Broody Hen Thread!

[sonderah]

I'm picking up 3 day old Sizzles tomorrow!! 9 of them! Hoping they will wind up being my broody bunch!! Yay! Now, will I be patient enough to wait for them to start laying and brooding? Or will I need some adults, a Silkie and a Frizzle too?? Hmmm That's a big question!

 

[lovely guy]

my hens doing the same she jxt sat on the eggs for 3 day the they started developed and now she is not sitting on them instead on the ground.................am sick n tired of her......is she going to be broody again........m dyin for chks

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is my hen going to be broody again/.///////////////

 

[fisherlady]

Quote:
There is no way to know if she will go broody again... it isn't a condition that can be forced by humans... it is just their hormones. Some hens seem to have it figured out from the start, other hens are hit and miss and take a long time to settle and a lot of hens never go broody at all. There are a lot of hens who will linger on a nest for hours at a time, many growl when someone gets near them, it doesn't mean they are broody... I won't give a new broody real hatching eggs for at least a week because many times their hormones aren't settled quite yet. If you think a hen may be getting broody give her 3 or 4 golf balls (or something similar to imitate eggs) until she has committed... and a broody isn't committed until she spends all of her time on the nest (except for rare breaks for daily poo and maybe a quick scratch) and usually has her chest/belly plucked bare. If your broody is easily confused about nest and goes back to wrong one then you may need to separate her so she only has one to choose from... but cross that bridge after you determine she is broody at all.

 

[chicksurreal]

There is no way to know if she will go broody again... it isn't a condition that can be forced by humans... it is just their hormones. Some hens seem to have it figured out from the start, other hens are hit and miss and take a long time to settle and a lot of hens never go broody at all. There are a lot of hens who will linger on a nest for hours at a time, many growl when someone gets near them, it doesn't mean they are broody... I won't give a new broody real hatching eggs for at least a week because many times their hormones aren't settled quite yet. If you think a hen may be getting broody give her 3 or 4 golf balls (or something similar to imitate eggs) until she has committed... and a broody isn't committed until she spends all of her time on the nest (except for rare breaks for daily poo and maybe a quick scratch) and usually has her chest/belly plucked bare. If your broody is easily confused about nest and goes back to wrong one then you may need to separate her so she only has one to choose from... but cross that bridge after you determine she is broody at all.

Very interesting! Thanks for the information!

We only have SS Hamburgs right now, and I've heard that they rarely go broody (not that it couldn't happen, we have 13 pullets), but we do plan on getting some different breeds in the future, so this is very helpful information!

 

[silkieluv23]

I have a little bantam hen sitting on 2 hen eggs and 2 duck eggs!!
Day 1 for the hen eggs and day 7 for the duck eggs!
I can't wait to see how this works out.

 

[silly4buttons]

Hi my silkie has been sitting on eggs 2 1/2 weeks ( I think) sorry I lost track of the time when get gets off the nest I check them 1 looks like it going to hatch should I remove the ones that are clear or just leave them alone. Also dose she let you know when they hatch or do you just keep checking she very good about me coming near her I really miss her sitting on my lap in the morning This is our first time around lol

 

[AliceGee]

My favourite silkie hen jennifer cluckence ( get it? ) is on day 17 with six eggs and another of my silkies has just gone broody today. They're both so sweet, haven't pecked me once when I take an egg to candle! I've seen movement in all six eggs so hopefully both hers and my first hatch will go well!! Their father Russell crow is eagerly awaiting their arrival. Hopefully I'll have some cute photos to share in about 4 days time!

 

[coltcogburn00]

I need help I need a breed that is broody and can handle hot and cold weather

 

[ocap]

I need help I need a breed that is broody and can handle hot and cold weather

my silkies did fine at minus 10 F, also did not have trouble with normal temperatures last summer (Missouri).

 

[ropergirl]

I have a young hen that just went broody. I been raising my flock for about 7 years and she is my first hen to go broody!!!! We have over 40 hens and 4 Roos. She laid one egg and decided to sit. So I placed 8 total eggs from various hens and she seems happy. I have her secluded in my transition pen she has plenty if room and her every need is met. Yesterday I was feeding and there was an egg shell in the pen....any advice??? She was not an egg eater previously. I'm afraid to go out to see what she may have done....she has been sitting about 10 days now. Thanks so much for all advice!!!!:yiipchick