Broody Hen Thread!

[n3kms]

Here's a picture of our Dark Cornish girl who has been working her way to being broody. We have another, Nessie, who is in her own pen to hatch some chicks already. Day 18, I think. This girl will get in there and sit for hours or even overnight, but then comes out in the morning and never goes back to the nest so I've been taking the eggs out from under her. Been doing this for a couple of weeks now. Well, she slept in there last night and came out this morning, so I removed the eggs, they were cool, but not cold. Apparently she's getting more serious because here she is this morning, growling and fluffing at anybody that goes in there. I think she's letting them lay eggs so she can hop on them. Pretty sure she's stopped laying, so maybe she's actually getting into it now.

She's pretty.

 

[chicksurreal]

She's pretty.

Thanks! I love the Dark Cornish, they look fierce, but they are really sweet (unless broody, Lol) and their feathers are gorgeous.

She looks a bit crazy in this picture, I think the broodiness is taking over.

 

[n3kms]

Thanks! I love the Dark Cornish, they look fierce, but they are really sweet (unless broody, Lol) and their feathers are gorgeous.

She looks a bit crazy in this picture, I think the broodiness is taking over. 

I don't want to hear that! I'm having enough trouble with chicken math.

 

[chicksurreal]

Quote:
Lol! Tell me about it! We were going to have a small flock and now we have 38 chickens with two broodies!

 

[n3kms]

Quote:
Lol! Tell me about it! We were going to have a small flock and now we have 38 chickens with two broodies!

I'm at 39. The one broody has 9 chicks. My husband only let the second sit on 2 eggs. I tried to tell him I need more Black Java eggs from another line in California. He seemed to think that could wait since my other Black Javas are only 11 days old.

 

[chicksurreal]

I went outside to check on Nessie a bit ago and heard our Cuckoo Marans roo freaking out. He and the rest of our newest flock are in an adjoining pen to where Nessie is brooding.

She had a bullsnake get three of her eggs when she had just started brooding and we took the snake what I though was a far enough distance away for it to not come back. I was wrong.

I heard her flapping and shrieking in her nesting box and when I went to check it out the snake was back. But this time she was fighting back!

It was striking at her and weaving around trying to get to her eggs and she was pecking and flapping and screeching. By the time I got back to her with a snake grabber she had run it out of her box! They broke an egg in the scuffle and she was eating it. Apparently it wasn't fertile because it just looked like a broken egg.

I got her box cleaned up and then the snake and I went for a very long drive...




From now on there will be no brooding outside the coop. We have a seperation built in and broodies can live there until hatch.

 

[n3kms]

I went outside to check on Nessie a bit ago and heard our Cuckoo Marans roo freaking out. He and the rest of our newest flock are in an adjoining pen to where Nessie is brooding. She had a bullsnake get three of her eggs when she had just started brooding and we took the snake what I though was a far enough distance away for it to not come back. I was wrong. I heard her flapping and shrieking in her nesting box and when I went to check it out the snake was back. But this time she was fighting back! It was striking at her and weaving around trying to get to her eggs and she was pecking and flapping and screeching. By the time I got back to her with a snake grabber she had run it out of her box! They broke an egg in the scuffle and she was eating it. Apparently it wasn't fertile because it just looked like a broken egg. I got her box cleaned up and then the snake and I went for a very long drive... From now on there will be no brooding outside the coop. We have a seperation built in and broodies can live there until hatch.

That's a big snake! Glad if an egg was going to get broken it was not a fertile one.

 

[chicksurreal]

That's a big snake! Glad if an egg was going to get broken it was not a fertile one.

Me too!

 

[chicksurreal]

I'm at 39. The one broody has 9 chicks. My husband only let the second sit on 2 eggs. I tried to tell him I need more Black Java eggs from another line in California. He seemed to think that could wait since my other Black Javas are only 11 days old.

Lol! So much fun. I can't believe how much entertainment and satisfaction we get from owning chickens, it's amazing.

 

[fisherlady]

I'm going to have to play musical chickens soon. I've got my broody coop which is occupied by a mama and 9 eleven day old babies. Now I have another broody that's been sitting for two days. I also have a grow out coop with 9 seven week old chicks. And a brooder in the garage with three 4 1/2 week olds. My original plan was to move the three in the garage to the grow out with the 9 seven week olds in a few days. They have had no heat lamp for a couple of days now. Until the new girl went broody I was planning to leave mom and babies in the broody coop till I thought they were out growing it. Now I feel like I should move her to the big coop. I have made a small fenced in area awhile back but it is pretty small for 9 babies. Currently babies are where the other chickens can see them from the run. About 15 feet between runs. Should I try to just fix her a spot in the coop with no fencing, like a dog crate, and let her integrate them or should I try to keep them fenced off for a few days. Mom is quite a force to be reckoned with but keeping up with 9 could be difficult. I could move the ones in the grow out to the big coop and mom/ babies to grow out coop but is about 8 weeks too young to go in with grown chickens? My original plan was to eventually move only girls and keep boys in grow out till butchering. And if I did that I would have to leave the others in the garage. That broody girl just threw a wrench in my plans. But I love it anyway.

I'm not sure what your best plan of action is because the flock dynamics provide too many variables without knowing them.... but I can tell you that we usually give our hens 2 or 3 days of peace and quiet with there new hatched chicks and then they are able to go into the main coop with them, but in the main coop they are given a quiet corner where they can retreat to when things get too busy for them. A broody hen usually is quite effective at protecting her little ones though if she is low on the pecking order or a banty size who is outmatched by the other hens in the flock then you will want to supervise for a while.... you can also provide food behind a fence that only the little ones can fit through so they can eat without being harassed by older birds. (a piece of 2x3 or 2x4 goat type fencing would work) or cover their food dish with a fence hood and elevate it 3 or 4 inches off of the ground so only the chicks can 'creep' under it to get to their food. If you search for 'creep feeders' on this site you will probably find some picture examples of them.

Before you place the chicks in the main coop you should give it a good once over with an eye toward potential chick hazards.... they are experts at getting stuck in cracks and crevices or falling into areas they then can't get out of. Either my DH or I do head counts every evening and usually during the day also. Any time I see a broody out and about I count how many are with her and if the count comes up short I start looking. That is pretty simple unless you have multiple broodies which routinely share chicks, but that is a different situation.

Besides their creep feeder and a safe haven for them you will want to make sure they can easily reach the food and water which is out for the other birds. I usually just use a block of wood or a brick as a step in front of the feeder or waterer. Even when they have their own places to eat or drink they like to imitate the older birds.