Broody Hen Thread!

[Mon27]

Must be adding more than ACV to their water. Lol

Lol. Actually I only do it every once in a while. I would have pics but my phone camera has been broken for a while. That is really the only easy way for me to upload them. I will see what I can do though. It really is the craziest thing. I cant stop them from setting lol. A broody White Leghorn, go figure.

 

[Mon27]

I'll second this! I knew I wanted a broody to use once a year to replenish the flock. I had my existing flock of 16 mixed birds, mostly leghorns, born last August. I ordered more chickens (broody prone breeds) from Ideal in April. No sooner did those chicks turn 4 weeks and move outside and my EE (which I am assuming is a leghorn mix by her color and build) goes broody. I was not expecting that one!!

Crazy! The ones you think never will do it. I just knew I wouldnt even have one. Just wanted a few chicks.... lol. I have a few alright.

 

[Mon27]

Would love to see pics!!! My goodness that's the most broodies I've hear of (in one flock)! Congrats!

Thanks! We may have to cull some and put them in the freezer. It is becoming quite complicated logistically do have all of these seperate batches hatches and hens stilling in nests. My 5 week olds go out now but still sleep and eat in the nursery, when I get new chicks in a week or so, they will need the nursery and I will want to keep them up. Also, the sitting hens take a break and go poo and then the other non broodys wait to lay all there eggs in that nest with the developing eggs. I now have all diff ages under her. Would be ok to keep an eye on if I had one, but I now have 5 sitting and it turns into a mess really quickly. AHHH!!! I have just about given up and decided to let them do what they do. It makes it hard to sell eggs though as I throw a lot out for fear of selling a developing egg as food. I need to streamline so I may have to sell or eat all but about 2 broodys. It is just too much. I want eggs and some chicks, not chicks and some eggs. I have them for sale an Craiglist. When my current batch on the ground grows up, that will put me at over 50 chickens, I have AT LEAST 20 more eggs being sat on... and I get 100% hatch rates. WAY OVER MY HEAD. I just wanted a self sustaining chicken population of about 12...

 

[Mon27]

Thanks! We may have to cull some and put them in the freezer. It is becoming quite complicated logistically do have all of these seperate batches hatches and hens stilling in nests. My 5 week olds go out now but still sleep and eat in the nursery, when I get new chicks in a week or so, they will need the nursery and I will want to keep them up. Also, the sitting hens take a break and go poo and then the other non broodys wait to lay all there eggs in that nest with the developing eggs. I now have all diff ages under her. Would be ok to keep an eye on if I had one, but I now have 5 sitting and it turns into a mess really quickly. AHHH!!! I have just about given up and decided to let them do what they do. It makes it hard to sell eggs though as I throw a lot out for fear of selling a developing egg as food. I need to streamline so I may have to sell or eat all but about 2 broodys. It is just too much. I want eggs and some chicks, not chicks and some eggs. I have them for sale an Craiglist. When my current batch on the ground grows up, that will put me at over 50 chickens, I have AT LEAST 20 more eggs being sat on... and I get 100% hatch rates. WAY OVER MY HEAD. I just wanted a self sustaining chicken population of about 12...

Whoa, I should have proof red that. Sorry lol.

 

[teaganp]

Hi everyone!

I have a brooding Silkie and the rest of my chickens are red star and some other black variety. I'm new to chicken raising as I'm babysitting these lovely ladies until my cousins can get a new coop built at their new house. Anyway my problem is that all the other chickens pick on the poor Silkie, she has hardly any feathers on her wings and can't do much without being pecked at by them!! I feel so bad for her, and now we have given her 8 fertilized eggs to hatch. So she was happily sitting on them all day until we noticed that one of the black hens has taken a liking to the eggs as well! She has been sitting on them now and protecting them from the Silkie! Poor girl can't even go into the coop without being chased away. And when I finally got the Silkie back on the eggs the black one just kept pecking the hell out of her.

Has anyone experienced this? The black hen hadn't shown any brooding until we gave the Silkie the fertilized eggs. What should I do?? I feel so bad for the Silkie, and don't know how to stop the other from picking on her. Or should I just let nature take its course?

Thanks.

 

[fisherlady]

Hi everyone!

I have a brooding Silkie and the rest of my chickens are red star and some other black variety. I'm new to chicken raising as I'm babysitting these lovely ladies until my cousins can get a new coop built at their new house. Anyway my problem is that all the other chickens pick on the poor Silkie, she has hardly any feathers on her wings and can't do much without being pecked at by them!! I feel so bad for her, and now we have given her 8 fertilized eggs to hatch. So she was happily sitting on them all day until we noticed that one of the black hens has taken a liking to the eggs as well! She has been sitting on them now and protecting them from the Silkie! Poor girl can't even go into the coop without being chased away. And when I finally got the Silkie back on the eggs the black one just kept pecking the hell out of her.

Has anyone experienced this? The black hen hadn't shown any brooding until we gave the Silkie the fertilized eggs. What should I do?? I feel so bad for the Silkie, and don't know how to stop the other from picking on her. Or should I just let nature take its course?

Thanks.

Provide the black hen with some fake eggs in another nest. If she sets on them for a few days you can always split the eggs the silkie has so the black hen can have 2 or 3 eggs also.
In mixed flocks it isn't unusual for a lone silkie to be bottom of the pecking order and it takes some more specific management to protect them from excessive bullying. While she is brooding I would place her into a dog crate or carrier or some similar box that has a door or could be blocked off with chicken wire much of the day. This will give her peace and quiet. If the cage is large enough you can leave water and food in with her (just secure the water so it can't tip over into her nest)

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Thank you so much for this info. Today is day 22 so I will leave them alone. The one in the house is tiny. The one that hatched on day on 20 was bigger but chilled and didn't make it. Husband doesn't want to put her back out with moms because of how little and fragile she is.

Very wise...it will take some TLC to get the little one stronger...I do recommend having it on Chick Saver and an antibiotic...I think that is what helped my little "premie"....it took a few days of TLC, and the chick is still a bit smaller, but I was able to integrate back with mom at 4 days. It is running along with the rest of them now.

But take your time...heat lamp brooding is the best right now.

Lady of McCamley

 

[GardenDave]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND we have a chick

It is a beautiful little black Maran chick which to be totaly honest looks much healthier after a natural hatch than any of my incubated eggs looked at this age. It hatched at some point during last night - judging by the look of it it hatched probably in the later hours of last night as it is totally dry and quite confident with balance. Unfortunately the other egg hasn't hatched and I couldn't hear any chirping but I'm still going to wait.

There MAY be a problem but I'm not sure. I wanted to clear away the egg remains from the hatched chick to make it as comfortable and hygienic as possible for both of them. As I gently lifted Silky to look for the egg, the chick became visible and Silky started pecking her. I quickly put the chick back under Silky and Silky didn't go looking, actually she got herself comfortable again with her chick under her. I have many theories as to why this happened but really I just want to know if the chick is in danger.

Theories:

As a treat I had just given Silky a congratulations breakfast in bed of her favourite food - rabbit food lol. Was she being selfish with her food?
She was pecking her chick as punishment for coming from under her and was persuading her to go back under.
She didn't know it was hers because she is white and the chick is black.
She thought I was stealing her chick and thought if she can't have it nobody can, and tried to kill it.

Do any of these sound like reasonable theories?

Do you think the chick will be safe or should I remove her?

Silky wanted a chick sooooo much I am so proud of her and pleased for her to finally get what she wanted so much, and I'm sure Margaret would be delighted too.

 

[BLT79]

Funny you said preemie, we almost named her that. Today is day 23 for the mommies, so what should I do? And why would they let that other chick wander off and get cold. Don't they have the instinct to get them back to nest?

 

[fisherlady]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND we have a chick

It is a beautiful little black Maran chick which to be totaly honest looks much healthier after a natural hatch than any of my incubated eggs looked at this age. It hatched at some point during last night - judging by the look of it it hatched probably in the later hours of last night as it is totally dry and quite confident with balance. Unfortunately the other egg hasn't hatched and I couldn't hear any chirping but I'm still going to wait.

There MAY be a problem but I'm not sure. I wanted to clear away the egg remains from the hatched chick to make it as comfortable and hygienic as possible for both of them. As I gently lifted Silky to look for the egg, the chick became visible and Silky started pecking her. I quickly put the chick back under Silky and Silky didn't go looking, actually she got herself comfortable again with her chick under her. I have many theories as to why this happened but really I just want to know if the chick is in danger.

Theories:

As a treat I had just given Silky a congratulations breakfast in bed of her favourite food - rabbit food lol. Was she being selfish with her food?
She was pecking her chick as punishment for coming from under her and was persuading her to go back under.
She didn't know it was hers because she is white and the chick is black.
She thought I was stealing her chick and thought if she can't have it nobody can, and tried to kill it.

Do any of these sound like reasonable theories?

Do you think the chick will be safe or should I remove her?

Silky wanted a chick sooooo much I am so proud of her and pleased for her to finally get what she wanted so much, and I'm sure Margaret would be delighted too.

Hens frequently do this when we lift them to check. I have always just figured it to be mama's way of telling the little one to get back or stay back under (for safety). I do know some folks have had homicidal broodies, but I never have thankfully....so my understanding is that it is rare but can happen. My best advice would just be to leave her alone for a while, and try to just be in the area to observe her interactions with the chick after it starts to come out more. You will be able to better judge how she will be with the little one when their interactions aren't under stress from outside interferences.