Broody Hen Thread!

[darkbluespace]

Sounds like that should work just fine. One day difference shouldn't be a problem.

Thanks for your reply! It is hard to wait a day... I most want the Seramas but since I couldn't resist the Silkie eggs I ought to at least give them a fighting chance! Many of the Serama eggs were just laid today so you can't get 'em fresher than that!

 

[CHICKENFARMER22]

So I have a blue silkie hen and blue silkie rooster. I also have many more birds but the two are seperated in their own pen. So tonight I went up to check on them and my silkie was sitting in the nest box. When I usually open the door they move away. Tonight I had to almost touch her for her to get off. She hasn't Lauer and egg in a while. Is she going broody?

 

[sweetbeak]

Hi everyone, my broody hen is sitting on my fertilized eggs from my blue arunacuna cross with my black orpington. Does anyone have any thoughts on what the chicks may look like when they hatch?

 

[philipchickymad]

If she sticks in a nest day and night for a few days and you have room for more chicks or want some of a particular breed to keep or sell then let her go again.... if you are out of room or don't want her to raise another clutch for whatever reason then nip it in the bud and start removing her from the nest every time you see her in it and place her in the run with scratch or treats to keep her busy...

Both of the above choices also hinge on the hen's health being good. If she is 8 weeks past her previous hatch she should be fine, but if she is in poor condition/weight due to her last hatch then it would be better to hold off until her health is better.

she seems in perfectly good condition, i will try give around 18 eggs to my two broodies to hatch together thanks

 

[jajeanpierre]

Hi everyone, my broody hen is sitting on my fertilized eggs from my blue arunacuna cross with my black orpington. Does anyone have any thoughts on what the chicks may look like when they hatch?

Do you mean Araucana with no tail and ear tufts?

 

[jajeanpierre]

Of the two eggs given to my SIlkie (and friends) to hatch, one died after it pipped so there will be a lone chick with the SIlkie.

I've had several hens sitting in the nest box and wonder how they will handle co-mothering only one chick. Yesterday when I checked the (dead) unhatched egg I found two Silkies in the box with the egg and the hatched chick a little chilled and peeping outside the box and neither of them were tending to it.

I think I am going to put the broody and the one chick in a little dog-house coop and a pen for a few days to let the mother bond and learn to be a mother. I also need to run some fencing around my pool area to try to keep the chick away from the pool.

Any thoughts?

 

[fisherlady]

Of the two eggs given to my SIlkie (and friends) to hatch, one died after it pipped so there will be a lone chick with the SIlkie.

I've had several hens sitting in the nest box and wonder how they will handle co-mothering only one chick. Yesterday when I checked the (dead) unhatched egg I found two Silkies in the box with the egg and the hatched chick a little chilled and peeping outside the box and neither of them were tending to it.

I think I am going to put the broody and the one chick in a little dog-house coop and a pen for a few days to let the mother bond and learn to be a mother. I also need to run some fencing around my pool area to try to keep the chick away from the pool.

Any toughts?

I agree that giving one mother the job of watching out for the little one is a good idea at this time, it will help get her out of 'egg mode' and into mother mode. Some hens do co-mother only one chick (I've seen postings on here about it, but not done it myself).... if the other hen is still determined to hatch something you could either give her a couple of eggs of her own to hatch if her condition is still good or find her a couple of day old chicks to tend to. Then, after each mother has bonded to her own chick or two you could let them free range together to see if they are accepting of the other hen and chick and hopefully then they would stay in the same nest area together and share chick duties.

I had 3 hens setting early this year, they were all in separate boxes during their setting time. 2 hatched on same day (within easy sight of each other) and the chicks began running between nests by the end of the first day and each broody was fine with the neighbor kid visiting, the next morning we found the 2 hens had just moved in together into the larger of the 2 areas and were co-raising the chicks.
The 3rd hen hatched one week later in same general area as the first two... within 2 days of her hatch the first 2 hens had adopted her and her 5 chicks into their little group and all 3 raised the chicks as a group. For the first week hen #3 was careful to keep her own little ones under her for warm ups and overnights (since they were behind a bit) but by their 2nd week all the chicks ran to any hen and I couldn't even tell you who slept under who...

 

[sweetbeak]

Do  you mean Araucana with no tail and ear tufts?

yes, that is what I mean, she has no ear tufts and is small with blue eggs.

 

[jerryse]

Hi everyone, my broody hen is sitting on my fertilized eggs from my blue arunacuna cross with my black orpington. Does anyone have any thoughts on what the chicks may look like when they hatch?

Standard Blue genetics on this mating . Black x blue 50% blacks 50% blues . Color leakage possible on males . Depends on what the hen is carrying hidden .

 

[jajeanpierre]

yes, that is what I mean, she has no ear tufts and is small with blue eggs.

I don't know the genetics of rumplessness, but the ear tufts are a lethal gene when there are two copies. If one parent has ear tufts and the other doesn't, I would expect half the offspring to have ear tufts.

As far as the blue egg gene, if the Araucana carries two copies, the offspring will lay blue eggs since they are assured of getting a blue egg gene from the Araucana. If the Araucana carries only one copy, only half will have the blue egg laying gene. Blue eggs are a dominant gene.

I don't know the genetics of brown eggs, but if the chick inherits both the blue egg laying gene and brown egg laying gene(s), the offspring will produce a green egg. The blue pigment is incorporated in the whole egg shell, not just the outside like a brown egg. Depending on how much brown pigment is "painted" on the egg before it is laid will determine if it is an very dark olive green color or a minty green. The greenish eggs some of the blue-egg laying breeds produce has been attributed to a bit of brown painted on before the egg is laid. An interesting egg is when a really dark brown egg layer is bred to a blue egg layer. The resulting egg could be very dark olive green, but when cracked open the inside is blue.