Broody Hen Thread!

[ochochicas]

Hi!
Will you look at my post? Can you help me?
Please.....
thanks, mudwoman (martie)

Sorry I didn't get your message until now. I hope your egg hatched out fine by this morning. Like Junibutt mentioned, it would probably be better if you separated the two broody hens. Give one the chick and the eggs you think are duds. Give the other hen the new eggs and wait for her to hatch them out.

 

[abserbean]

It's hatching day! I went to check on my broody, and found a poor little chick that had fallen out of the nest. I didn't have the block up on the door yet, but the chick seems healthy and vigorous, and I quickly got it back under mom. While putting the chick under, momma hen lifted and I saw two pips! Yeah! So now the door block is in place, and when all are done hatching I'll move them to the ground so they will be safer. The little chick is from the hamburg egg that was rocking last night, I know the mom is a silver spangled hamburg, no idea on the roo. The chick is a silvery gray color, but not quite dry all of the way. Once hatching is done I'll post some chick pics, so exciting!

 

[mudwoman]

Good Morning Juninutt!
Such wonderful answers to each of my questions. THANK YOU for taking the time you invested in helping me!
No chickie this morning.....YET.... There is a hole now, and louder peeping, where yesterday, there was just a crack and pipping, I suspect it won't be long!

Although I gave Pinky her 3 eggs back last night, Jamie stayed in the box with her and this morning had all 5 eggs and Pinky had none. I gave her back her eggs (again), but, I'm pretty sure Jamie will take them again. (If Pinky just would have only sat in one of the other 3 smaller nest boxes, Jamie wouldn't have fit, but, Pinky chose the larger box, thus, allowing room for Jamie.... Oh well!)
I will follow your instructions, except, I will put the chick food on a raised inverted wood box right against the nest-box, even height with lip and add a step inside the nest, as there is no room for food in the box, and even if there was, I have been advised in another thread, where I posted this exact same post, that if I do, she will poop in the nest. So the easier access to chick food will be an simple fix.
I think I will also fill the regular feeder with organic starter feed to be on the safe side and continue to give the big girls oyster shell outside. I do that everyday anyway. It's our bonding time!

Questions:
1) If they fight over the chick(s), should I remove Jamie and the 3 younger eggs into a separate lock down cage outside the hen-house so not to disturb Pinky and "her" chick(s) ?She has been brooding in that box for almost 2 months, it's hers in my eyes .
2) Or, is it better to move Pinky with her chick(s) so Jamie can stay on the nest and see if she is truly brooding and stays sitting?
3) If so, what if Jamie isn't really broody, just pushy, and abandons those eggs, should I incubate them myself instead of giving them back to Pinky, since you say Pinky will not sit for long once her chick(s) start running around, so giving her those eggs in lockdown to hatch may not be a good idea?

Sorry that after your answered my questions so succinctly , that I have more questions!
Your answers are AWESOME, so are you! And, again, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

 

[abserbean]

If you have to move one, I would move the mom with the hatched chicks. Once chicks hatch, the broody moms seem to be more okay with being moved. I have not had success personally with moving a hen with eggs, but I know others have. She most likely will not sit long enough for the other eggs to hatch, I would try to leave with the other broody but be prepared with an incubator in case she abandons the nest.

 

[mudwoman]

Sorry I didn't get your message until now.  I hope your egg hatched out fine by this morning.  Like Junibutt mentioned, it would probably be better if you separated the two broody hens.  Give one the chick and the eggs you think are duds.  Give the other hen the new eggs and wait for her to hatch them out.

THANK YOU, ochochicas!
No chick this morning....YET....there is a hole now and peeping is loud, it shouldn't be long! I'm so excited I can barely stand it!
So....I agree with you.
I'm think I'm going to do exactly that. I will get a cage/portable coop and put Pinky there with the hatching chick and the possible dud eggs. I will leave Jamie with the younger eggs in the coop nest.
Here's another question you may be able to answer,
1) What if Jamie isn't really broody and just being her pushy self, and after she is left alone, she abandon's the eggs? Should I incubate them myself, or give them to Pinky in lock-down? I think, probably the incubator is the answer because once the chick(s) start running around, Pinky will not sit and hatch those.

Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart!

 

[mudwoman]

If you have to move one, I would move the mom with the hatched chicks. Once chicks hatch, the broody moms seem to be more okay with being moved. I have not had success personally with moving a hen with eggs, but I know others have. She most likely will not sit long enough for the other eggs to hatch, I would try to leave with the other broody but be prepared with an incubator in case she abandons the nest.

Awesome answer! No chick this morning, but it is working hard to get out, I saw a hole and heard lot's of peeping and pipping! When the egg does hatch, sometime today, I figure, I will move Pinky to a separate portable coop with her baby and the possible dud eggs and leave Jamie in the coop box and see if she is really broody and will sit. If not, I will buy an incubator.
Thank you SO MUCH!

 

[ochochicas]

My broody started in a box that was not good for hatching. She was so determined to set though. One night a slug actually crawled over her head leaving a mess of slime across her back and face. By morning feathers had stuck to the slime and it dried leaving one of her eyes crusted over. My only choice was to move her to the hen house. At first she was confused and would go back to the original nest, but after three days of me "helping" her find her eggs she figured it out. Now I had a second hen go broody in the hen house (above the first hen). They both have 6 eggs that are scheduled to hatch at the same time. As soon as the first eggs hatch I'm going to move the original broody with the chicks to a different coop. I'll leave the second hen with the remainder of the eggs. The first hen has been broody for almost a month already and it would be best for her to get off the nest as soon as possible.

I don't know if the hens will get along once the eggs hatch. They were not raised together, and the older hen seems to be increasingly bossy to longer she sets. Only time will tell.

Mudwoman - if Jamie is not really broody you will have to incubate the new eggs yourself. Pinky won't be able to take care of chicks and incubate eggs for two or three more weeks. If I were you, I'd just let Jamie have the eggs and let nature happen (unless you are wanting to buy an incubator.)

 

[abserbean]

Here is our first chick! Still the only one so far, and momma is not letting me look at the eggs to see where we are. Hopefully at least a couple more will hatch so this chick will have buddies, she is only sitting on six. I did see at least two pips earlier, so fingers crossed!

 

[mudwoman]

My broody started in a box that was not good for hatching. She was so determined to set though. One night a slug actually crawled over her head leaving a mess of slime across her back and face. By morning feathers had stuck to the slime and it dried leaving one of her eyes crusted over. My only choice was to move her to the hen house. At first she was confused and would go back to the original nest, but after three days of me "helping" her find her eggs she figured it out. Now I had a second hen go broody in the hen house (above the first hen). They both have 6 eggs that are scheduled to hatch at the same time. As soon as the first eggs hatch I'm going to move the original broody with the chicks to a different coop. I'll leave the second hen with the remainder of the eggs. The first hen has been broody for almost a month already and it would be best for her to get off the nest as soon as possible. I don't know if the hens will get along once the eggs hatch. They were not raised together, and the older hen seems to be increasingly bossy to longer she sets. Only time will tell. Mudwoman - if Jamie is not really broody you will have to incubate the new eggs yourself. Pinky won't be able to take care of chicks and incubate eggs for two or three more weeks. If I were you, I'd just let Jamie have the eggs and let nature happen (unless you are wanting to buy an incubator.)

Your situation is SO COOL! No, I really don't want to get into the incubator world. So, even though I posted to Sumi a few minutes ago that I would, I think I will let nature take it's course. If Jamie comes back to sit, fine. If not, well, I will just get rid of those younger eggs and leave it all alone. If Jamie wants eggs and is truly broody, she can lay them herself! Sound like your plan?

 

[mudwoman]

Hey ochochicas!
Thank you for the Ovation! I didn't even know about them. Your too kind!
I feel so special today, for so many reasons.
I lobe this community. I need to stay more involved, not just post when I need advice, now that I'm not a NEWBIE anymore!
Best of EVERYTHING to you!