Broody Hen Thread!

[Majd]

Now I'm trying to break 5 broodies with the cold water baths method, as i don't have a broody breaker cage. the first baths i gave them the were shocked but quickly dried themselves and after a while they went back to the nests one after another still a little wet.... I gave them another bath now so hopefully they will get convinced and quit that broodiness :/ fingers crossed for now! They're a bunch of stubborn girls! All descendent from thousands of generations of mutts! So yeah they are very versatile!

 

[PD-Riverman]

She is in the favored nesting box of the whole flock though, so I think I'm going to switch her out with the box beside her while she's sleeping.

Here's what will probably happen--------you switch her---if she even stays on the "new" nest----some time in the next few days when she gets off her nest to eat, etc----when she comes back and another hen is in her nest----she will go to the favored nest----then when you get home you are going to find her in the favored nest with her eggs cold---probably dead in the other nest.

You also need to mark all her eggs that you are leaving under her so you can remove Daily any new eggs that were layed in her clutch-----so you do not have a aggrivating staggered hatch. Good Luck!!

 

[aart]

Hehehhe....
Well an update! I found all 15 chicks in the morning as expected and i checjed for the 16th egg, it was not chirping then i supposed it's dead... Then when i was about to make a small pip to make sure its dead a loud chirp came out!!! I was sooo surprised!!!! I was still there and trying to pip a bit late! So i put it back under mama to hatch peacefully! Then i remembered that i pit that egg the second day of incubation! Oh wow i am so proud of my broody who is 8 years old and had a 100% hatch of SIXTEEN eggs!!!

Aaaaaack!! I might have dropped that sucker!!

 

[yyz0yyz0]

Nice! And don't forget to force your broody out to eat and drink and eliminate! Or else she might starve herself to the point of collapsing! Especially that you monitored her nesting place! This is a deadly mistake many newbies to broodies make.
Hope all goes well woth her and you get a good first hatch!

How do I force her to get up and eat/drink?

also can you give more info on the mistake I made? Not really sure what is meant by "monitored her nesting place"?

thanks

 

[SIMZ]

Hehe
Hehehhe....
Well an update! I found all 15 chicks in the morning as expected and i checjed for the 16th egg, it was not chirping then i supposed it's dead... Then when i was about to make a small pip to make sure its dead a loud chirp came out!!! I was sooo surprised!!!! I was still there and trying to pip a bit late! So i put it back under mama to hatch peacefully! Then i remembered that i pit that egg the second day of incubation! Oh wow i am so proud of my broody who is 8 years old and had a 100% hatch of SIXTEEN eggs!!!

That's great! Glad to hear that they can successfully brood into older age. Mine is 4 this year and each year I wonder if she'll raise chicks again.

 

[torilovessmiles]

Here's what will probably happen--------you switch her---if she even stays on the "new" nest----some time in the next few days when she gets off her nest to eat, etc----when she comes back and another hen is in her nest----she will go to the favored nest----then when you get home you are going to find her in the favored nest with her eggs cold---probably dead in the other nest.

You also need to mark all her eggs that you are leaving under her so you can remove Daily any new eggs that were layed in her clutch-----so you do not have a aggrivating staggered hatch. Good Luck!!

I will mark all of them, thank you!
My nest boxes aren't built into my coop, so I just scooted her box over about 8 inches and put another box in the place of hers for the others to lay. She was asleep and woke up just long enough to glair at me before falling back asleep. So far, the other hens aren't even interested in laying in her box, and she isn't trying to go to the favored box yet. They have this weird thing where I have three nesting boxes, and all of them wanted to use the same one. They won't even glance at the other boxes for some reason.

Your advice is much appreciated! This is my first experience with a broody. I bought a couple of silkies to do the job for me next spring, but they're still chicks, so I wasn't expecting a broody any time soon!

 

[AmericanMom]

Nice! And don't forget to force your broody out to eat and drink and eliminate! Or else she might starve herself to the point of collapsing! Especially that you monitored her nesting place! This is a deadly mistake many newbies to broodies make.
Hope all goes well woth her and you get a good first hatch!

Force them out?? I have had 12+ broodys just this year and never once have I ever forced them out of their nest. I open the door for them once a day, usually around 3pm and close it an hour later, If they get up most times I don't see them, sometimes I do. Never have I ever had a broody nearly starve herself let alone harm herself hatching eggs.. I do believe we humans put our own standards and expectations on the girls and don't really understand the whole process.

Telling someone they may have to force a broody off of the nest will do nothing short of perhaps someone making a mistake with the hen and causing her injury or the eggs to be lost.

 

[KarliR]

Okay. I great with setting her but let me ask you this!
Will she peck her own eggs?
We found another egg this morning that had been pecked at.
Could she possibly be pecking at the unfertilized eggs?

 

[AmericanMom]

Okay. I great with setting her but let me ask you this!
Will she peck her own eggs?
We found another egg this morning that had been pecked at.
Could she possibly be pecking at the unfertilized eggs?

Yes, sometimes they do.. Sometimes it because they know something isn't right and they are weeding them out, Most of my hens will eat the non fertile eggs after several days and then sometimes you just have a broody that isn't well wired, I have had two (out of around 20) that on day 18 or 19 will peck open eggs and kill chicks.. I break them of their broodiness and don't use them nor try and hatch eggs from them again.

 

[KarliR]

What is your best advice on breaking her?
I think your right, she isn't very well wired haha! Poor girl