Broody Hen Thread!

[fisherlady]

Yes the Rhodebars are amazing...beautiful and great utility (so I am told).

Here are my newest babies...hatched Monday night...only 4 of the 6 (one was indeed an early quitter, and 1 chick must have gotten shrink wrapped and never hatched).

I "think" I have 1 boy (yellow) and 3 girls (chipmunks)...the yellow chipmunk might be a boy too? The breeder said look for head dots...but none of them have head dots....other sites say boy Rhodebars are yellow and the girls chipmunks...so I've got 2 chipumunk girls, one yellow boy...and then a yellow chipmunk...go figure.

Here they are...2 days old (with a very protective momma...Ms. Marvel my avatar...isn't she a beauty too? I've never figured out what she is...she is a mixed breed from a grab bag of eggs from the feedstore...best I can figure is Wyandotte and ???? either EE or OEG...your guess is as good as mine)...no matter what she is, she is a fine momma thus far.

adorable!

 

[DarynA146]

i have 3 white silkie hens and 1 white silkie rooster. I want to get a black silkie. Would it be better to get a black rooster or a black hen .I want them to have nice splash chicks?

 

[fisherlady]

i have 3 white silkie hens and 1 white silkie rooster. I want to get a black silkie. Would it be better to get a black rooster or a black hen .I want them to have nice splash chicks?

there is a section on the boards which is specifically directed toward questions like yours... I believe if you post on the genetics area you should get some good info or advice.

 

[wndygirrl]

We've had our first hen get broody last month, she's a buff orpington named Bertha not quite a year old. We put 12 barred rock eggs under her, she started setting on 2 eggs and a golf ball, and this is what I found this morning...
.
She's stayed with the flock (all mixed: 2 red sex-linked, 2 tetra tints, 2 barred rocks, and the other buff, plus a misc roo) and we plan on keeping her that way. Just wanted to boast about my AWESOME mama! And we are going to give the other five eggs a day to hatch, an additional egg got thrown in there some how Will also give an update on the jealous tetra tint that got broody 1 1/2 weeks ago, she's got a mix of eggs under her!

 

[G-SWAN]

Hello. I'm new to the site and have a situation I need some advice on. This spring I had a hen that went broody. So I decided I would try to get her to hatch them. The problem is that I put chicken and duck eggs under her at the sametime, Not realizing the duck eggs have a week longer incubation period! Now I have chicks hatching and not sure if I should take the chicks and brood them under a light? So she remains on the nest to hatch the duck eggs? Please help me out I just am worries she will abandon the duck eggs days before hatching.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Hello. I'm new to the site and have a situation I need some advice on. This spring I had a hen that went broody. So I decided I would try to get her to hatch them. The problem is that I put chicken and duck eggs under her at the sametime, Not realizing the duck eggs have a week longer incubation period! Now I have chicks hatching and not sure if I should take the chicks and brood them under a light? So she remains on the nest to hatch the duck eggs? Please help me out I just am worries she will abandon the duck eggs days before hatching.

That is a bit trickier....you can watch over the next couple of days and see if she is staying with the duck eggs. You can extend her brood by making sure the water and feed is close by so the chicks can get to it without her having to lead them to it...however 1 week is about as long as you can extend. Some moms do well with a staggered hatch, others do not.

If the ducks are the most important thing, than it may be wise to put the chicks under a heat lamp so mom will wait for the duck eggs....or put the duck eggs in an incubator to finish and let mom brood the chicks.

Hens brooding ducks works, but some get very confused when the ducks take to water.

Good luck.
Lady of McCamley

 

[ocap]

My broody hasnt moved since monday

I never saw mine get off the nest, our schedules were opposite, I have to have coffee before I do my first chicken chore

 

[Bogtown Chick]

We've had our first hen get broody last month, she's a buff orpington named Bertha not quite a year old. We put 12 barred rock eggs under her, she started setting on 2 eggs and a golf ball, and this is what I found this morning...
.
She's stayed with the flock (all mixed: 2 red sex-linked, 2 tetra tints, 2 barred rocks, and the other buff, plus a misc roo) and we plan on keeping her that way. Just wanted to boast about my AWESOME mama! And we are going to give the other five eggs a day to hatch, an additional egg got thrown in there some how Will also give an update on the jealous tetra tint that got broody 1 1/2 weeks ago, she's got a mix of eggs under her!

This photo is amazingly precious...Oh my gosh! Look at those little miracles and Momma watching on! Oh I can't wait! Thank you for sharing!

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I never saw mine get off the nest, our schedules were opposite, I have to have coffee before I do my first chicken chore

You and me both....

Lady of McCamley

 

[Lady of McCamley]

The Rhodebar breeder got back to me and says it looks like I've got 3 girls (the 2 dark chipmunks and the yellow chipmunk) and 1 boy (the yellow).

The yellow chipmunk girl will become a light red coloration with the Rhodebar hen pattern.

I wouldn't want to breed from anything but the darker chipmunks, but hey, I'm not breeding them...I'm into it for the eggs, and they are replacing some aging RSL's...so I'm totally good with a less than perfectly colored hen

First time momma has been awesome...I was a little worried as she was a bit of a drama queen when she was in the flock trying to brood, but she has settled into a very sweet mother. She only gets dramatic if she sees any other chickens and fluffs and growls to protect her chicks. I've already subdivided the broody hutch so the Silkie with Buckeyes (when they hatch) and Ms. Marvel with the Rhodebars do not have interaction for awhile.

Whew...now the countdown continuing for the Buckeye eggs with 12 days to go...I'm pretty sure the incubator 4 are a bust (they were the maybe's set)....and out of the 6 under the Silkie, I think 2 are quitters...hopefully the remaining 4 that look to be developing will continue to do so...it won't be a great percentage rate hatch for shipped eggs for me...don't know that I'll do shipped again from that far away.

Lady of McCamley