Broody Hen Thread!

[chicksurreal]

Went out this evening to gather eggs and found another Dark Cornish girl in a nesting box. I think it's the same one that was testing the waters a week ago. She's sitting on at least 8-10 eggs and was growling and fluffed up when I looked in. My other DC is still sitting on her 8 eggs, coming up on two weeks tomorrow. Go Nessie!

We'll see what this other girl does. She looked serious, and I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt...

 

[christine9]

 

Well today is day 20. I thought I had my broody well separated. Maybe not! Somebody brook through the wire and ate the medicated chick starter I had prepped for the babies. Sooo....how long do I chuck my eggs or do I even need to discard them? Ahhhhhhhh! I could kick myself.

If it was 'medicated' with amprolium, you don't need to discard eggs....read the label find out what is in it.

 
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Oh my gosh...thats not what I meant. I'm giving her time to hatch these eggs, but my other layers ate the medicated chick starter. Will their eggs have to be discarded and for how long?

@christine9
  did you see my post?

Thank you! I guess I'll have to see what's in it.

 

[christine9]

@aart thank you so much! It is aprolium, so I'm quite relieved.

 

[tlcchickens]

Hi! I would like to know if you more experienced chicken parents think I'm handling my broody hen ok or... not well.

My chickens free range during daylight hours. They have the run of a pretty large property and usually travel all around our house and a few yards into the woods surrounding it. I'll attach a picture of what they're doing today.

I have a hen who just 2 days ago started acting broody, and we decided to let her hatch and raise a few chicks. She didn't go into the coop to roost that first evening, and I found her sitting spread out flat on the hens' favorite nest spot. Notice that I didn't call it a nest box. With free ranging chickens, the hens chose their own spot in spite of having nice hay-filled nest boxes in their coop. They picked places that are very well protected during the day--under our deck. But at night, that's not a safe place for a hen to sit! It would leave her vulnerable to raccoons and whatever else might live in the woods. I decided to try to just move her to the nest boxes in their coop instead of setting up a new segregated place for her. I moved 3 eggs (hers and other hens') to the nest box in the coop, made sure it was clean and full of clean, dry hay, and put her in front of it. She saw the eggs, evidenced by her trying to move them. I left the coop door open as always (it was during the day) hoping she'd sit on them and get up when she needed to, but she just left the coop and went back to the nest spot under the deck. Repeat two more times... She didn't try to move the eggs again, but she didn't sit on them. The last time I put her back in the coop, the other chickens were going in to roost, and I closed the door. She stayed in the very small run pacing and pacing and pacing. She finally went up to roost but still didn't sit on the eggs. This morning, I let the others out as usual and made her stay in. She still paced and paced. The others are hanging out right at the coop, not enjoying being separated.

I'm ok with breaking her broodiness... I'm ok with her sitting on the eggs and hatching chicks... Any advice on getting her to sit on them in a spot that protects her from predators?

 

[aart]

Hi! I would like to know if you more experienced chicken parents think I'm handling my broody hen ok or... not well.

My chickens free range during daylight hours. They have the run of a pretty large property and usually travel all around our house and a few yards into the woods surrounding it. I'll attach a picture of what they're doing today.

I have a hen who just 2 days ago started acting broody, and we decided to let her hatch and raise a few chicks. She didn't go into the coop to roost that first evening, and I found her sitting spread out flat on the hens' favorite nest spot. Notice that I didn't call it a nest box. With free ranging chickens, the hens chose their own spot in spite of having nice hay-filled nest boxes in their coop. They picked places that are very well protected during the day--under our deck. But at night, that's not a safe place for a hen to sit! It would leave her vulnerable to raccoons and whatever else might live in the woods. I decided to try to just move her to the nest boxes in their coop instead of setting up a new segregated place for her. I moved 3 eggs (hers and other hens') to the nest box in the coop, made sure it was clean and full of clean, dry hay, and put her in front of it. She saw the eggs, evidenced by her trying to move them. I left the coop door open as always (it was during the day) hoping she'd sit on them and get up when she needed to, but she just left the coop and went back to the nest spot under the deck. Repeat two more times... She didn't try to move the eggs again, but she didn't sit on them. The last time I put her back in the coop, the other chickens were going in to roost, and I closed the door. She stayed in the very small run pacing and pacing and pacing. She finally went up to roost but still didn't sit on the eggs. This morning, I let the others out as usual and made her stay in. She still paced and paced. The others are hanging out right at the coop, not enjoying being separated.

I'm ok with breaking her broodiness... I'm ok with her sitting on the eggs and hatching chicks... Any advice on getting her to sit on them in a spot that protects her from predators?

That would make a great broody coop....but it's really too small for your flock of, I count 5?
I'd build a bigger coop and run for your main flock then think about allowing a broody to set eggs.
Or you could make under the deck safer by putting up some mesh...but where will the new chicks live when they grow up??

 

[tlcchickens]

That would make a great broody coop....but it's really too small for your flock of, I count 5?
I'd build a bigger coop and run for your main flock then think about allowing a broody to set eggs.
Or you could make under the deck safer by putting up some mesh...but where will the new chicks live when they grow up??

I love the idea of basically making the under-deck area into a coop. I agree that the coop is small--I have the "I want more chickens!" disease, and I'm working on getting the hubby to agree to expand. I haven't worried about the small coop because they are literally only in it to roost. They free range all day long. But maybe I'm wrong about that...

 

[aart]

Quote: IMO if they are not laying in the coop nest then they are not comfortable there, maybe because of the crowding...and it's too small to coop them to train them to use the coop nest.

Am familiar with the 'more chickens disease', even tho I built my coop large, I presently have too many, am seeing some crowding issues and will be doing some harvesting very soon to make room for the replacement layers I hatched out this winter and spring.

 

[tlcchickens]

IMO if they are not laying in the coop nest then they are not comfortable there, maybe because of the crowding...and it's too small to coop them to train them to use the coop nest.

Am familiar with the 'more chickens disease', even tho I built my coop large, I presently have too many, am seeing some crowding issues and will be doing some harvesting very soon to make room for the replacement layers I hatched out this winter and spring.

You guys are giving great advice. This totally makes sense. I guess having her locked in the coop for a few days may break her of her broodiness (right?,) and then we can change things up to make room for more before we hatch or buy more. We were only going to keep one, assuming at least one was a pullet, and give away or sell any others, as a replacement for one hen that we lost.

 

[aart]

So my broody hen has 8 week old chicks that she is still protecting and sleeping with...tho one of them is crowing.
I just saw her get mated by the rooster, which makes me think she may be back in lay or soon to be(I can't ID her eggs from the others).
I wonder, would broody keep mothering the chicks even after getting back to regular hen business?

 

[fisherlady]

So my broody hen has 8 week old chicks that she is still protecting and sleeping with...tho one of them is crowing.
I just saw her get mated by the rooster, which makes me think she may be back in lay or soon to be(I can't ID her eggs from the others).
I wonder, would broody keep mothering the chicks even after getting back to regular hen business?

I have found that some will stay with the youngsters for a week or two after resuming many of their other 'normal' hen activities. Often you will find them moving further and further away when they are out to scratch or forage but still gather them once in a while for a head count. When this starts is when I notice roosters start to try to reclaim the hen's affections and often the hen will lay some eggs before ditching the little ones entirely.