Broody Hen Thread!

[Joski1995]

Ive been raising chicken for about 3 yrs so I'm new. I had a hen hatch 8 baby's the very next day the momma was gone and the baby's were hiding here and there I was heart broken. So we had to raise them under a heat lamp. The following winter I lost my first flock to coons one at a time. I decided no more chickens till I get a better coop. Well I got my new coop and ordered new chicks and made sure each breed was a type that would go broody. Then later I start reading up on chickens and find out if one goes broody it puts the others in the mood if they see her. Now I'm like yikes I might end up with a lot of chickens lol and I already have a bunch cuz ize like some of these, some of these, some of these.....

 

[Phoenixxx]

Ive been raising chicken for about 3 yrs so I'm new. I had a hen hatch 8 baby's the very next day the momma was gone and the baby's were hiding here and there I was heart broken. So we had to raise them under a heat lamp. The following winter I lost my first flock to coons one at a time. I decided no more chickens till I get a better coop. Well I got my new coop and ordered new chicks and made sure each breed was a type that would go broody. Then later I start reading up on chickens and find out if one goes broody it puts the others in the mood if they see her. Now I'm like yikes I might end up with a lot of chickens lol and I already have a bunch cuz ize like some of these, some of these, some of these.....

Chicken math! I fell victim to that almost immediately when I started!

All my girls are broody breeds but I only have one that's brooding. She just started, so it's too early to tell if she'll set off the others. I have chicks that I hatched artificially (because no-one was in the mood) and they're outside during the days. I think seeing the chicks is what got the one hen going, but they haven't affected the others yet.

 

[Hamstery]

Here's my broody. She's setting on 8 fertile eggs. We are on day 8.


I candled two of them last night ( first time I've ever done it) and I didn't see much. I'm not sure if my flashlight wasn't strong enough of if I just didn't know what to look for. I am trying to patient and wait a while to try again. Is it harmful for her to be sitting on eggs that aren't going to hatch?

 

[fisherlady]

Here's my broody. She's setting on 8 fertile eggs. We are on day 8.


I candled two of them last night ( first time I've ever done it) and I didn't see much. I'm not sure if my flashlight wasn't strong enough of if I just didn't know what to look for. I am trying to patient and wait a while to try again. Is it harmful for her to be sitting on eggs that aren't going to hatch?

Congrats on your broody, she is a beautiful girl... as to your question... please refer to my post on last page before this one from earlier today, it deals with exactly what you are asking.

 

[fisherlady]

Ive been raising chicken for about 3 yrs so I'm new. I had a hen hatch 8 baby's the very next day the momma was gone and the baby's were hiding here and there

I was heart broken. So we had to raise them under a heat lamp. The following winter I lost my first flock to coons one at a time. I decided no more chickens till I get a better coop. Well I got my new coop and ordered new chicks and made sure each breed was a type that would go broody. Then later I start reading up on chickens and find out if one goes broody it puts the others in the mood if they see her. Now I'm like yikes I might end up with a lot of chickens lol and I already have a bunch cuz ize like some of these, some of these, some of these.....

It can get a bit busy when they all get the broody flu! Trust me... been there, done that! LOL. I have been shuffling broodies and their eggs and chicks all spring. It is a wonderful kind of crazy! 6 or 8 a year was OK... but this year already we are on #13 and we are only halfway through the year!

Yep, I admit it.... my name is Karen and I am addicted to broodies!

 

[Hamstery]

Congrats on your broody, she is a beautiful girl... as to your question... please refer to my post on last page before this one from earlier today, it deals with exactly what you are asking.

Thanks! Ok, on day 10...anything clear, I should remove. Got it! I'm hoping for the best!

I have been trying to keep tabs on her but I DO work during the day... and before we moved her to her own spot with her own basket with no other options to "sit"........it's possible she was off the eggs for too long because one day ( around day 2 ) I found her in the 'wrong' nest box and the eggs had cooled.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

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?

Day 23...I'd take a quick peek to see if there is any progress. If there isn't...my questions/thoughts: is there a chance this could be a staggered hatch? If there is, then I'd know that some eggs simply are going to take longer. If not, then it doesn't look hopeful for those which have not hatched by now. I'd give a quick sniff test, and then I would candle to see if I can see any movement and toss those that are clearly duds. If there is still indication that a chick is inside, especially if I feel/see movement, I'd definitely wait it out a couple of more days and try to recompute where the eggs might be on development. If I'm not sure that the eggs are duds, I might give them another day or so, and then re-candle.

If there is no clear chick/movement, then I would break open to see what happened. I learn a lot by cracking open the unhatched eggs. I've never opened a live chick by day 23 (unless you think it was a staggered hatch)...by then they've either never formed or quit early and I've got slush or rotten balloons (watch out for the exploding rotten ones...open in a plastic bag for protection)....or I've got a fully developed chick that died before hatching. I observe whether it looks like it was malpositioned, shrink wrapped, unabsorbed yolk with infection (indicating bacteria entering...possible time to really clean the coop), or just for some unknown reason never hatched....which can indicate failure of some internal system.

As to the hens...some hens do seem to round chicks up better than others but it is troublesome when they are still trying to hatch eggs. Most simply cluck at them to come back trusting the little ones to obey. If the kids don't, then they are lost as the mother won't leave the nest risking the hatching chicks for the wandering one. Vice versa...if mom has some babies wandering but unhatched eggs, usually at day 2 she gets up to care for the babies and leaves the eggs.

Lady of McCamley

 

[Joski1995]

It can get a bit busy when they all get the broody flu!  Trust me... been there, done that!  LOL. I have been shuffling broodies and their eggs and chicks all spring.  It is a wonderful kind of crazy!   6 or 8 a year was OK... but this year already we are on #13 and we are only halfway through the year!

Yep, I admit it.... my name is Karen and I am addicted to broodies! 

I am to ( addicted) I am excited I do hope they wait till next spring though right now they are 13 weeks so not even laying. Just now starting to look grown up with mature feathers

 

[Joski1995]

Chicken math! I fell victim to that almost immediately when I started!

All my girls are broody breeds but I only have one that's brooding. She just started, so it's too early to tell if she'll set off the others. I have chicks that I hatched artificially (because no-one was in the mood) and they're outside during the days. I think seeing the chicks is what got the one hen going, but they haven't affected the others yet.

Chicken math..... That's funny

 

[Dumb Kluck]

Chicken math..... That's funny

It's not funny. Not when you only want & build for 5-7 and end up with 8+/- and then enable a broody to hatch 9 more. It took two years to finish our darn chicken coop, I wanted 5 hens, 3.5 months after I get my 5 hens I ave 17... Nope not funny at all. You should (never have to) see the contraptagon of coop/brooder/run/day run with makeshift separations and backdoor to the nest boxes. Might have to change the name from Gallerino de Basura Blanca to El Vertedero.

And all I can think about is all the other breeds...