Broody Hen Thread!

If your eggs will be doing a staggered hatch because they were laid over a couple of days your hen and the first hatchlings won't move from the nest the first day to two days, so your goal should be to get her to a safe area on ground level. I'm not able to view the web cam, but from your description it sounds like you could create a space on the floor for her and create a chicken wire barrier to help her decide to stay put. I was able to open the crate up after a couple of days and the other hens and even papa Morty would go in to visit. ..but Lee let them all know not to mess with her. Once you get her situated I bet you'll come home and find her still on the nest with just a couple of little heads peeking out from under a wing.
 
Today was day 18 for my broody. When she got out to eat, I noticed that one of the eggs was missing. I could not find any remains of it so I am afraid she ate it. There are no rats in my coop (I have 1/2 inch hardware cloth and the floor is concrete). Is it normal behavior? Wondering if she will eat the chicks when they hatch?
Any comments/suggestions please, I am really worried since its so close to hatch time.
 
Today was day 18 for my broody. When she got out to eat, I noticed that one of the eggs was missing. I could not find any remains of it so I am afraid she ate it. There are no rats in my coop (I have 1/2 inch hardware cloth and the floor is concrete). Is it normal behavior? Wondering if she will eat the chicks when they hatch?

I've found eggs stuck to the underside of hens before.
wink.png
 
She had run out of the coop for her dust bath so not possible. 99% chance is she ate it, maybe it was just not viable.  
Any comments/suggestions please, I am really worried since its so close to hatch time.


I had a recent hatch where the mama ate several eggs. I also had a bunch of rotten eggs (marans that I couldn't candle well) and I think she HAD to eat them to keep the nest clean. She ended up with 2 chicks and she is a very, very good mama. She probably knows what she is doing.
 
Just went to check on mama turkey and her 5- 1 week old poults. Found 1 practically dead & 2 others VERY chilled that can barely walk. Grabbed all 5, gavr the 3 weak ones some electrolytes by syringe and stuck them in the hatcher to warm quickly. Put the 2 others in the brooder. She is NOT a good mommy! I'll let her hatch again, but I'll never let her try to actually RAISE them anymore!
 
Just went to check on mama turkey and her 5- 1 week old poults. Found 1 practically dead & 2 others VERY chilled that can barely walk. Grabbed all 5, gavr the 3 weak ones some electrolytes by syringe and stuck them in the hatcher to warm quickly. Put the 2 others in the brooder. She is NOT a good mommy! I'll let her hatch again, but I'll never let her try to actually RAISE them anymore!


I'm not sure I would even let her hatch again, especially if I had other hens as an option.
 
I'm not sure I would even let her hatch again, especially if I had other hens as an option.

Well, I have 1 other hen now, but am raising the 5, hopefully they live, that I just took away, and my other hen is raising 1 now. (Had 2, but this bad mom killed the other last week after her hatch). So hopefully next year I will have more.

I didn't even like this hen while she was setting. She wouldn't get up to go poo, just did it right in the nest. She's just so nasty!!! My other hen is AWESOME at the brooding job!
 
I had a recent hatch where the mama ate several eggs. I also had a bunch of rotten eggs (marans that I couldn't candle well) and I think she HAD to eat them to keep the nest clean. She ended up with 2 chicks and she is a very, very good mama. She probably knows what she is doing.
That's a little re-assuring.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom