlady]

Thank you fisherlady for your warm welcome. I will have lots of questions and will also do my best to read up on this thread over the next week or so --so as not to make you feel like you have to repeat yourself too many times.

Little Background about Dixie. She came to us last fall and semi-integrated with my flock over the winter and into this spring. She is still acclimating herself to our yard and woods--I free range. She came with a flockmate from a breeder. But that bird was heavier crested, not as mobile and I fear she was picked off by a bird of prey. She disappeared one day without a trace. (My first and only loss due to assumed predation) Dixie is much more active than the other bird was and is very spunky-more difficult to catch. This personality and eptness to free range and make it this far suits our flock set-up well. As Dixie's crest has tried to grow back in I think my flock of standard sized birds have been helping her keep her field of vision open.

It's all okay when it comes to survival she's better off...but she will not be winning any county fair ribbons.

Here she is:





Through our tough cold winter. I lost a hen, and am now suspicious or just certain that I have two hens with Egg Yolk Peritonitis. So there are openings coming up as I try to control myself with the chicken math conundrum. Our winter is too long in the coop and run to push our numbers...that is certain. In the meantime. Dixie sits on two golf balls to prove she's a solid broody this week and until my breeder has her BLRW eggs ready to roll out. It's all working out perfectly for timing right now. She's throwing her roo in the breeding pen this week and Dixie's showing us what she can do.

In the cherry-picked nest box Rose, my EYP hen, has been sleeping. So here she is trying to reclaim her resting spot from Dixie. Oh Boy. Time is coming for flock management though. Rose is our baby and flock favorite. It's a tough one for us.

After this picture I pulled Rose out and lifted her to the roost.



I looked at some boards I salvaged from pine paneled cupboard doors. They're fairly big. And I'm thinking: "Broody" coop. My mind is swimming with ideas and comfort features for Dixie and future babies. I think I'll start it tomorrow night....

So first thing I do when I get these eggs early next week, which will be delivered by mail. Is to let them set pointed side down without movement to allow the air sacks to reattach if they had detached at all during the shipment. Is that correct? After 24 hours of "resting" I should be able to put them under Dixie.

I'm so excited!

Sounds like you are well on your way... If you go back about 4 to 6 weeks (I know it is a lot of posts) you should catch a lot of the most common questions. Feel free to ask about anything though, there are always new situations since every coop and broody is different!

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Oh good to know, fisherlady. I'll go back 4-6 weeks. I picked up tonight at the 4 week mark. Scanned for more pertinent posts ...but will delve deeper here this week. Perfect! Thank you so much.

 

[jammyjammy2112]

Plucking the feathers from the breast is a sign of going broody, but she should be showing other signs as well...sitting in the nest for hours glowering at any one who disturbs her...clucking and fluffing.

If she doesn't show any of those signs, ever, I'd see if maybe she is just molting or if there is some missed cause...like feather mites.

Chances are she has plucked her breast to brood and will be sitting in a nest for hours soon. If her hormones are fluctuating a lot, she might not go into a steady brood but linger and sulk (which can be annoying).

Lady of McCamley

yes thanks she sat in the nest for allmost the whole day this was 2 days ago she laid her egg at about 11 when i went out for the eggs but i went back into the coop 2 hours later she was still there she didnt growl at me or puff up when i went near her she didnt get off the nest till about 5 that evening i think she is just lingering maybe thanks

 

[ocap]

my adoptions are still going well, you all were right, they can't count, one was only sitting for 7 days the other 4 days, the Old English Game Bantam is in a pen with chicks under six weeks old and they leave her alone, the silkie is with her husband and an occasional group of young pullets as they grow from six weeks to a size where the poultry netting will keep them in and all is fine there also.

 

[cheepcheep riri]

@pickinchicken

I have an egg like that! Its under my broody though. I always wanted to try to hatch a double yolk!