Broody Hen Thread!

[alibabba]

Heart failure this am.... Sunflower was off the nest, I expect the worst all the time...

I expect to see nest ravaged by big hens...

nope. The first pip is bigger, saw beak and movement!

3 more pips! (didn't pick up, so not sure about other 2)

She just took a 5 min break, barely long enough for me to get the kids to take a peek.


I know this is probably annoying, but this is our first time. So exciting and scary...


I am going to move her covered cat litter box to a little pen when they all hatch, before they run around the box and draw attention from big hens.

Question: I shouldn't move it now should I? Wait til they all hatch....Rather than disturb the process and the little momma? If she abandons after the move, okay, I can deal with that. But I don't have an incubator yet.

OMG, I don't think this is right....

Last post a couple hours ago, I saw only bump pips and one little hole.

I just looked at her and there is a whole empty shell off to the side and a different piece of another shell(white) under her.

This is too fast isn't it? Is she helping, eating them, crushing them? What? Should I look under her? Or let her be?

ETA: HELP!!!

ETA: Will it freak her out if I just put a seat in there and watch?

****ETA: okay it was the same shell. a saw one big ole dark chick, wiggling. She keeps putting the broken shell under her.

I'm not gonna stress, not gonna stress. Leave everything alone. She knows more about hatching those eggs, than me.

 

[16 paws]

OMG, I don't think this is right....

Last post a couple hours ago, I saw only bump pips and one little hole.

I just looked at her and there is a whole empty shell off to the side and a different piece of another shell(white) under her.

This is too fast isn't it? Is she helping, eating them, crushing them? What? Should I look under her? Or let her be?

ETA: HELP!!!

ETA: Will it freak her out if I just put a seat in there and watch?

I bet you have a newly hatched chick under her. I would check if it were me. You can gently put a hand under her and partially lift her to see. I know some people have a hands off approach but I would want to make sure the chick is there and ok. I dont think she would mind if you sat and watched. I really dont see any harm in that.

Congratulations!

 

[alibabba]

Quote:Yay!!!! I will watch. She seems to be acting perfectly with the chick, making sure it is under her, not pecking it.

I am such a dummy, FIRST hatched chick EVER for me.

 

[Texas4T]

Weird broodiness is catching all over here. My little bantam hen went broody in her box and is setting two eggs. I have another LF broody in the laying hen nest boxes that had been there for over a week, so I leg banded her (so I could tell in a moment if it was her still on the nest...lots of Australorps!) . Was deciding whether to break her or not and then my son found a guinea with a HUGE clutch coming out from under her out in the pasture. No idea how long she's been setting, but probably 50+ eggs in her nest. I watched her for two days and saw other guineas were coming and laying next to her. So, this morning I went and carefully removed about 15 eggs from the side of her (she pecked me, but my guineas are pretty tame...LONG story!) and candled them. Most were clear, as expected, but two were well developed and three were fertile but younger so...
I put the two older guinea eggs under the broody Australorp.
I put the three younger eggs under the banty hen.

I have back-up incubators and brooders ready.

Now...I will just wait and see what happens.

 

[katatonic123]

Betty and baby cruising under the bushes.

 

[Free Feather]

Out of my five nesting boxes, four have broody hens in them. Making a new set today because half the hens are hiding theirs. When you walk in the coop, there is a chorus of four hens screeching like burning banshees at you...
What am I going to do with 40 chicks???

 

[TXchickenchick]

Out of my five nesting boxes, four have broody hens in them. Making a new set today because half the hens are hiding theirs. When you walk in the coop, there is a chorus of four hens screeching like burning banshees at you...
      What am I going to do with 40 chicks???

keep them and love them? Lol (this is what my kids say to me when I say what am I going to do with you)

 

[penguin1201]

I'm new to this website so I don't know if I'm asking questions the right way but i have owned chickens for about two or three years and I have one Brody hen that has been laying on two eggs for over three weeks I don't know if they are fertile to begin with I don't even have a rooster BUT my neighbor does he has a few and my bird has ran off before but today my mom picked her up and she is starting to look weak but while my mom picked her up and I smelled the eggs and they don't smell rotten but they do smell kind of like a hard boiled egg I tilted the egg to look at it and it was like I heard a rock in the egg like a rock hit the side of the egg from the inside it has been very hot lately is it possible that the egg has dehydrated my main question is do I throw the eggs away or will my bird give up sooner or later

 

[Free Feather]

I'm new to this website so I don't know if I'm asking questions the right way but i have owned chickens for about two or three years and I have one Brody hen that has been laying on two eggs for over three weeks I don't know if they are fertile to begin with I don't even have a rooster BUT my neighbor does he has a few and my bird has ran off before but today my mom picked her up and she is starting to look weak but while my mom picked her up and I smelled the eggs and they don't smell rotten but they do smell kind of like a hard boiled egg I tilted the egg to look at it and it was like I heard a rock in the egg like a rock hit the side of the egg from the inside it has been very hot lately is it possible that the egg has dehydrated my main question is do I throw the eggs away or will my bird give up sooner or later

Just take them away. If it is really hot she will just hurt herself for no reason.

 

[penguin1201]

Just take them away. If it is really hot she will just hurt herself for no reason.

Thank you so much