Broody Hen Thread!

[PD-Riverman]

I might have had a good plan but I kind of screwed it up. We were finishing up the enclosure and it was not good and dark outside but was pretty dark in the coop, so I decided to go ahead and move her. She just sat on the new nest and didn't move, so all good, right? Well my husband shined a light on her to see how she was doing before we left. She didn't react so I took a picture and the flash put her over the edge. She jumped up and tried to get back to her nest box. She couldn't so she just sat on the floor all night. My husband went out after light and she had got back in the new box but when he opened the enclosure to put food in she ran out and went out of the coop and got some food. Now she is back in the original nest box. I guess I messed that up. I'll try again tonight. Not getting my eggs till Tuesday so I have a little time. Figure is i chronicle this maybe someone else won't make my same mistakes. Oh and one more thing. I replaced her egg with a golf ball but when I moved her there was an egg in the nest. It was not hers because it was blue. When I moved her I moved both golf ball and egg. When she moved back she took the egg but not the golf ball. Sometimes chickens seems pretty dumb and sometimes pretty smart.

Did you move her---nest and all?? You had mentioned you were going to make a box to put in the nest---so you could move her and the nest. I move mine---BLACK dark. I move the nest while she is sitting in it. Out of the 30+ broody hens----all moved---all stayed where I placed them. Again---I Never pick her up off the nest.

 

[n3kms]

Yeah, I guess I need to fix some kind of moveable box for all the nest boxes. I guess we broke her broodiness because she got back on the roost tonight. If I had oh thought it would be that easy I would have tried it sooner. I want a broody to raise me some chicks but I was preferring it be in the spring. Could she still decide to set or you think she's over it?

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Yeah, I guess I need to fix some kind of moveable box for all the nest boxes. I guess we broke her broodiness because she got back on the roost tonight. If I had oh thought it would be that easy I would have tried it sooner. I want a broody to raise me some chicks but I was preferring it be in the spring. Could she still decide to set or you think she's over it?

It is not a good sign but she may go back in a few days. Determined broodies will just set up shop again in a new place where they want or most go back to the original nest (or just in front of it if they can't get to it).

If she doesn't, then she might not have stayed the course anyway. I call those my fickle sulky hens, in and out of broody behavior but not serious enough to not be distractable or pushed out by other hens and won't settle more than a few days in a spot. If all conditions are perfect, and you don't mess with them, they might hatch eggs but usually bail when the chicks are young...or bail just a few days before hatch. Better to learn now if she is not going to stick.

But don't give up. Watch her for the next few days and make your decisions....and do not mess with her again if you want her to stick. You can try putting her back in the preferred area keeping it darker and quiet to see if she'll resettle or she may need her original spot. If that is not acceptable, don't use her but let her sit it out without real eggs. she'll give up in 3 weeks or so.Then the next time she, or someone else, is broody, approach it correctly from what you've learned this time.

If I ever want to use a hen to brood, I NEVER break one of their broods. That can set a bad pattern for them and interrupt their natural behavior patterns.

 

[ChickyChickens]

OH NO....my broody just quit on day 18!!! Luckily my NYD eggs are alos on day 18...so i'll just put the eggs in the bator with those eggs!@!!

 

[n3kms]

It is not a good sign but she may go back in a few days. Determined broodies will just set up shop again in a new place where they want or most go back to the original nest (or just in front of it if they can't get to it).

If she doesn't, then she might not have stayed the course anyway. I call those my fickle sulky hens, in and out of broody behavior but not serious enough to not be distractable or pushed out by other hens and won't settle more than a few days in a spot. If all conditions are perfect, and you don't mess with them, they might hatch eggs but usually bail when the chicks are young...or bail just a few days before hatch. Better to learn now if she is not going to stick.

But don't give up. Watch her for the next few days and make your decisions....and do not mess with her again if you want her to stick. You can try putting her back in the preferred area keeping it darker and quiet to see if she'll resettle or she may need her original spot. If that is not acceptable, don't use her but let her sit it out without real eggs. she'll give up in 3 weeks or so.Then the next time she, or someone else, is broody, approach it correctly from what you've learned this time.

If I ever want to use a hen to brood, I NEVER break one of their broods. That can set a bad pattern for them and interrupt their natural behavior patterns.

Thanks for that info. She is young, just 7 months, don't know if that makes a difference. I will be happy for her to be a good broody. Some same hatchery birds tend not to be broody and that is what most of my pullets are.
That is scary that they may quit on day 18. Maybe I should get an incubator just in case. I really hoped to let a mama do all the work of brooding and integrating.

 

[PD-Riverman]

Yeah, I guess I need to fix some kind of moveable box for all the nest boxes. I guess we broke her broodiness because she got back on the roost tonight. If I had oh thought it would be that easy I would have tried it sooner. I want a broody to raise me some chicks but I was preferring it be in the spring. Could she still decide to set or you think she's over it?

She might/might not start setting again soon!! A Broody hen is like a PMS woman----You just have to give them space and set back and Watch to see what happens next----LOL just playing!

I just use those plastic milk crates with part of the front cut out but I feel sure they will not fit in your Nice Laying Boxes set-up. With your set-up I would make a couple boxes that would fit in them---as wide/deep as possible but not so tight they are hard to get out. Then when you get a broody---I would wait till she gets off the nest to eat, etc then pick up her nest and place it in this box----place it back in the same hole. I have done this in the past---just pick her up out the nest and put her under my arm while I fix the nest then put her back---that worked good too. Doing it that way means you only need to build a couple "insert" boxes. Being your nesting boxes are metal----it would be neat to get someone to build the "inserts" out of metal but plywood would work too!

 

[PD-Riverman]

Thanks for that info. She is young, just 7 months, don't know if that makes a difference. I will be happy for her to be a good broody. Some same hatchery birds tend not to be broody and that is what most of my pullets are.
That is scary that they may quit on day 18. Maybe I should get an incubator just in case. I really hoped to let a mama do all the work of brooding and integrating.

ALWAYS have a incubator if you are planning to raise some chicks----I got several---they are all "Ready to go" Meaning I just take them off the shelf add water and plug in---don't have to hunt a part or two of it--lol. Luckly out of the 33 broodies this year---none left the nest. But, Most of you know enough about me to know I stay ready---LOL With the broodies and the incubators I am around 2000 hatched chicks this season---I have to stay ready---LOL.

 

[n3kms]

She might/might not start setting again soon!! A Broody hen is like a PMS woman----You just have to give them space and set back and Watch to see what happens next----LOL just playing!


I just use those plastic milk crates with part of the front cut out but I feel sure they will not fit in your Nice Laying Boxes set-up. With your set-up I would make a couple boxes that would fit in them---as wide/deep as possible but not so tight they are hard to get out. Then when you get a broody---I would wait till she gets off the nest to eat, etc then pick up her nest and place it in this box----place it back in the same hole. I have done this in the past---just pick her up out the nest and put her under my arm while I fix the nest then put her back---that worked good too. Doing it that way means you only need to build a couple "insert" boxes. Being your nesting boxes are metal----it would be neat to get someone to build the "inserts" out of metal but plywood would work too!

There is a guy on eBay who made that nest box set. Maybe I could contact him and see if he could make me some inserts with handles. That would be cool.

 

[ChickyChickens]

ALWAYS have a incubator if you are planning to raise some chicks----I got several---they are all "Ready to go" Meaning I just take them off the shelf add water and plug in---don't have to hunt a part or two of it--lol. Luckly out of the 33 broodies this year---none left the nest. But, Most of you know enough about me to know I stay ready---LOL With the broodies and the incubators I am around 2000 hatched chicks this season---I have to stay ready---LOL.

WOW...2000 what did you do with them all??

 

[n3kms]

I'm a little overwhelmed with everything I've read about incubators. What is the least expensive one that you would recommend for a person who is not going to hatch that many eggs. I would want one that is reliable but doesn't cost a fortune.