Broody Hen Thread!

[fisherlady]

Quote:
The first question you should ask is how many you can handle...if any number restrictions in your coop you have to go with that first....if you have other hens you expect to brood yet this year you need to keep them in mind also. How much space do you have available for a grow out pen if you don't plan on them being in the coop from the start. Then the fun part....a large fowl hen is pretty easy at 8-10 eggs, so start there and then add one or two more at a time till you see one peeking out at which time you remove the peeking one and one other so she isn't overcrowded.

 

[fisherlady]

Quote:
The first question you should ask is how many you can handle...if any number restrictions in your coop you have to go with that first....if you have other hens you expect to brood yet this year you need to keep them in mind also. How much space do you have available for a grow out pen if you don't plan on them being in the coop from the start. Then the fun part....a large fowl hen is pretty easy at 8-10 eggs, so start there and then add one or two more at a time till you see one peeking out at which time you remove the peeking one and one other so she isn't overcrowded.

 

[fisherlady]

sorry for duplicate post...computer has been acting up recently.

 

[PheobeLover21]

My chicken decided to go broody for the first time!! I have never had a broody hen before. Can you guys give me tips, and advice please. She's been sitting on eggs for one week and she is a top hat named blonde

 

[chicksurreal]

Quote:
Thanks! These are all great questions to ask of myself! We just had a broody (another Dark Cornish) hatch two chicks a couple of weeks ago. We have plenty of room, three coops and room to add more if we want to, so no problem there. The coop these would eventually go into has room for at least 8 more, but I don't want to max out any one coop.

The biggest issue is that we have 13 Dark Cornish pullets, any number of them COULD go broody. So, I think I'll stick to 3-4 eggs under this girl and only because I really want to continue the line of Silver Spangled Hamburgs we have. I love them so much, I would really like to see offspring from them.

 

[tlcollins13]

Our hen has went broody after laying 15 eggs! She has been fully setting on them since this past Tuesday or Wednesday. Tonight I looked at 4 eggs (she was setting so I didn't want to disturb her too much). 2 of them looked empty, but I am going to leave them a few more days anyways to make sure. The other 2 I couldn't see in the egg at all. I was wondering what was up with that, but then I turned it one last way and realized the chick was taking up the whole egg! I could see it's wings and the air pocket. Now I know for a fact she's only been setting 24/7 with the exception of coming off once for bathroom and to eat since last week. But obviously those two eggs are a lot farther along than 6 or so days. Since we've had her, she always sleeps in her nest at night, but not during the day. Is it possible that some of the earlier eggs are farther along because she sat on them at night? I wouldn't think so since she wasn't on there during the day, but we are new to this so I'm not sure???

From what I looked up at pics of candling, the eggs look similar to the pictures I saw at day 17. If this is so, and they hatch sooner than the others, will she continue to set so the others have a chance to hatch? Thanks

 

[Henerz101]

I have got a broody lf light sussex gone broody, my dad's friend gave me some bantam eggs for her.. And she won't sit on them. I put 10 eggs in a box and put a strand of heras fencing so she doesn't decide to sit in her little run. She's been broody for 3 days. Can anyone give me ideas how to get her to sit on them.

Thanks Henry

 

[TiaRC]

I have got a broody lf light sussex gone broody, my dad's friend gave me some bantam eggs for her.. And she won't sit on them. I put 10 eggs in a box and put a strand of heras fencing so she doesn't decide to sit in her little run. She's been broody for 3 days. Can anyone give me ideas how to get her to sit on them.

Thanks Henry

She isn't truly broody if she won't sit on eggs. Broodies go after any and all eggs to hoard to hatch.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

I have got a broody lf light sussex gone broody, my dad's friend gave me some bantam eggs for her.. And she won't sit on them. I put 10 eggs in a box and put a strand of heras fencing so she doesn't decide to sit in her little run. She's been broody for 3 days. Can anyone give me ideas how to get her to sit on them.

Thanks Henry

Did you put the eggs in the same place she was being broody leading up to the eggs arriving or did you put the eggs in a new location/box and then move her to that area with the expectation that she settle back into brooding in the place you have chosen? The latter can be tricky and sometimes results in a broody rejecting the nest/eggs you are trying to impose on her.

 

[Forevermore5413]

I'm a little devastated over the death of Sky's Cochin /Wyandotte cross as well as the black copper Maran and two of the easter Eggers I had bought. Luckily though as far as I know the easter dot survived and the only surviving EE that I bought survived. So what color are they? I am hoping ones a pullet.