Broody Hen Thread!

[Six Chickies]

Im

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I agree with the other poster that this much delay can cause problems. It all depends on the hen, the other chicks, and the newly arriving chicks...your coop set up, weather conditions, etc., etc.

Personally I have had trouble integrating mixed ages....and especially that age range.  Mom is up and teaching the older ones at 10 to 11 days of age to be chickens with scratching lessons...she may not want to sit enough for the little ones who need warmth....and they get kicked out of the way by mom as they aren't catching on it is scratching lesson time.

Also they may fear the big scary hen and not want to run to her at first after having been hatched under incubator. My broody stood with her wings spread to welcome fosters under, but some of the fosters were too afraid to go under her and the other older more boisterous chicks made them even more afraid.

Try it. Keep close watch. Have a plan B. If you are able to safely put a heat lamp into the broody coop, that can be a backup warmer for the foster chicks until they integrate.  I don't use heat lamps any more (burned a coop down), so from my experience...the best success with fosters is to put same age fosters with the hen that has no other chicks in weather that is not too frigid a shock while they literally warm up to the hen.
Lady of McCamley
[/quotI'm thinking she may take them, because she has one chick that is small, and started growing later (slipped Achilles' tendon) so she needs some more rest time than her big brother. And if I just put them under her instead of giving them the option to NOT go under, then everybody might get along better. I might close her pen for the day so that she can't abandon them to free range.

Thank you Lady of McCamley you've been very patient and helpful with all of your answers!

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I don't have roosters. I haven't seen any worms I us DE in food and run and seven in coop. How would I tell? I am worried about low egg production. I am going to buy a cage so I can separate broody girls. Do they usually stip laying when they r broody?? I have seen one or two feathers laying around yard but not many. My hens seem active and healthy. Thank you for your input. It is Really Appreciated! Only had hens for 16 months.

Broody hens do not lay while they are brooding. If you are simply concerned about the 2 broodies laying poorly, that is natural for them to not lay so your worries are over. And do remember ebb flow is natural...especially during the winter hours of shorter winter light...but if you've seen a dramatic sudden drop or a sustained drop that can't be explained by molting or shorter winter hours (which would be too early for Florida, I should think) then it is time to investigate.

First watch your time table of care. If you sporadically let their water or feed get low, even though you are filling each day but at different times, they will reward you with sporadic eggs. If they are overcrowded or have dirty living conditions, likewise. If the environment is happy, then I suspicion molting or parasites of some form if they are active and overall healthy looking (no sneezing, rasping, coughing, diarrhea, tremors, paralysis).

You state you are not finding feathers around, so we'll assume it is not due to molting...but keep watching for feathers as they may simply be beginning the normal fall molt and the feathers will be dropping shortly.

Thus we'll move on to the possible parasites. Check the hens for subtle signs. Scaly Leg Mites will leave rough looking scales on the hen's legs and can cause enough blood loss so that the hens lay poorly. Treat with vaseline rubbed onto the legs to literally starve them from air. Little red spider looking things in the box, dead rotten looking feathers, or nitty looking things at the base of the feathers, especially around the vent indicate other parasites (first mites, second lice). You use Sevin, sprinkled around, but the birds may need actual dosing (placed in bag, head free, shake without the bake). For info on that: http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/bookstore/pubs/MF2387.pdf

Almost all hens have worms. It comes with the territory, especially in the southern states and in small back yard flocks with limited field rotation. Your goal is to control overgrowth. The first sign is often low production during what would normally be a productive season (summer). The hens will often look a bit thinner, but not necessarily unhealthy. A severe overgrowth of worms will cause lethargy, ruffled feathers, poor egg production, and often diarrhea.

DE is debated as to effectiveness. No research has shown it to be effective for controlling worms but lots of people believe it helps...I am always concerned about its effect on the respiratory track of hens, and humans, as it is a proven respiratory irritant. Pumpkin seeds, wormwood, and cayenne pepper do have some research that show they help eradicate worms from the track (but don't kill them...so they'll be re-ingested in time.) Verm-X and Molly's Herbals are popular herbal dewormers that have proven herbal ingredients that help to maintain worm overgrowth. Both allow you to continue to eat the eggs. (Just google the names and you'll find them.)

Another good line of attack is to increase the acidity in the gut and boost the immune system so the bird's own body is fighting the worms. I like to keep Apple cider vinegar (ACV) in the water on a regular basis. Use the type that is raw, unpasteurized, unfiltered, with the mother (like Bragg's). Just a tablespoon in the normal gallon feeder is sufficient. Never place ACV in a metal waterer as it will erode the zinc coating leeching heavy metal.

At best DE, ACV, and herbals slow down worm overgrowth, so usually it is a good idea to worm with meds periodically. What you use depends upon your needs, type of worms, and philosophy. I like to use Rooster Booster Triple Action Multi Wormer (Hygromycin B) as it controls the 3 main worm types, and is the only FDA approved wormer for laying hens, AND has no egg pull requirements...since I sell eggs to offset my feed costs, that is important to me. It is intended for continuous feed, but many use it once a month for 5 days (in between home methods). I see a distinct improvement with my hens when I use it. I use home-made herbal (pumpkin seeds, cayenne, and garlic with wormwood) in-between Rooster Booster as I have 16 layers...I also see improvement after using herbals...but I know they don't eradicate a real worm problem....just knock it down a bit.

If you are not concerned about FDA approved meds for egg layers, and don't care about egg pulling as you are not getting much from the flock now, many use Safeguard or Panacur (Flubendazole) which is actually legal in England for laying hens....or Wazine (piperazine) which used to be legal in the US but was pulled several years ago. I like the idea of the -zole type wormers as they stick mainly to the digestive track, while the -mectin type (Ivermectin, etc.) are systemic, which can be problematic to sensitive individuals (that's why for dogs if "white feet, don't treat" is a vet slogan). If you have signs of mites and suspect worms, Ivermectin may be a good choice as it treats both. Do not use these type of wormers during molting as many can cause malformed feathers to grown in after the molt. (Valbazen and flubendazole have been noted as such).

Depending on the type of wormer, it either goes in the water, or you can squirt a pea size droplet into each chicken's mouth if you don't have that many to dose. The Ivermectin is placed between the wings at the base of the neck...I believe...just like a dog or cat.

You dose once then 10 days later dose again. You have to pull and toss all eggs during treatment duration and 2 weeks after last dose.

HTH for ideas
Lady of McCamley

 

[sonz77]

Okay, new question or two..... I have a broody with 4 eggs underneath her. They are about 5 days apart in total. She is in a coop with 3 other hens and a roo. Should she be moved? The first one is due to hatch on Thursday. She seems quite content to brood and continues to steal the others eggs, lol. So I think she's pretty serious.

Also, another question, is 8 days too far apart for eggs under her? I have 2 of their eggs in an incbuator with what I'm pretty sure is a failed 12 other eggs. I candled yesterday and her eggs have movement in them and good veining. The others I had got in the mail are either clear or may have the red ring.

Would it be wiser to finish the incubation now and try to put them under her if they hatch?

 

[hogster160]

Hi everyone, I have a question. As I'm a noob at this, I really don't know how to handle it. My broody hatched out 6 chicks. They will be one week tomorrow. Mama and babies are in a separate part of the coop form the rest of the flock. As long as the ground is dry and its warm, I put mama and chicks in a 4x4 hardware cloth enclosure in the chicken run with the rest of the layers. When should I just let mama and babies out? Will she be able to protect the babies from 13 other layers? I am thinking I should just let them out, mama will do her job. But I am worried, there are some little meanies in my flock.

Thanks!

Deb

 

[DebbieParker]

I have 5 auracanas and no rooster. For at least three weeks now one of the hens has gone broody. (This is my first experience, but it is my best guess.) she sits on anyone's eggs all day long and makes a clucky sort of sound. I remove her to get her to come out and eat scratch, I manually place her on the perch at night but she still persists. What should I do? Thanks is for ANY advice!

 

[AmericanMom]

Hi everyone, I have a question. As I'm a noob at this, I really don't know how to handle it. My broody hatched out 6 chicks. They will be one week tomorrow. Mama and babies are in a separate part of the coop form the rest of the flock. As long as the ground is dry and its warm, I put mama and chicks in a 4x4 hardware cloth enclosure in the chicken run with the rest of the layers. When should I just let mama and babies out? Will she be able to protect the babies from 13 other layers? I am thinking I should just let them out, mama will do her job. But I am worried, there are some little meanies in my flock.

Thanks!

Deb

After Momma hen hatches the chicks and teaches them to eat and drink I let mine go back to the flock, They were all curious and came to check out the chicks but Momma never left them, at night they had a seperate coop to go back to, I did that for about 6 weeks then knowing the Hen was going to go back to being a chicken I decided to close up the seperate quarters and let all the chickens roost togather at night, We had absolutly no issues. Now they are almost 9 wks and Momma has left them and they find there own place to sleep, they get pecked to get out of the way, but they all settle down pretty quick.

 

[AmericanMom]

Okay, new question or two..... I have a broody with 4 eggs underneath her. They are about 5 days apart in total. She is in a coop with 3 other hens and a roo. Should she be moved? The first one is due to hatch on Thursday. She seems quite content to brood and continues to steal the others eggs, lol. So I think she's pretty serious.

Also, another question, is 8 days too far apart for eggs under her? I have 2 of their eggs in an incbuator with what I'm pretty sure is a failed 12 other eggs. I candled yesterday and her eggs have movement in them and good veining. The others I had got in the mail are either clear or may have the red ring.

Would it be wiser to finish the incubation now and try to put them under her if they hatch?

When my hen went broody I put her seperate from the others and gave her a fake egg or two to sit on, a few days later I put five eggs under her. I am not sure how long a broody will continue to sit after chicks hatch, I would not do an 8 day seperation, not even sure if she will accept new babies after 8 days with her own... Someone better experianced will give you better advice

 

[hogster160]

Mama has been teaching them just fine, I think I'll wait another day or two. I'm a nervous nelly with these babies lol. Thanks so much!

Deb

 

[AmericanMom]

I have 5 auracanas and no rooster. For at least three weeks now one of the hens has gone broody. (This is my first experience, but it is my best guess.) she sits on anyone's eggs all day long and makes a clucky sort of sound. I remove her to get her to come out and eat scratch, I manually place her on the perch at night but she still persists. What should I do? Thanks is for ANY advice!

If you dont want her to be broody continue to take the eggs away and remove her from the nest... If she has been broody for three weeks she should start snapping out of it soon..

 

[AmericanMom]

Mama has been teaching them just fine, I think I'll wait another day or two. I'm a nervous nelly with these babies lol. Thanks so much!

Deb

LOL, I was too.... the place we had her ran along side (but seperate) from the other chickens run, by the time we allowed them to free range the chickens were already used to seeing them...Momma didnt keep them with the rest of the flock but went off by herself with them and free ranged.If you want to wait its not a big deal, my biggest worry was when they hit the 5 or 6 wk mark and I knew she was going to want to leave them, I wanted them used to being with the flock and roosting with them by then.