Broody Hen Thread!

[chicksurreal]

I would be concerned with the feet feathering and the possible burrs and thorns...I used to live in southwest Arizona (Ajo to be exact), so I remember how inhospitable that area can be with plants and critters, and I would be a bit concerned about free ranging in the bush with the leg feathers and the fuzzy hairlike quality of the Silkie feathers...however, I never owned a Silkie down there, so I don't know first hand (grandma had a chicken farm of the traditional layers, but no exotics like Silkies).

Not that it couldn't work. I live in the rainy Northwest now, and mud abounds, which isn't friendly for feathered feet either, but it works because I keep my Silkie in special quarters for the queen broodie that she is...and it has an attached grown out pen on deep wood chips.

If she becomes your main chick hatching broody, she will always be in the nest brooding so it might not be such an issue.

Hopefully someone with actual experience will pipe in otherwise find the Arizona thread and ask.

Lady of McCamley

I know what you mean, we've already had to extract a cactus needle from the foot of one of our pullets, it snuck in and I never even noticed her limping or anything. We found it on a routine foot inspection. I do wonder about the feathered feet too. I'd love to have some of the more exotic birds, but I want them to be safe and happy too. I'll go over to the AZ thread and ask around, thanks!

 

[chicksurreal]

Silkies are usually sweet tempered. I've had a couple that were a little "uppity" but still nice. I even have a white silkie rooster that took over being a momma for some babies we had. It was the sweetest thing to watch!

Thanks! I love the way they look, they are so sweet looking, I'm sure they can be little divas too, though.

 

[chicksurreal]

Oh.my.goodness, they're so sweet! Even our Roo is a sweetie! They're funny, mild mannered and excellent mothers.

Thanks! I love that they are good mothers and the roos are so awesome looking, glad to know they can be sweet too!

 

[sonderah]

Looks like I really do have my 1st broody hen!!!!!!!! She slept in the nest night before, but got out yesterday all day. Then slept in there again last night, & hasn't budged! I'll give her a few days b4 I give her real eggs. I'm so excited its insane!!! Lol

 

[fisherlady]

Quote:
You can't prevent a hen from stealing eggs when they are anywhere she can get to them... broodies are sneaky little critters and will find a way to add to their clutch, and it isn't a good idea (if they are already setting round the clock on the nest)! Adding an egg or two a day over multiple days will cause a lot of problems when hatch time rolls around. It is usually referred to as a 'staggered hatch'. Basically, the early eggs hatch, and those chicks have a day or two in the nest, then want out and about and need food and water, meanwhile broody mama is still wanting to set on the remaining (late added) eggs.

Easiest way to prevent this is to decide which eggs you want her to set on and mark them all with a clear line around the egg. Add them all at once. If it is a clutch that the hen collected over multiple days BEFORE she begins to set around the clock then just mark the eggs she has on the first day of her setting tight. If the eggs are marked then you just check each day and remove eggs which have been added by other flock members or stolen and brought in by the broody when she checked out other nests while out for her daily stretch.

A hen may collect for multiple days before setting... those eggs are fine, they won't begin to develop until she sets on them and gets them up to temp. However, don't allow her to gather eggs for a period of over 10 days or so because at that point the viability will decrease and unless you've been marking or dating the eggs you won't know which are the oldest that need removed.

So don't worry about trying to stop her stealing, she will sneak no matter what.... just mark what she has and remove additions any time you find them. She will most likely quit adding within a week or so anyway as she gets deeper into her brood.

 

[idontknowsquat]

my sweet little cochin did it and is still stealing 2 weeks in !!!!

 

[chicksurreal]

Looks like I really do have my 1st broody hen!!!!!!!! She slept in the nest night before, but got out yesterday all day. Then slept in there again last night, & hasn't budged! I'll give her a few days b4 I give her real eggs. I'm so excited its insane!!! Lol

How fun!

 

[chickencrazy999]

chicksurreal maybe I could recommend that you could non feathered feet silkie bantams I have a couple and they have both gone broody so far one of them has just hatched a couple of chicks here she is:

 

[jadeguppy]

All my hens are laying I the nest my broody is in. She is collecting up to 6 eggs a day. Thankfully none are fertile and I manage to pull them every couple of days. She is a sweet girl and even allowed my son to pet her while on the eggs. She is a blue Wyandotte we raised from day 2.

 

[sonderah]

Decisions decisions!!! What eggs do I give her??? Lol I've never had a broody before, so considering giving her some from the bator so it won't take as long to see her with them. But I don't want to cheat her outta the process. Do I give her Buff Orp eggs, Sizzle project eggs, or just a very few turkey eggs? Oh its so hard! I want her to hatch them all!!! LMBO!!