Broody Hen Thread!

[sharol]

Could you put the tractor in the spot she has chosen (or near it)? She will probably be content in there if she has eggs (maybe?).

Hello fellow chicken lovers! I have my first broody hen and I need help! My lil silkie girl has gone full on broody. She's picked a spot in the backyard -- same spot where she has been laying her eggs. She refuses to use the nest boxes. Anyway, its a hidden spot but it makes me nervous leaving her out there all night, so every night I have been picking her up and putting her in this little chicken tractor that I have and she's content, but every morning she wants out. I open the door and she eats, drinks, and goes right back to her spot in the yard. I haven't given her any eggs yet. What should I do?

 

[julie0477]

Could you put the tractor in the spot she has chosen (or near it)? She will probably be content in there if she has eggs (maybe?).

I thought about that. I couldn't get the tractor in that little corner but I could possibly get a little dog crate in there. I wish she would just listen to reason. ha

 

[jtbrown]

Here is a pic of my (hopefully) last broody of the year with her 5 babes. She hatched them two weeks ago, have integrated them into my flock (the easiest ever), the babies run between the rooster's legs with him not minding. Again, I think this is so much easier than me brooding them! Total this year we brooded 16 ourselves (from TSC) and mommas have raised or are raising 12 (mille fleur - 1, RIR - 5, Buckeye -3, and Buff Orp -3 ) So far, heavily leaning toward pullets with only 2 boys that I can see now!

 

[thebanthams]

Hello fellow chicken lovers! I have my first broody hen and I need help! My lil silkie girl has gone full on broody. She's picked a spot in the backyard -- same spot where she has been laying her eggs. She refuses to use the nest boxes. Anyway, its a hidden spot but it makes me nervous leaving her out there all night, so every night I have been picking her up and putting her in this little chicken tractor that I have and she's content, but every morning she wants out. I open the door and she eats, drinks, and goes right back to her spot in the yard. I haven't given her any eggs yet. What should I do?

why not put a fence around where she sits?

 

[julie0477]

I suppose I could chicken wire around where she is. Its up against the house in a corner between where we have some shingles stacked and a lawn mower parked. Some vines are grown up a little right in that spot. I put an umbrella over it to keep out the evening sun and rain. You can't see her when she's sitting there. I'm just worried about making it secure enough to keep out raccoons, etc. So far we have only had problems with coyotes and hawks, and where she is I don't think those will see her or be a threat. I've never had raccoons or weasels but it would just be my luck. Ok, I will try moving her with eggs one more time to the chicken tractor and if she tries to go back I will make her nest as secure as I possibly can. Hopefully the eggs will just persuade her to stay put.

 

[omilona]

I lifted up for 2 seconds...still nada. Day 20...

 

[Gen9]

I have a quarantine pen under the coop I put all my transitioning chickens in as the integrating process. It was recommended by a more experienced breeder what to do with broodies & their chicks: Depending on the situation, I will keep them in a grow out coop with the run attached for about a week or more. Then I open it up to a small fenced yard for a bit of grass. After another week or 2, or when grass is done, then I open the flood gates & free range. "

Of course, we're talking free range. It might be different if you have them enclosed. I'd wait a little longer but that's because I know how my chickens are & they are very intolerant to newbies

 

[chicken farmer]

Hello fellow chicken lovers! I have my first broody hen and I need help! My lil silkie girl has gone full on broody. She's picked a spot in the backyard -- same spot where she has been laying her eggs. She refuses to use the nest boxes. Anyway, its a hidden spot but it makes me nervous leaving her out there all night, so every night I have been picking her up and putting her in this little chicken tractor that I have and she's content, but every morning she wants out. I open the door and she eats, drinks, and goes right back to her spot in the yard. I haven't given her any eggs yet. What should I do?

I seen your avatar and I have 3 bantam mix chicks that look just like that what kind is yours?

 

[chicken farmer]

I gave my silkie hen that has been broody for 2 days 4 chicks and I took the eggs from her and she calls to them and wast lks in and out of the nestbox but the chicks dont no what to do they just stand there and look around and chirp,what can i do

 

[julie0477]

I seen your avatar and I have 3 bantam mix chicks that look just like that what kind is yours?

Mine are sebrights. I bought them straight run at Rural King this spring. I had no idea what I was getting. They were just in a tub marked 'bantams'. As they got older and grew in new feathers I figured it out by googling lots of pics. This one is a silver laced sebright. It grew to be mostly black with white lacing sort of like a SLW. He stayed tiny though. Full grown he is about the size of a pigeon.