Broody Hen Thread!

[mymilliefleur]

Yep-----1 hen + 1 rooster can = many, many chicks!!

I know how that is.....

 

[PD-Riverman]

If she really wants to she can probably get over the 4 ft fencing so we'll just see how it goes. There were two warm eggs in the nest and neither was hers.

If she can get over the fence---then other hens can get over it to----The reason for moving her was to keep the other hens away from her nest----You gotta close that pen up tight to prevent Problems. A sheet/netting tied over the top or what ever-----just so nothing can get in or out. Good Luck!

 

[n3kms]

If she can get over the fence---then other hens can get over it to----The reason for moving her was to keep the other hens away from her nest----You gotta close that pen up tight to prevent Problems. A sheet/netting tied over the top or what ever-----just so nothing can get in or out. Good Luck!

I was sort of waiting to see if it was a problem. I had to clip the flighty ones wings awhile back. If they want to and are smart enough they could get on the roost and fly over. I was just going to observe and see if I would need to cover it. I figure if she isn't really good and broody she could get on the water container and fly over, then I would know if she flew over to go roost with the others. The fencing was open when the other two laid the eggs and she decided to sit on that nest instead of the original one. Thought it might be a good sign that she was sitting on two eggs that she didn't lay and not just in there laying one herself. When I get home in a few minutes I'll go out and close the coop and peek to see where she is.

 

[n3kms]

Well she was on the roost so I guess she is not too broody. But I appreciate all y'all's advice. Hopefully it will come in handy down the road.

 

[ChickyChickens]

I know how that is.....

Same here...lol!!!

 

[FarmerMac]

Hope ya'll don't mind me asking so many questions. Read BYC for 4 years before I got chickens. But when things happen it's so hard to go back and find the answers. Plus, I don't have anyone else to talk chickens with. My enthusiasm doesn't seem to be that contagious.
The pullet that was broody was one of my few that isn't a hatchery. So I am hoping she will be a broody girl. I had thought about getting a couple of known broody breed chickens but was holding out hope for this BLRW. I also have a couple of cream Legbars but I understand they may not be a very broody breed. I'd like to say I would prefer to let nature take its course. But if I put expensive eggs under a broody and something happened at 18 days in I might would kick myself for not having an alternate method to save those babies. Even if they weren't expensive. I had looked at that Chinese incubator once before. If I was only doing 6-12 eggs under a broody and she quit at some point, how do you think it would do with those few eggs? It's even cheaper on eBay. I think last time I looked at it there had not been many review but it seems it may be becoming popular. I didn't have any problems brooding my first chicks in the garage but having them raised by mama just seems easier and more natural and much sweeter. I remember watching Timmy's mom on the old Timmy and Lassie show going out to feed the chickens and always wanted that kind of setup. My husband was resistant, then saw a coop at Sam's Club and said "how about one of those?". Of course that was one of the 2-3 chicken size coops and that was not what I had in mind, at all. So I got my enthusiasm going again and we built this by ourselves.

You are right about being easier if mama raises the chicks. A while back I went to a chicken swap and got me a game hen. She raises my chicks. Whenever she shows signs of going broody, I leave a couple of fake eggs in the nest and separate her from the other hens. I start other eggs in the incubator and after I candle them to make sure they are ok, I swap a few of them for the fake ones. When they star hatching, I move all the other eggs and chicks to her nest. She is very protective of the babies and teaches them all they need to know.

 

[n3kms]

How many chicks can she raise at a time?

 

[PD-Riverman]

How many chicks can she raise at a time?

I put 7 or 8 regular eggs under my game hens(some are a little bigger than others). I might could put more but they cover that amount good.

 

[FarmerMac]

One of my game hen raised 15 last Spring, Once the eight eggs she was sitting on started hatching, I added seven new chicks form the incubator. She adopted those babies as hers. Have a small section of the coop separated with wire cloth so the other chickens can see the babies but not pick on them. I would let them out so they would learn from mom to scratch and eat whatever she offer them. A lot easier this way.

 

[n3kms]

One of my game hen raised 15 last Spring, Once the eight eggs she was sitting on started hatching, I added seven new chicks form the incubator. She adopted those babies as hers. Have a small section of the coop separated with wire cloth so the other chickens can see the babies but not pick on them. I would let them out so they would learn from mom to scratch and eat whatever she offer them. A lot easier this way.

Well, that's another good use for an incubator if she can raise even more than she can hatch. Sounding more and more like I should get one.