Broody Hen Thread!

[PD-Riverman]

My Orpington Hen ("Orpy") has gone to sleep tonight in the nest box, instead of on the roost as per usual.

She has been in the nest box, on and off, for a couple of weeks now, and for the past week I have found the nest FULL of her feathers.

I think she is going broody and I have been taking her out of the nest several times each day.

I think I'm losing the battle!

I am not one to want to put her in a cage and isolate the broodiness out of her, so I've saved up some eggs. Tomorrow I will put her in a new nest, with a heap of eggs, and see how we go.

This broody thing is catching, apparently. Third hen out of 6 to go broody in 6 weeks!

Krista

Hatch some chicks LOL. So far this season I have had 32 broody hens that i have set---I do not remember how many I had to break/cage----so I know the feeling. I hate to cage up a broody too, but being I only have a few silkies I would rarely get any eggs to amount to anything if I did not break their broody spells. They seen to lay a few eggs and then want to set even though I collect the eggs every day. Good Luck with your future Hatch!

 

[ChickyChickens]

I think I have a broody sitting on some eggs.

I'm excited, and hope to be a chicken grandma.

She started staying on the nest Saturday. I hope she doesn't give up on them. That's one reason I got some Wyandotte, I heard they were good brooders and good mamas.

I stuck a few more eggs under her and I'm hoping some of them hatch.

Fingers are crossed.





This is what Daddy looks like. They should be some interesting looking chicks if they hatch.

Congrats!! Daddy is a nice lookin' chicken!

Offgridhermit you said ""If more end up in the nest, I won't worry about it since I get nearly 16 eggs a day if not more "" Getting plenty of eggs has nothing to do with it----you remove ALL fresh layed eggs so your hen does not Have to Stress herself after the first few hatch---Knowing she has to get off the nest to feed the new, chicks and she also knows there are other chicks that are about to hatch---If you do not remove all the fresh layed eggs EVERY day from the first day she starts setting---you are going to have problems---chicks about ready to hatch that will die in the egg---This would Stress Me if I allowed that to happen. I set ALOT of hens---all their chicks hatch usually within 24hrs period. She leaves the nest with all her hatch chicks and does not have to stress over any unhatched chicks because I removed ALL fresh layed eggs daily from her nest. I do not have to Stress because there in no other unhatched eggs in her nest with partial developed chicks in the eggs. BUT as I say many times, Its your Chickens and You can raise them Any Way You want-----I am just trying to offer helpful info. Good Luck with All your Future hatches!!

Same here, I do that too!

Hatch some chicks LOL. So far this season I have had 32 broody hens that i have set---I do not remember how many I had to break/cage----so I know the feeling. I hate to cage up a broody too, but being I only have a few silkies I would rarely get any eggs to amount to anything if I did not break their broody spells. They seen to lay a few eggs and then want to set even though I collect the eggs every day. Good Luck with your future Hatch!

Yeah, good luck!!!
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I have three broodies that have hatching eggs! More pics coming tomorrow!!


Moonshine! Eggs hatching on day 18!!


Octomom! Eggs hatching on day 19!


Goldie(left)! Hatching on day ** (don't know what day, didn't count)

 

[krista74]

Hatch some chicks LOL. So far this season I have had 32 broody hens that i have set---I do not remember how many I had to break/cage----so I know the feeling. I hate to cage up a broody too, but being I only have a few silkies I would rarely get any eggs to amount to anything if I did not break their broody spells. They seen to lay a few eggs and then want to set even though I collect the eggs every day. Good Luck with your future Hatch!

I might have to do just that. It's the only logical conclusion to come to - right? (I feel chicken math taking over.....)

We actually just hatched a batch three days ago - six out of seven eggs hatched, but one chick passed away yesterday - he was very small compared to the others, and had some umbilical cord issues.

The only thing that worries me is that my rooster now only has 3 girls to wander the property with - and being that we are in Spring here, he is very 'active' with the ladies. They are already wearing saddles (yes, all of them!) so would he be ok with only 3 girlfriends? His posse is dwindling as we speak, as this is the 3rd hen out of 6 to go broody on me, and two girls are still in isolation with their chicks.

I guess the numbers will even out for him eventually!

Krista

 

[PD-Riverman]

I might have to do just that. It's the only logical conclusion to come to - right? (I feel chicken math taking over.....)

We actually just hatched a batch three days ago - six out of seven eggs hatched, but one chick passed away yesterday - he was very small compared to the others, and had some umbilical cord issues.

The only thing that worries me is that my rooster now only has 3 girls to wander the property with - and being that we are in Spring here, he is very 'active' with the ladies. They are already wearing saddles (yes, all of them!) so would he be ok with only 3 girlfriends? His posse is dwindling as we speak, as this is the 3rd hen out of 6 to go broody on me, and two girls are still in isolation with their chicks.

I guess the numbers will even out for him eventually!

Krista

He will be fine-----Not sure about your Girls--LOL. No really I got one rooster with one hen in a pen----she is fine. Looking for him some other Ladies in my area with no luck yet(Blue laced red wyandotte). Good Luck!

 

[Sadie57]

My young Bantam hen is in process of hatching out EE eggs. Never had a rooster before, so this is all new to us. Will Mom show babies how to eat or should we take them away from her? I am probably just a little anxious that they may starve. She is in an extra large dog crate and her nest is in a horse grain dish. There is pellets for her and I put a flat saucer of starter mash for babies when they are ready. Suggestions?

 

[fisherlady]

My young Bantam hen is in process of hatching out EE eggs. Never had a rooster before, so this is all new to us. Will Mom show babies how to eat or should we take them away from her? I am probably just a little anxious that they may starve. She is in an extra large dog crate and her nest is in a horse grain dish. There is pellets for her and I put a flat saucer of starter mash for babies when they are ready. Suggestions?

There is no need to take them away from her unless she shows aggression towards them or otherwise harms them. Broody hens do fine if given a safe place and a bit of support but there is usually very little needed other than making sure the chicks can get in and out of the nest area without problem so none get out of the nest to explore and get stranded. Remember that chicks don't need food or water for up to 3 days after hatch, and usually with broodies they spend much of their first 24 hours under the hen anyway. Remember also to place marbles in their waterer or make sure it is shallow enough that the chicks can't fall into it and drown.

 

[fisherlady]

My young Bantam hen is in process of hatching out EE eggs. Never had a rooster before, so this is all new to us. Will Mom show babies how to eat or should we take them away from her? I am probably just a little anxious that they may starve. She is in an extra large dog crate and her nest is in a horse grain dish. There is pellets for her and I put a flat saucer of starter mash for babies when they are ready. Suggestions?

I forgot to add... you can switch the hen over to chick starter also. She doesn't need the calcium supplement found in layer feed and she can benefit from the higher protein found in chick starter. Plus it will keep things neater in the area because the hen will be trying to break the pellets up into little pieces to feed to her little ones and they really shouldn't have a calcium supplement when really young anyway.

 

[blkjak]

We have a broody silkie hatching out black copper maran chicks. 1 hatched and 1 pipped so far.

 

[krista74]

He will be fine-----Not sure about your Girls--LOL. No really I got one rooster with one hen in a pen----she is fine. Looking for him some other Ladies in my area with no luck yet(Blue laced red wyandotte). Good Luck!

My poor girls!

It's funny, I started out with 6 hens and one rooster, and all was well.

Then one girl went broody, so I took her out of the flock to hatch eggs, and the other 5 girls just picked up the slack with the rooster and all was still well.

When a second hen went broody and was isolated, it was all too much for the remaining hens. All 4 got bald patches on their backs, and now they all have to wear saddles.

Now a THIRD hen is out for the count, and the wifely duties will be on only three hen's shoulders! They will be NAKED, lol!

I am hoping once the first Mother Hen's chick gets to be about a month and a half old, I might be able to reintegrate her and the chick back into the flock, and she can take some of the pressure of the other 3 girls!

I wonder if the chick, at one and a half months old, will be 'safe' from the other hens picking on her at that age? Will her Momma look out for her once they re-join the flock?

Krista

 

[fisherlady]

My poor girls!

It's funny, I started out with 6 hens and one rooster, and all was well.

Then one girl went broody, so I took her out of the flock to hatch eggs, and the other 5 girls just picked up the slack with the rooster and all was still well.

When a second hen went broody and was isolated, it was all too much for the remaining hens. All 4 got bald patches on their backs, and now they all have to wear saddles.

Now a THIRD hen is out for the count, and the wifely duties will be on only three hen's shoulders! They will be NAKED, lol!

I am hoping once the first Mother Hen's chick gets to be about a month and a half old, I might be able to reintegrate her and the chick back into the flock, and she can take some of the pressure of the other 3 girls!

I wonder if the chick, at one and a half months old, will be 'safe' from the other hens picking on her at that age? Will her Momma look out for her once they re-join the flock?

Krista

Integration age is based on flock dynamics....in my flock the broodies and chicks are out with the flock from 3 days old or so (some broody hens take them out and about on day 2, some wait as long as day 5)
Exposing broody and chicks to the flock in a supervised fashion will help you decide what is the right time for your flock. Many of our hens have the chicks up onto the big bird roosts by 3 weeks old or so and are done with them at 5-7 weeks.
If you go back a month or two on this thread you will see that all flocks, and flock management styles, are different and we each manage in a way that we are comfortable with.