Broody Hen Thread!

[mindylee]

I currenly have 15 broody hens here! 3 hens are sitting on 15 eggs each and 2 other hens are sitting on 8 eggs each and 1 hen is sitting on 9 eggs. Im expecting 25 more eggs to arrive in the mail Monday or Tuesday and they will be split between 4 more broody hens which will give me a total of 93 eggs being sat on. 43 eggs are about to hatch this week which is my own stock and all sold, and the rest are (mail ordered) 50 eggs are for my new bloodlines to add to my flock. Most all my birds are cochin bantams with the exception of 10 diff other bantam breeds. I dont own a incubator BUT my lil hens sure are great at hatching my babies! Best way for me with great resaults!
I have 42 chickens total in my coop!

 

[Jharper]

I currenly have 15 broody hens here! 3 hens are sitting on 15 eggs each and 2 other hens are sitting on 8 eggs each and 1 hen is sitting on 9 eggs. Im expecting 25 more eggs to arrive in the mail Monday or Tuesday and they will be split between 4 more broody hens which will give me a total of 93 eggs being sat on. 43 eggs are about to hatch this week which is my own stock and all sold, and the rest are (mail ordered) 50 eggs are for my new bloodlines to add to my flock. Most all my birds are cochin bantams with the exception of 10 diff other bantam breeds. I dont own a incubator BUT my lil hens sure are great at hatching my babies! Best way for me with great resaults! I have 42 chickens total in my coop!

OMG!

 

[theminimizer]

I'm going to pick up my hatching eggs in a few hours. Can't wait!!! My broody hen will be so happy . . . I hope.
Do Cochins do well with RI reds?

Well, I chickened out. I went with feed store chicks instead, because I wasn't sure what I'd do with the inevitable roos. Here's hoping the feed store gave me pullets.

 

[sgtmom52]

Well, I chickened out. I went with feed store chicks instead, because I wasn't sure what I'd do with the inevitable roos. Here's hoping the feed store gave me pullets.

I did the feed store route this year too. The store I bought them from sells sexed pullets and even will take back any accidental roos before July 1st.

I did put 5 feed store chicks under one of my broodies and she is very happy.

 

[Jharper]

My BA went missing yesterday while free ranging and we heard no hawks or anything yesterday and I think she's done gone off and started a clutch. Because they are known to be broody, too. My friend had her BO walk off and go missing then 4 weeks later she showed up with 10 more additions to the flock.

 

[chickenlady099]

yay my buff orpington went broody so i got bantam ameraucana eggs under her so excited hope they hatch

here she is

 

[carlsaSC]

One of my buffies has gone broody. Not THAT excited, but it's all a journey, right? Got some eggs from a friend who has a rooster in his flock. So, now she has something that might be productive. Who knows? There may be a roo or two in my flock when these hatch. Buffies may be lovely, but they are most of my problems.

 

[Keggen]

Next time I let a hen go broody on eggs I'm going to segregate her somehow. Oy.

Every day other hens are laying in her nest and it's become a real challenge to get those extras out without upsetting the hen and making sure I get the correct eggs. I did mark them originally but those marks are fading and questionable.

So it happened that I didn't get to the extra eggs in time one day this weekend and when I went to check I noticed there was yolk all over. What a mess!!! I am so glad it was a new egg at least and not a chick.

I tried to clean the nest as much as possible without disturbing it too much. The hen initially did not want to leave but then took advantage and did a nice dirt bath while I worked on the nest area.

I'm worried about some of her eggs though. There was some yolk dried on a couple that I couldn't get off right then and there. Should I do something to get them cleaned or just leave it? They are very close to hatching, probably the earliest would be tomorrow but more likely Thursday or Friday. I don't want to mess with her more than necessary now if I don't have to.

Do you guys think I should put a metal cage in the coop for her and the babies? With their own food and water for a few days? If I do, should I keep it closed all the time (set up like a mini coop with bedding, etc) or should I open it during the day like I do the regular coop?

 

[Audio51]

Do you guys think I should put a metal cage in the coop for her and the babies? With their own food and water for a few days? If I do, should I keep it closed all the time (set up like a mini coop with bedding, etc) or should I open it during the day like I do the regular coop?

Keggen,

I have had my broody hen and her 12 youngsters in a separate broody coop within the big yard since they hatched. They have separate food/water. I have ready that the chicks need to be on starter crumbles for quite a while as the high calcium content in the layer crumbles are too hard on thier systems. Six are 3 weeks and six are 2 weeks. I am unsure about when to allow them out with the other 3 hens and just posted a new thread about this very subject this morning. When I do everyone will need to go on starter feed.

 

[weeshanti]

I found a clutch of eggs in the same spot my previous broody hen laid hers (she's segregated with chicks, so it's not hers), and relocated it to the nesting box where a few hens have been taking turns looking broody-ish. Now everyone is laying in the nesting box and adding to the clutch, and not in the bad spot on the floor (good), but no one has claimed the clutch or shown any signs of broodiness again (bad). How long should I leave those eggs there? It has been two days now. I marked them all and am removing the fresh eggs, but I'm wondering if I should just throw some fake eggs in a box instead and wait for a true brooder to show her feathers, rather than risk that by the time she sits on them these will be past viability. Any ideas? How long can the eggs sit in the nest before they're not viable?

In other news, I posted earlier that I lost two of Chickadee's first chicks. I suspected a rat after talking to a local farmer, who sold me some day-olds for her to raise instead. Well, it wasn't a rat. I found the chicks. They had somehow wedged themselves behind the nesting box and either got too cold or got stuck. I did look for them back there when they first went missing, so I'm thinking they may have died in the night (I discovered the absence the next noon), likely from cold, or I think I would have heard them peeping. They blended right in with the bedding so I didn't see them until I took the box out to clean the whole area. I feel like the worst chicken mama in the world.