Broody Hen Thread!

[mudwoman]

Oh, Junibutt! It's been a wild awful week! One out of 3 of Pinky's egg's hatched and she promptly killed it by pecking the cute little fuzzy guy. I couldn't save him, his little neck was broken. I gave the other 2 to Jamie, who magically became broody this week. She was only on them for 2 days when I found one egg squished. Hopefully by accident. It was going to be a chick, I could tell. So she is sitting on one. It could be a dud, as I only have one rooster. Pinky sat in her box for 2 months, so I figured, she needed to be broken. I covered her "favorite" box, so she couldn't get in there, this way, if she chose another box, I would know how "broody" she really was. She did not choose another box, and went and joined the flock. Broken in one day! She's a bad mommy, I refuse to let her hatch anymore. What did she think was going to happen to her eggs!?!? Thanks for thinking of me and checking in. I so appreciate you! I will let you all know around 8/2'ish how Jamie's eggs do.

 

[Back2Roots]

Thank you HH. No, If the chick drops into the little crib, it could not get back up into the nest. I have to watch carefully. But I have to work. I could take it and put it in my brooder. Give it back to her when more are hatched. I am hoping it stays close to it's mom in the nest.

I had the same broody nest challenge as you - similar anyway : the nestbox my hen chose to go broody in is raised off the floor of the coop about 8". I was hoping that the first chicks that hatched would stay with mama until all the eggs hatched, but one fell into the coop the first afternoon after it had hatched. Fortunately I had added lots of extra bedding in front of the nest box so the chick was fine. Mama followed it, and the other two promptly jumped down as well. Is there any way you can block off the nestbox with mama and new chicks in it until her hatch is complete? The chicks really need mama to stay warm.

 

[abserbean]

I also have a raised nest, so when hatching started I taped a 4 in piece of cardboard across the bottom of the nest door. Mom could still see out and get fresh air, but a baby that little can't get over a 4 in barrier. Once hatching was finished, I just removed the cardboard, and moved the babies and mom to a nest on the floor. It's worked great for me for two hatches, cheap and easy but gets the job done. Good luck on your hatches!

 

[Back2Roots]

I also have a raised nest, so when hatching started I taped a 4 in piece of cardboard across the bottom of the nest door. Mom could still see out and get fresh air, but a baby that little can't get over a 4 in barrier. Once hatching was finished, I just removed the cardboard, and moved the babies and mom to a nest on the floor. It's worked great for me for two hatches, cheap and easy but gets the job done. Good luck on your hatches!

Great solution! My nest box lip is only 3" high so the chicks did manage to climb over, but they were fine because of the huge amount of bedding I had put down for them to land in, just in case they did decide to go walkabout. So I just moved the remaining unhatched eggs into the broody coop with mama and the chicks. Mama collected the chicks and eggs right back under her. That was where I planned to move them all anyway once all the chicks hatched. If I put eggs under a broody in the future, I will definitely go with your idea, though!

 

[happyfrenchman]

Thank you Back to Roots.... The chick was out this afternoon when I got home but it was OK> It was in the catcher I devised. There was a rotten broken egg under the hen. So I got that out. Still 4 eggs under her. I thought I heard one peeping. We shall see. I had another issue going on when I got home. A dead headless chicken under the coop. I think last night a racoon reached in. But that is a tale for another thread. I am out there putting hardware cloth around the bottom.

 

[irischick]

Well, I had to take the chicks away from the hen today. It wasn't that she hated them and was attacking them, she just wasn't careful enough with them. There were five, and she squashed two and killed them, and I will be amazed if a third one makes it. It has some blood on its neck, and just lays there breathing and peeping once in a while.

I don't think she is going to keep sitting on the rest of the eggs now, either. Maybe that means they aren't good and wouldn't hatch anyway, but I sure wish she'd hatch at least a couple more. I could have had five chicks, and now I'm probably going to be down to two. Watch both of them be cockerels, too!

What do you guys think? If she ever goes broody again, would you let her hatch again? As far as I know, this was her first time. Would she be more careful next time?

I had the same issue. Had hatchlings yesterday came home to find one dead. She abandoned three remaining eggs. We set them in incubator to hatch which they did. We snuck them under her last night. All went great all morning. She was very protective of them. But now one is dead.

 

[ChickyChickens]

Sooo...Sparkles has finally completed hatching ALL of her 14 eggs! The little chicks are sooo cute! Im so glad that she had 1 100% hatch rate on her first try!

Here she is...three weeks ago when she just went broody!



And here she is now! With her 14 cute little puffballs!

She was walking away in this pic so I got a 'bum shot'! HAhaha

 

[darkbluespace]

I had the same issue. Had hatchlings yesterday came home to find one dead. She abandoned three remaining eggs. We set them in incubator to hatch which they did. We snuck them under her last night. All went great all morning. She was very protective of them. But now one is dead.

Sorry about your chick! A chick can die from any number of things.... it may not be your hen's fault, but it sounds like you are trying to keep an eye on her.

 

[darkbluespace]

Sooo...Sparkles has finally completed hatching ALL of her 14 eggs! The little chicks are sooo cute! Im so glad that she had 1 100% hatch rate on her first try!

Here she is...three weeks ago when she just went broody!



And here she is now! With her 14 cute little puffballs!

She was walking away in this pic so I got a 'bum shot'! HAhaha

So many puffballs... 14, wow, that is wonderful!

 

[calichicken]

Sooo...Sparkles has finally completed hatching ALL of her 14 eggs! The little chicks are sooo cute! Im so glad that she had 1 100% hatch rate on her first try!

Here she is...three weeks ago when she just went broody!



And here she is now! With her 14 cute little puffballs!

She was walking away in this pic so I got a 'bum shot'! HAhaha

WOW...Sparkles rocks as a broody!!! Congrats on such a great hatch....enjoy your babies