Broody Hen Thread!

[Shellz]

[COLOR=008080]This pic is just for fun...........her hatch from last spring . She refused to leave the bag of pine chips and hatched the babies there.........[/COLOR] [COLOR=008080]Last fall we lost her....or thought we did but sure enough she presented us with 18 babies after disappearing for three weeks....[/COLOR] [COLOR=008080]Thought the coyotes had gotten her. I was so tickled when she walked in the barn with all those chicks.[/COLOR] [COLOR=008080]This year showed no interest...until my English Orp started setting.....1st. time for her. After a full week of setting, this girl took over her nest.......[/COLOR] [COLOR=008080]The young hen just rejoined the flock........[/COLOR] [COLOR=008080]There is nothing to top adventures with a broody.[/COLOR]

What a beauty! I have 2 broody hens at the same time! Sisters too. One is setting 6 BLRW eggs, the other 13 mutts. All due to hatch July 23. I love broodies, but could have used them to hatch some other eggs I had just hatched previously via incubator.

 

[Island Roo]

This pic is just for fun...........her hatch from last spring . She refused to leave the bag of pine chips and hatched the babies there.........
Last fall we lost her....or thought we did but sure enough she presented us with 18 babies after disappearing for three weeks....
Thought the coyotes had gotten her. I was so tickled when she walked in the barn with all those chicks.
This year showed no interest...until my English Orp started setting.....1st. time for her. After a full week of setting, this girl took over her nest.......
The young hen just rejoined the flock........
There is nothing to top adventures with a broody.

What a beauty! I have 2 broody hens at the same time! Sisters too. One is setting 6 BLRW eggs, the other 13 mutts. All due to hatch July 23. I love broodies, but could have used them to hatch some other eggs I had just hatched previously via incubator.

Yeah I wish I could hypnotize them to make them broody when it suits me

Great story chickydee64.

 

[Shellz]

Here, hee, yeah!

 

[Lachap]

I have a RIR who has been broody for about a month. She stole unfertilized eggs from my other chickens..Any suggestions on what to do.She seems to be starving herself..Lachap

 

[Lachap]

I have a broody RIR you can have.When not broody she lays every day.She was a year in May..I live in CT.email [email protected]//

 

[bobbi-j]

I have a RIR who has been broody for about a month. She stole unfertilized eggs from my other chickens..Any suggestions on what to do.She seems to be starving herself..Lachap

I would take the eggs from her and start taking her off the nest every time you get the chance.

 

[Lachap]

Yes,,I am in my 1st experience with a broody hen.I had 3 buff orpingtons,3 americanas and 1 RIR which I had incubated..Well she went broody about 5 weeks ago for about a week then a week later again.She kept stealing the other chickens eggs .When she would get off the eggs about every 3 days we would take them away.She would just steal the other chicks eggs again. Last Saturday I gave my 6 other beautiful chicks to a farmer.Now she will not leave the nest..I don't know what to dol.Any suggestions..

 

[WillowChick]

I am pretty new to chickens. I just started a year ago. I have a cochin bantam (my favourite chicken) who is broody and I have a few questions maybe you all can answer.

1) She seems not to eat or drink unless I pull her off the nest. Do they really go without food?
2) She seems to have fallen from the top of the pecking order to near bottom, is this normal?
3) I can't convince the other chickens to lay anywhere else. I have 4 nest boxes but they have all only used the one she's in (habit I guess) even though I moved the golf balls and made the other ones all nice and pretty.
4) They yell at her to get off the nest and give her the stink eye all day long, now most of them have stopped laying all together.
5) If I DO put fertilized eggs under her, do I need to separate the flock? For how long?
6) She's the only banty, and has been boss all her life. (even over the roos... she never did anything really mean, but they all respected her and got out of her way) I would like to see her stay boss, so she doesn't get killed because of her size. Any ideas to help re-establish her dominance?
7) If I DON'T put eggs under her. How to I help her to be un-broody?

Sorry for so many questions. I hope I don't sound like an idiot.

Thanks for the help!!!

Willow

 

[CAjerseychick]

I am pretty new to chickens. I just started a year ago. I have a cochin bantam (my favourite chicken) who is broody and I have a few questions maybe you all can answer.

1) She seems not to eat or drink unless I pull her off the nest. Do they really go without food?
2) She seems to have fallen from the top of the pecking order to near bottom, is this normal?
3) I can't convince the other chickens to lay anywhere else. I have 4 nest boxes but they have all only used the one she's in (habit I guess) even though I moved the golf balls and made the other ones all nice and pretty.
4) They yell at her to get off the nest and give her the stink eye all day long, now most of them have stopped laying all together.
5) If I DO put fertilized eggs under her, do I need to separate the flock? For how long?
6) She's the only banty, and has been boss all her life. (even over the roos... she never did anything really mean, but they all respected her and got out of her way) I would like to see her stay boss, so she doesn't get killed because of her size. Any ideas to help re-establish her dominance?
7) If I DON'T put eggs under her. How to I help her to be un-broody?

Sorry for so many questions. I hope I don't sound like an idiot.

Thanks for the help!!!

Willow

Cant answer all your questions-- but I can share my experience (hen just hatched 2 weeks ago today!) with the whole nest box thing-- We have 6 nest boxes, and yes my broody chose the favorite to set in (couldnt get her to move) and the hens were upset and egg count was down-- but by day 10 or so they had moved on (and now even after the hen and new chicks hopped down and nest at night in a dog crate) to this day its no longer the favorite nest box...
So thats my expereince. And, I had to throw out 4 eggs after the hatch cause the other hens gone up there and managed to sneak eggs in there into her clutch somehow!

I cant really tell what she is on the pecking order, most of the hens run like crazy when they see her coming, she doesnt let anyone near the chicks....(The roo is the only one she backs down from, and he is huge being a Jersey Giant) ... She didnt really interact much when she was brooding though, she was stuck on that nest and super sneaky when she got off (did I tell you she stole the clutch from another hen when that hen got off about a 10 days into setting!)?....

PS they get off once a day to have a huge poop and eat and drink-- so they do eat and drink but only once a day.

 

[Shellz]

Broodies will eat & drink, just not when you're watching. Yep, once a day. I have 2 broodies right now. One is segregated to a penned area in the coop. She has a nest in a small dog carrier. She has her own pop door & private yard. The other broody is in a regular nest box on the wall. It's not too high, so when chicks hatch, they won't get hurt getting out. My hens are doing well. I don't know about pecking order issues. None here. That sucks that the rest won't lay though. I would definitely separate, in hopes things get back to normal. If you want to break her, I've dunked their butts in a bucket of cold water. Make sure she doesn't get back on the nest. You will have to repeat this every time you see her make the attempt to hop back on the nest. At night, block the nest boxes too. It worked for me.