Broody Hen Thread!

[fisherlady]

Glad to hear it is recovering so well!!
Yep, cold food would have a quick effect on the little ones especially... maybe provide them an alternative feed area with dry crumbles (set a box with small openings upside down over the baby feeder to act as a creeper feeder, or set a box or cage upside down with small blocks under the corners to keep it just a few inches off of the ground, again, the little ones can get in to eat, but not the adults.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I candle around day 10 when the broody is off for her daily break, just look for dark mass and that's about it. If it is clear or questionable I mark it somehow, or make a note about the number (I number the eggs when they are set most times). I give it another 2 or 3 days and recheck at night or in darker environment to be sure and pull the clear or sloshy ones. That is about it. Some folks say the broody throws out clear or bad eggs themselves and don't candle at all. It is a personal preference.

x2

I am more concerned in summer brooding than winter brooding as I have had infertile eggs go bad in summer and explode...which makes a real mess. I've been lucky that my Silkie will roll bad eggs away...my other hen just sat on it (yuk).

I think cooler weather gives you a little more leeway time so I don't always worry about it until it's not hatching.

Lady of McCamley

 

[Farmer Viola]

Quote Fisherlady :

x2

I am more concerned in summer brooding than winter brooding as I have had infertile eggs go bad in summer and explode...which makes a real mess. I've been lucky that my Silkie will roll bad eggs away...my other hen just sat on it (yuk).

I think cooler weather gives you a little more leeway time so I don't always worry about it until it's not hatching.

Lady of McCamley

Thank you both! Very helpful information.

She is currently indoors (about 70 F) in a special nest separate of the main flock. It's sort of a strange situation I found her online, two broody Silkies actually, and bought them to set on eggs. I'm hatching several new breeds and will phase out my old (hatchery) stock next year. One of my silkies is broody now, and the other is still laying, but not broody. I have them in an indoor pen together. My hope was that they would co-mother together, but that remains to be seen!

The laying silkie's eggs continued to be fertile for a week+ (?!?!) after I got her. I cracked one open 11 days after she'd been here, it was still fertile! I was amazed... She has 5 silkie eggs under her, all laid between 2-4 days apart. No idea what the male is it will be a surprise! I also ordered fertile hatching eggs for her, lol, so she is sitting on 9 (edit: 10! laid today.. silkie) eggs now, AND the incubator is almost full. my first time hatching I was told she previously hatched 11 of 12 eggs on her last clutch, and that by having her indoors she can cover them all easily.

There are 7 days between the 1st silkie egg laid and the fertile eggs I bought. When those hatch earlier, I'm hoping she will see the rest of the eggs through until the end (1 extra week), otherwise I can put them in the incubator. I have read that sometimes, they will get up to show the chicks water and food, but continue to sit on the nest, even after eggs have quit sometimes. I'm going have to to trust the experienced mother silkie and see what happens

I really wish my second silkie would brood, otherwise I'm nervous about her acceptance of new chicks. I know you can slip chicks under a broody mother, but a non broody girl adopting chicks? It's a big unknown. She has raised 2 clutches already (she is 2 years old) and the currently broody has raised 1 clutch (1 y/o).

 

[DianeD]

How will I know when they want to sit, please? Never kept chickens just for eggs before; only meat. This is an all new ball game to me. Thanks for the education.

 

[cestial225]

My six month old silkie pullet is broody for the first time. She was brooding on the floor at first, that id where she lays her eggs for some reason. But when she went broody I put her in a nest a top some eggs. She sits there all day. She has been getting up once a day to eat and walk around the yarf a bit. She leaves the nest for 30-45 minutes. Is that okay? Then when she goes back she sits back on the floor not in the nest with the eggs! I have to move her back to the eggs and then she will sit there another 24 hours. I am worried cause I can't always be home to move her back to the nest :/

 

[sharol]

My six month old silkie pullet is broody for the first time. She was brooding on the floor at first, that id where she lays her eggs for some reason. But when she went broody I put her in a nest a top some eggs. She sits there all day. She has been getting up once a day to eat and walk around the yarf a bit. She leaves the nest for 30-45 minutes. Is that okay? Then when she goes back she sits back on the floor not in the nest with the eggs! I have to move her back to the eggs and then she will sit there another 24 hours. I am worried cause I can't always be home to move her back to the nest

 

[KrazyChromatics]

well yesterday that chick was fine, found her again this afternoon outside the pen and fluffed up, shes much worse this time... not peeping at all but still hangin on... i have less hope this time found her an hr or so ago...

 

[KrazyChromatics]

she just died.... i was holding her in front of a heater and her temp was almost normal.... but she kept having seizures in my hands, and so long as i held her head correct she was coming through them ok, in the last few minuets her eyes were open one at a time, and she was blinking, but not responding to touch other than the stimulation was bringing on more seizures so i stopped prompting.... the last seizure took her... it got down into te 20's last night and the others arent so hooked on mom anymore so shes not brooding them at night i think... they are only like 4/6 weeks old and are not fully feathered... i have 4 of 8 left, and i lost their father last week... so hoping i get atleast a male female pair out of this

 

[zippy722]

she just died.... i was holding her in front of a heater and her temp was almost normal.... but she kept having seizures in my hands, and so long as i held her head correct she was coming through them ok, in the last few minuets her eyes were open one at a time, and she was blinking, but not responding to touch other than the stimulation was bringing on more seizures so i stopped prompting.... the last seizure took her... it got down into te 20's last night and the others arent so hooked on mom anymore so shes not brooding them at night i think... they are only like 4/6 weeks old and are not fully feathered... i have 4 of 8 left, and i lost their father last week... so hoping i get atleast a male female pair out of this

Always hate to hear the sad outcomes like this. So sorry for you.

 

[Mr MKK FARMS]

No broodys lately. Hopefully a Faverolle or two will go broody this coming spring, I don't want chicks in the winter.