Broody Hen Thread!

[ChickyChickens]

I have a question...... Can I feed my broodies and their chicks boiled eggs (with the shells)??? When I did it today I crushed it up and then gave it to them and they seemed fine but I want to know what others think!

 

[abserbean]

Quick question. One of my broody's nine week old chicks insists on sleeping in the nest box with her and the eggs. I have made a temp wire door to cover the nest with at night time, so problem solved for now. The problem is while she was sleeping in the nest, she pooped, and now two of the eggs are dirty. One is just a little bit, but one is pretty messy. It looks like my broody cleaned up the nest pretty well, just wondering if I should wipe off the egg? I know you aren't supposed to wash eggs for sitting, but you also aren't supposed to set dirty eggs. Which is my better bet? It is a sweet little hamburg egg that I really want to hatch! Leave well enough alone? They are on day six right now, so pretty early still.

 

[abserbean]

I have a question...... Can I feed my broodies and their chicks boiled eggs (with the shells)??? When I did it today I crushed it up and then gave it to them and they seemed fine but I want to know what others think!

I feed my girls eggs with crushed shell all of the time, either scrambled or boiled. The shell is a good source of calcium for them, and if crushed shouldn't promote egg eating.

 

[ChickyChickens]

I feed my girls eggs with crushed shell all of the time, either scrambled or boiled. The shell is a good source of calcium for them, and if crushed shouldn't promote egg eating.

Thanks! I also thought that and crushed it up so that it looked nothing like an egg!

 

[jajeanpierre]

We are in the middle of winter here and it never really gets warmer than 15-20 degrees Celsius! Yes the nest box is outside????
I cant really move her (if you say I still need to move her) 'cause I already tries and she is on of those "I want "that" nest box chooks" but I still love her!

I hadn't realized you were in the Southern Hemisphere. Still, it seems there is absolutely no ventilation if you close the door. If you shut the door at night, maybe you could replace that door with a screen door.

 

[ChickyChickens]

I hadn't realized you were in the  Southern Hemisphere.  Still, it seems there is absolutely no ventilation if you close the door.  If you shut the door at night, maybe you could replace that door with a screen door.  

No I don't shut the door. We don't have any predators that bother us. I mark the eggs so that I can collect any eggs laid by the other hens. But they have stopped laying in her nest!

 

[kkenney]

In need of some advise! My Golden Phoenix Bantam has gone broody for the second time in two years that we've had her in the past week and a half. She is the only one of our 9 hens to ever go broody. The first time she went broody outside of the pen and seeing as we live out in the woods I attempted to move her and her nest into a cage in the coop to keep her from being eaten by the wildlife we have frequenting around here. She flipped out, broke her 7 eggs and that broke her from being broody for another year. This time she has began sitting on four eggs in the coop and of course its in the ONE nest box of the THREE available to the hens that all 9 of them will lay in. I was able to move her over one box with her eggs and although a bit pissy she seemed content to continue sitting there. Well the other girls (7 of which are standard size hens) caught onto her eggs in that box and began to lay their eggs in with hers while she takes her morning food, beverage and poo run in the pen every day. I candled her eggs last week and 3 of the 4 had veins in them so I marked them with a sharpie so that I'd know in case my other bantam laid an egg in her box too. Well this morning one of the big oafs got in there and broke one of the eggs that was fertile and ate the entire thing. :-( After this gruesome discovery I tried to barricade her off from the others but she again flipped out and screamed, refusing to sit on the eggs all day trashing her area and screaming. I finally gave up after 12 hours and went back to the original setup and tried just placing a cardboard privacy wall btwn her nest box and the others. Although quite pissy with me she went back to her eggs and has been there ever since. I candled them after leaving her there for an hour to see if there was any movement seeing as they were very cold when she got back on them and the two fertile ones had movement! Yay! Now however, I am worried that the remaining two eggs may end up with the same fate as the broken one or that if they do hatch the other girls will kill the two chicks. Seeing as she REFUSES to be separated from the other birds in any way, is there anything anyone can suggest that may help with this?!

Thanks!

 

[Aunt ruth]

In need of some advise!  My Golden Phoenix Bantam has gone broody for the second time in two years that we've had her in the past week and a half.  She is the only one of our 9 hens to ever go broody.  The first time she went broody outside of the pen and seeing as we live out in the woods I attempted to move her and her nest into a cage in the coop to keep her from being eaten by the wildlife we have frequenting around here.  She flipped out, broke her 7 eggs and that broke her from being broody for another year.  This time she has began sitting on four eggs in the coop and of course its in the ONE nest box of the THREE available to the hens that all 9 of them will lay in.  I was able to move her over one box with her eggs and although a bit pissy she seemed content to continue sitting there.  Well the other girls (7 of which are standard size hens) caught onto her eggs in that box and began to lay their eggs in with hers while she takes her morning food, beverage and poo run in the pen every day.  I candled her eggs last week and 3 of the 4 had veins in them so I marked them with a sharpie so that I'd know in case my other bantam laid an egg in her box too.  Well this morning one of the big oafs got in there and broke one of the eggs that was fertile and ate the entire thing.  :-(  After this gruesome discovery I tried to barricade her off from the others but she again flipped out and screamed, refusing to sit on the eggs all day trashing her area and screaming.  I finally gave up after 12 hours and went back to the original setup and tried just placing a cardboard privacy wall btwn her nest box and the others.  Although quite pissy with me she went back to her eggs and has been there ever since.  I candled them after leaving her there for an hour to see if there was any movement seeing as they were very cold when she got back on them and the two fertile ones had movement!  Yay!  Now however, I am worried that the remaining two eggs may end up with the same fate as the broken one or that if they do hatch the other girls will kill the two chicks.  Seeing as she REFUSES to be separated from the other birds in any way, is there anything anyone can suggest that may help with this?! 

Thanks!

Well, I have two broody hens right now and the one that went broody first got the choice nest box. I let her stay in it and put a wire cage over her until the others learned to use the other nest boxes. Don't know if that helps or not but if you do enclose her, be sure to let her out at least once a day.

 

[jerryse]

In need of some advise! My Golden Phoenix Bantam has gone broody for the second time in two years that we've had her in the past week and a half. She is the only one of our 9 hens to ever go broody. The first time she went broody outside of the pen and seeing as we live out in the woods I attempted to move her and her nest into a cage in the coop to keep her from being eaten by the wildlife we have frequenting around here. She flipped out, broke her 7 eggs and that broke her from being broody for another year. This time she has began sitting on four eggs in the coop and of course its in the ONE nest box of the THREE available to the hens that all 9 of them will lay in. I was able to move her over one box with her eggs and although a bit pissy she seemed content to continue sitting there. Well the other girls (7 of which are standard size hens) caught onto her eggs in that box and began to lay their eggs in with hers while she takes her morning food, beverage and poo run in the pen every day. I candled her eggs last week and 3 of the 4 had veins in them so I marked them with a sharpie so that I'd know in case my other bantam laid an egg in her box too. Well this morning one of the big oafs got in there and broke one of the eggs that was fertile and ate the entire thing. :-( After this gruesome discovery I tried to barricade her off from the others but she again flipped out and screamed, refusing to sit on the eggs all day trashing her area and screaming. I finally gave up after 12 hours and went back to the original setup and tried just placing a cardboard privacy wall btwn her nest box and the others. Although quite pissy with me she went back to her eggs and has been there ever since. I candled them after leaving her there for an hour to see if there was any movement seeing as they were very cold when she got back on them and the two fertile ones had movement! Yay! Now however, I am worried that the remaining two eggs may end up with the same fate as the broken one or that if they do hatch the other girls will kill the two chicks. Seeing as she REFUSES to be separated from the other birds in any way, is there anything anyone can suggest that may help with this?!

Thanks!

When moving a broody darkness is your friend . I use wooden nest boxes that I can move and put a hinged door on . A temporary door works also . I sometimes use a piece of pegboard and screws . This gives some air but limited light . Put door on at night and move . I use a rabbit hutch for broodies . Keep her captive in the dark box until late the next day . Release her for a bit to eat and drink . If she does not return to nest put her back in and close the front again . Do this until she settles in and returns to the nest on her own . I do this with golf balls or hard boiled eggs until they settle . They may have a fit when forced back in . This is why I let them out late before dark . Darkness will stop the tantrum in a little while . You can put her eggs in a incubator until she settles if you have one . Otherwise you may have to give her new eggs to hatch .

 

[Penny Hen]

Had a hen sit on 5 eggs 3 days and then give it up. I know I could throw them in the incubator but would they be shippable at this point? If they are I can fill an swap but if that would damage them then I'll hatch them.