Broody Hen Thread!

[ochochicas]

My hen hatched all seven eggs this week!!! She will still not get up off the nest to go outside or anything. She looks VERY weak and tired and will not eat much. It has already been a couple days and she is still not acting normal yet..............just sitting there.
Is this normal?
This is my first time having a broody , so I have no idea, lol


Thanks!

My hen was broody for over 5 weeks before her eggs hatched. In the three weeks she was sitting on eggs she only left them one time on her own. (It was over 90 degrees out and I think she figured they wouldn't get cold if she ran around for a while). I took her off the nest once a day so I would know she was at least getting some daylight and food. During the last week I put food and water in her next box. She ate a lot! However, she was looking bad, had a very pale comb, and I wanted her off the nest ASAP. As soon as the eggs hatched I put her in her own coop outside so she could get some sun and run around. She seems really happy out there and is teaching the chicks to forage. They are 6 days old and she looks better already. I would move your broody into a broody coop or at least let her out in the yard or a playpen so she gets off the nest. Mine has a small dog kennel in her coop. When they are ready for bed she climbs in there and the chicks follow her. I lock them in to keep them safe for the night.

 

[Back2Roots]

My hen was broody for over 5 weeks before her eggs hatched. In the three weeks she was sitting on eggs she only left them one time on her own. (It was over 90 degrees out and I think she figured they wouldn't get cold if she ran around for a while). I took her off the nest once a day so I would know she was at least getting some daylight and food. During the last week I put food and water in her next box. She ate a lot! However, she was looking bad, had a very pale comb, and I wanted her off the nest ASAP. As soon as the eggs hatched I put her in her own coop outside so she could get some sun and run around. She seems really happy out there and is teaching the chicks to forage. They are 6 days old and she looks better already. I would move your broody into a broody coop or at least let her out in the yard or a playpen so she gets off the nest. Mine has a small dog kennel in her coop. When they are ready for bed she climbs in there and the chicks follow her. I lock them in to keep them safe for the night.

x 2.
Also, get some water and feed in with her ASAP, until such time that you can move her into a broody coop. It sounds like she's dehydrated, and hens will die if they don't at least get enough water. Feed is also important. When my broody was sitting on her clutch, I did much the same thing as what 'ochochicas' did with her broody: I made sure she got out once a day and put her in front of feed and water out in the run. Most days she did her broody poop out there and took time for a dustbath as well before heading back to her nest. Her time away from the nest was usually about 20 minutes.

 

[SD Bird Lady]

Thank you, my last hen I put fertile eggs and walked away. This time the rooster is just coming of age but must be a lot busier and sneakier than I imagined.

 

[ochochicas]

Thank you, my last hen I put fertile eggs and walked away. This time the rooster is just coming of age but must be a lot busier and sneakier than I imagined.

My young rooster has just recently become obsessed with the pullets. He's picked two that he tries to mount all the time, but they actually gang up on him and chase him away. At 16 weeks he might have actually gotten lucky for the first time this morning. The pullet-girlfriend is not laying yet, so his efforts are perhaps all in vain. Haha

 

[calichicken]

Got a surprise!!!!!
I have...or rather broody momma Peep...has a baby!!!!! They weren't due to hatch until next weekend?????? I picked these eggs up and I am thinking that the dates on the eggs were mixed up? Peep has one more egg under her that I think will hatch with this baby because when I candled super fast they looked the same in development. I thought the 3rd egg just stopped but now I am thinking it is just earlier in development! YIKES!!!! Guess for now I am just waiting to see if the other egg hatches...but what about egg 3 that is next weekend? Too long for momma to sit..right??? HELP!

Here they are

 

[Rhandi74]

Got a surprise!!!!!
I have...or rather broody momma Peep...has a baby!!!!! They weren't due to hatch until next weekend?????? I picked these eggs up and I am thinking that the dates on the eggs were mixed up? Peep has one more egg under her that I think will hatch with this baby because when I candled super fast they looked the same in development. I thought the 3rd egg just stopped but now I am thinking it is just earlier in development! YIKES!!!! Guess for now I am just waiting to see if the other egg hatches...but what about egg 3 that is next weekend? Too long for momma to sit..right??? HELP!

Here they are

OMG...so cute. I would come up with a back up plan for egg 3. Jewel would not sit on her last egg, it hatched 4 days after the first egg, I think it hatched because she slept on it and it was very hot out while she was not sitting. She only left it one day before it hatched that night. It was a horrible feeling listening to her egg peep while she was off it. You cold try a homemade incubator..

 

[calichicken]

OMG...so cute. I would come up with a back up plan for egg 3. Jewel would not sit on her last egg, it hatched 4 days after the first egg, I think it hatched because she slept on it and it was very hot out while she was not sitting. She only left it one day before it hatched that night. It was a horrible feeling listening to her egg peep while she was off it. You cold try a homemade incubator..

Lucky I have a bator that is actually going with eggs in it right now...whew! I have 4 other eggs that I received with the eggs under my broody in there right now. I had moved them to the bator because I thought they had stopped developing since they were way behind the eggs that are hatching now but didn't want to get rid of them yet. YIKES!!! This just got a little complicated but OMG this baby and Peep are soooo cute together!!!! My first time having a broody hatch

 

[Ramblin Rooster]

I have another broody who I want to give some eggs but I don't have the money to get any for her. If anyone knows where I can get her a pekin duck egg or two for super cheap or free I would love a PM with a link or something. Otherwise I might have to be a mean parent and break her. She is sitting on eggs that are almost 100% guaranteed infertile since I haven't had a rooster in a long time.



This is my other broody who I managed to get one egg for her to hatch and she hatched this precious chick! I love nothing more than seeing a broody with her chicks its so pretty and cute wish I could have got her more than one egg to hatch into chicks.

 

[sonderah]

I have a broody Easter Egger!!!! I was at a swap all day Saturday and ALMOST purchased some ugly idk what kind of hen and her 12 babies just so I could put her in my EE pen to have a broody to raise some babies in there. Talked myself out of it. Then I came home and my EE was in the nest on a lot of eggs, still there at bedtime, & again yesterday morning. So I checked and YUP! Bare belly!!!! Yay!!! I've only ever had broody silkies, & the most babies either of them have had is 5. I'm so excited to see a broody whom I can fit more eggs under! She is covering 17 now VERY well! I'll have to switch them out so that I know what's what and how long they're been there, but YAY!!!!!

 

[fisherlady]

I have a broody Easter Egger!!!! I was at a swap all day Saturday and ALMOST purchased some ugly idk what kind of hen and her 12 babies just so I could put her in my EE pen to have a broody to raise some babies in there. Talked myself out of it. Then I came home and my EE was in the nest on a lot of eggs, still there at bedtime, & again yesterday morning. So I checked and YUP! Bare belly!!!! Yay!!! I've only ever had broody silkies, & the most babies either of them have had is 5. I'm so excited to see a broody whom I can fit more eggs under! She is covering 17 now VERY well! I'll have to switch them out so that I know what's what and how long they're been there, but YAY!!!!!

Congratulations!! I'm totally in love with all of our large fowl broody hens! You will love it!!