Broody Hen Thread!

[katatonic123]

With only 2 hens in the main flock to begin with I'm not really sure who is top and who is bottom. However, my hen that is not broody has put all the littles in their place and she is definitely top dog where they are concerned.

 

[Demidog]

Don't restrict her - she needs to be able to get out when *she* wants to, not just when you are there to open the door for her now and then. Rather than trying to keep her in and others out, simply mark the eggs that she is intended to hatch and check the nest daily to remove unmarked eggs, which will be those laid that day by other hens visiting the box. Leave feed and water where they normally are - a broody needs to get up and move around and having to move to the feed/water helps accomplish this. Feed/water right at the nest can also lead to fouling of the nest.
Whether you opt to separate or not is up to you - some do, some don't. I am in the don't camp and have not had any issues whatsoever with using this approach - plus it's a whole lot simpler, imo, as not only does it not require setting up entirely separate quarters, it also eliminates the issue of re-integration of the hen and integration of the chicks into the flock.

Very helpful, thanks Ol Grey Mare

 

[aart]

Well, that won't be happening. *grrrrr* The chicks at the local place aren't day olds (and I'm ticked off because I talked to them about the shipment two fricken weeks ago; I think I'm done with that shop as this is not the first time they've left me in the lurch). And now I can't get up to the place a hour from here that HAS day olds today.

DAMMIT!!

 

[aart]

With only 2 hens in the main flock to begin with I'm not really sure who is top and who is bottom. However, my hen that is not broody has put all the littles in their place and she is definitely top dog where they are concerned.

All birds are top dog over any chicks.......$hit does indeed roll down hill

 

[alibabba]

I am Scratching My head-----what do you mean---"Starter egg"? Why?

Well, i knew i mangled the description.

From candling broody 1, i knew i had to ditch a few infertiles.

For broody 2, when i gave her a clutch, i slipped an extra under broody 1, because no more room under broody 2.
Now i can take the infertiles from broody 2 and give her back the egg that broody 1 sat on for 4
They only weigh 22 oz each. DUccles. So to maximize # of chickieboos.

 

[aart]

Quote: If they both started setting all the eggs at the same, time that'll work....if they didn't, maybe not a good idea.

 

[PD-Riverman]

Well, i knew i mangled the description.

From candling broody 1, i knew i had to ditch a few infertiles.

For broody 2, when i gave her a clutch, i slipped an extra under broody 1, because no more room under broody 2.
Now i can take the infertiles from broody 2 and give her back the egg that broody 1 sat on for 4
They only weigh 22 oz each. DUccles. So to maximize # of chickieboos.

Got-cha!!!

 

[alibabba]

If they both started setting all the eggs at the same, time that'll work....if they didn't, maybe not a good idea.

No...they didn't start setting at the same time. However, I am "managing" one egg. I put it under broody 1(Sunflower), when I ditched her infertiles. This was On the SAME DAY I set broody 2's(Princess Fluff) eggs under her. get it? That one egg started under broody 1, while 6 others started under broody 2.

Now - broody 2 gets a 4 day started egg added to her's that are 4 days along also(I ditched her infertiles to make room). They are tiny bantam broodies, with a mix of SF/Bantam eggs.


ETA:
no sense wasting limited real estate on yolkers. the eggs under broody 2(Princess Fluff) are all 4 days in, including the "managed egg".

 

[HighStreetCoop]

Ok, operation swap has taken place. Discovered my roo snuggled down in front of the nest boxes like he is guarding his girls. Very cute. *fingers crossed* that everything goes ok.

 

[Demidog]

ADVICE PLEASE

I just candled my broody hen's eggs and removed 3 that were less developed. I've now got 4 eggs with clear spider veining, however one of them looks older than the others. I'm thinking to start her again with new eggs all set at the same time, but i don't want to just throw away these developing eggs. Can i leave her with these 4 eggs (they're marked) and when I've collected enough fresh eggs put them under her too, and then remove the older ones and hatch them in an incubator? I successfully incubated eggs last year, i can do it again. I'm thinking this will save my eggs and prevent a staggered hatch. In the 3 less developed eggs i removed i can only see the dark yolk blob but no veining, and in one i think there is possibly a blood ring. These eggs were laid later on by the other hens, are they savable too if i incubate them for hatching, or i should just ditch them?
Also, how long does the hen look after the chicks for? If these chicks end up being about 1 week apart can i put the older ones back with mum to look after them all? Or will she reject them because she's not seen them hatch?