Broody Hen Thread!

[fisherlady]

I too have been wondering about how pecking order is affected when a top hen goes broody. This is my first year with chickens, my top hen went broody last week, and she is truly dedicated to becoming a mama to her flockmate's eggs and that golf ball she's sitting on. I don't have rooster, so I plan to give her some fertile hatching eggs I bought just as soon as we finish the larger coop area (hopefully this evening). Anyway, Like you, I have another hen with a bad attitude. She was being kept in check by my head hen prior to her going broody, but I've noticed that the beta hen is getting bitchier with the pullets lower on the pecking order now that my broody hen spends most of her time in the nest box, Yeah, I know, I need to get her out of there and into her own broody nest. That's one of the reasons why we had to figure out alternate accommodations: she's staked out the community next box and stealing my other hen's eggs as soon as she lays them. Yep, of the 4 chickens that I currently have only two are of laying age, and my best layer decided to go broody, so I have gone down to 3 or maybe 4 eggs from 7-8 a week. and I'm not even sure how safe it is to eat the eggs she is stealing because I don't know when my other hen is laying hers during the day and how long my broody has been cooking them.

But I digress: I am really hoping that she doesn't lose her spot at the top of the pecking order, because she is a good flock leader: dominant without being domineering. Does anyone have any experience with changes to flock dynamics when a high ranking hen goes broody?

When my higher ranked flock members have gone broody they usually return quickly to their spot after the hatch, but every flock is different.... Our hens remain within sight of the rest of the flock and their daily stint off of the nest is within the community coop/run area so they get to interact a little each day, even if only for a few minutes. I would worry more about the abuse #2 is handing out in her absence. You may need to remove hen #2 for a short 'vacations' a few times to prevent her from running roughshod over the rest of the hens. Simply place her in a separate fenced area for the day or give her 'time out' in a large crate (thinking minimum of 2x2 and prefer bigger if she is spending more than a few hours in it.
If you are removing eggs daily at least they should be fine for eating. Make sure you mark the intended hatch eggs before placing them under the broody

Loving the pictures!!!

well we were finally able to check to see how many eggs she is sitting on...14!!! They must be laying right in there with her??? What would be the best thing to do here??? Should we take some out?? There is another nesting box but no one is using it...

You need to pull the eggs and candle them... try to figure out what the primary time of development is and remove those which are obviously behind. You want to avoid a staggered hatch if at all possible. They can be pitched or placed into an incubator with the hopes of grafting them back to the hen later. After you have picked the group with the best development you will need to clearly mark them, my preference is a dark line drawn the whole way around the center so it is visible no matter how the egg is positioned in the nest, I then add a number also, so that in later candling you will be able to track and recheck any you think are questionable.
Give the hen back the marked clutch and mark the calendar for the day you give them to her, along with a notation about how far along you think they are. You will need to decide if you want to allow her nest to remain 'open', which means you will need to check for intruder eggs at least once a day and remove them. If you choose to block her off you will need to make time to open her up to allow her off of the nest at least once a day to stretch and dust bath and you will have to provide her food and water access at all times somehow.
Both things have their benefits/drawbacks... the biggest risk on an 'open' nest is the chance of intruding hens causing a conflict and eggs being broken in the process. You will have to decide based on your birds and coop situations.

 

[quailtrail]

@fisherlady when they are broody do they sleep soundly at night or are they on alert then too??

 

[fisherlady]

@fisherlady when they are broody do they sleep soundly at night or are they on alert then too??

They do sleep, but are awake at any noise so I don't consider it a deep sleep. Although they are very hyper aware they are still very vulnerable.

 

[cheeka]

after a failed attempt at hatching with a lovely Buff Orp (we had a torrential storm with over 4" of rain in just a few hours overnight, one of the tarps broke and the sideways lashing rain flooded everything. the developing eggs all suffered and she quit...) I have been waiting for my Super Broody EE Mama "Peach" to want to sit. A bit over a week ago she did. and just a few days later, her youngest daughter, Silkie "Gossamer" joined her at 10 months old, maybe she thinks the blueberry is a trick to get at her eggs...

Peach is a seasoned Pro now...

scarfing down the fresh fruit that I hand feed daily

Gossamer would eat if I put it very nearby.

and to top it off nicely, it looks like bantam Marans, Esther, might be looking to join them soon!

 

[luvmypets]

Yay for Broodies!

 

[ChickyChickens]

My hen has now got 8 chicks, one egg pipping, one egg cheeping inside the egg and the other is still quite. I hope it makes it!

 

[sweetbeak]

The chicks had their first outing today. All went well. Momma is very protective. Is it typical for that hen to become top of pecking order even after chicks are grown ? She sure is doing a good job of putting the others in their place right now. And she was never aggressive before. Thoughts?

That's exactly what happened when my hen went broody then had her chicks, she is now top of the pecking order and they all know it

 

[stephienoodle]

So, my second turkey is broody now, but I'm out of a space that is big enough for her to be isolated. I don't want to set eggs under her, because I have problems with other birds stealing nests and the broody going back to the wrong box.

Anyhow... I have chicks and poults due in the incubator soon. The chicks are due when this turkey will have been sitting for two weeks, and the poults will hatch when she's been sitting for three weeks. Do I have a chance that she'll care for either clutch with only having been broody for a short time? I'd like to give her a chance to play mamabird.

 

[sonderah]

So, my second turkey is broody now, but I'm out of a space that is big enough for her to be isolated. I don't want to set eggs under her, because I have problems with other birds stealing nests and the broody going back to the wrong box.

Anyhow... I have chicks and poults due in the incubator soon. The chicks are due when this turkey will have been sitting for two weeks, and the poults will hatch when she's been sitting for three weeks. Do I have a chance that she'll care for either clutch with only having been broody for a short time? I'd like to give her a chance to play mamabird.

I'm no expert, but IMO 2-3 weeks either one should give her time to get into a really good brood mode!

 

[TiaRC]

I have a cute little story to tell. Yesterday a fellow chicken goer contacted me in a panic. her silkies were hatching turkey eggs and killing the chicks. she had about a dozen broody silkies but I on the other hand only had one at the time. She asked me to take the 2 chicks she saved and take the rest of the eggs to hatch. I warned her that I did not have enough chickens to hatch these eggs. She said that's fine do what you can.
Fast forward...
my silky was sitting on 3 eggs. I had to come to terms that I may loose my 3 eggs to help her. So I moved my now mad Silkie off her nest and replaced her eggs with 18 turkey eggs! Plus her 3 eggs. She went nuts! She immediately stopped clucking wildly and hopped in the new nest and began to situate her self on them. Note the turkey eggs are about a week and a half into incubation. My poor determined little bantam covered all but 4 of those eggs. And she is still trying to find a way to get those to be covered. Lol pics coming soon!