Broody Hen Thread!

[TiaRC]

I guess mine don't read the book lol. I've gotten over whelmed with chicks I've started letting them sit on Turkey and geese eggs

 

[Hennyetta]

So I found my two missing hens today... both under a board, sitting on eggs side-by-side. I figured something had gotten them when they went missing, even though we've never had much problem at all with predators. I'm thrilled to find them both alive and well, and hopefully they will end up being better mothers than the last hen!

One hen is a Salmon Faverolles, and the other is a D'uccle. I suppose I could end up with some Faverolles/D'uccle cross chicks, although I've never seen the roo breed the D'uccle hens. I don't even know if it would be possible, since he is so huge and they are so tiny, but I kind of hope I do get some crosses... it would be really interesting to see them!

I have no idea when to expect chicks. The D'uccle disappeared a while ago, but I don't know how long. I think the Faverolles has only been sitting for a few days at the most. I'm really hoping they are successful in hatching some eggs!

 

[TwistedFeathers]

Advice wanted on potential broody hen please.

My favourite pullet has decided she wants to go broody, but is not 100% committed yet. She has been sitting on fake eggs for about a week, but gets up each day for varying lengths of time. Some days she might get up for half an hour in the mornings, and sometimes also if she hears me with food. Other days she will be off the nest all morning, only going back around lunch time. She then sits for the rest of the day, and is on the nest all night.
It's her first time, so i understand she may not fully have the hang of it yet.
Does it seem likely she will settle fully to do her job, as i would love to put some eggs under her to hatch, but don't want to risk it if she doesn't settle any better than this.

I am also looking at getting back my large dog crate if my aunt has finished with it, and shifting her into that so i can get her out of the nest boxes, do you think this may help her to settle properly?

 

[fisherlady]

So I found my two missing hens today... both under a board, sitting on eggs side-by-side. I figured something had gotten them when they went missing, even though we've never had much problem at all with predators. I'm thrilled to find them both alive and well, and hopefully they will end up being better mothers than the last hen!

One hen is a Salmon Faverolles, and the other is a D'uccle. I suppose I could end up with some Faverolles/D'uccle cross chicks, although I've never seen the roo breed the D'uccle hens. I don't even know if it would be possible, since he is so huge and they are so tiny, but I kind of hope I do get some crosses... it would be really interesting to see them!

I have no idea when to expect chicks. The D'uccle disappeared a while ago, but I don't know how long. I think the Faverolles has only been sitting for a few days at the most. I'm really hoping they are successful in hatching some eggs!

I am glad you found your hens safe and sound!!
Hopefully you get a good hatch for them

 

[fisherlady]

Advice wanted on potential broody hen please.

My favourite pullet has decided she wants to go broody, but is not 100% committed yet. She has been sitting on fake eggs for about a week, but gets up each day for varying lengths of time. Some days she might get up for half an hour in the mornings, and sometimes also if she hears me with food. Other days she will be off the nest all morning, only going back around lunch time. She then sits for the rest of the day, and is on the nest all night.
It's her first time, so i understand she may not fully have the hang of it yet.
Does it seem likely she will settle fully to do her job, as i would love to put some eggs under her to hatch, but don't want to risk it if she doesn't settle any better than this.

I am also looking at getting back my large dog crate if my aunt has finished with it, and shifting her into that so i can get her out of the nest boxes, do you think this may help her to settle properly?

Often a quiet and secluded nest can help a hen keep focused, though it isn't a definite. Hens can vary greatly in the amount of time they stay off of a nest. In warmer weather it may be well over an hour, during our winters (I have a couple of year round broodies) they stay off for maybe 10 minutes.
A hen may stay off longer if she knows other hens are laying in her preferred nest while she is out for her R & R also, one hen we have who likes to brood in the nest box will be off for a few hours when other hens want to lay eggs in her box.
Move her late in the evening and don't be surprised if she throws hissy fits and wants to go back to her old nest. If you read back through a couple of months on this thread you will find many suggestions to improve the chances of a good move. I also suggest not giving her good eggs until she is settled for at least 2 or 3 days in the intended hatch nest or if you have seen her get out for her daily R & R and return to the correct nest on her own. That isn't as much of a problem if the hen can't go anywhere else, but is a biggie if she has access to the coop and may return to the nest box she had chosen earlier.

 

[TwistedFeathers]

Thanks for the info. Yes, planning on moving her during the night, and would shut her in for a couple of days to let her settle, then open the door and see how she goes. I think she would be a good mum to chicks, i'm just a little unsure at this stage of her incubation reliability. I have just bought an incubator as a back up, but i really want to raise my babies under hens.
She will not be getting eggs until i feel confident she will be consistent enough to hatch them.
It's winter here at the moment (new zealand) so hence why i'm a bit worried about the length of time she stays off the nest for some days.

 

[fisherlady]

Thanks for the info. Yes, planning on moving her during the night, and would shut her in for a couple of days to let her settle, then open the door and see how she goes. I think she would be a good mum to chicks, i'm just a little unsure at this stage of her incubation reliability. I have just bought an incubator as a back up, but i really want to raise my babies under hens.
She will not be getting eggs until i feel confident she will be consistent enough to hatch them.
It's winter here at the moment (new zealand) so hence why i'm a bit worried about the length of time she stays off the nest for some days.

Sounds like a good plan! You should be fine and even if she isn't quite ready yet you will be well prepared for when she is ready to brood. Good luck on her move and hopefully you will have broody chicks soon!

 

[TwistedFeathers]

Thanks, that's reassured me a fair bit. As soon as i get crate back i will move her and see how she does.

And already have one lot of chicks, my friend had a broody hen, so put some of my eggs under her and they hatched two days ago. Will put pics up this afternoon. The same friend also has just had another hen go broody, so i will be finding eggs to go under her too

 

[702marine]

So my broody silkie hen has her temporary broody suite complete with nest side food and water service. She is such a sweet and calm girl. She sat and just watched me bulid everything up around her and not one sound. I feel much better knowing she has all the food and water she needs close by.

 

[TwistedFeathers]

Weee photos

Here is my pullet who is going broody. She has been muh better at staying on the nest today, so hopefully she will stay sitting and i can put some eggs under her, as long as she takes a move alright haha. At the mo she's hogging the nest boxes, and the other heans haven't dared get in there to lay the last few days.
She's a splash Easter egger. I'm guessing the gold in her hackle feathers is from gold leakage?





And here is my friend's broody hen that hatched we put some of my eggs under. The eggs actually came from the above girl, and my rooster who is a blue red crow wing. Out of 7 eggs, 6 hatched, so not too bad at all
From chick colouring, i'm guessing i have one black, 3 blue, one splash, and 1 that is a very pale silvery grey with big white patches. Be interesting to see what it matures to look like.
Adoptive mum was highly unimpressed by my disturbing them to take photos, and told me off the entire time haha