Broody Hen Thread!

[kkenney]

I have a little Bantam hen that disappeared last weekend.  This past Wednesday we found her next to the garage sitting a nest.  I can't tell if there are eggs under her or not and I have no idea if they are fertile as the only Roo I have is a LF Wyandotte.  How much can I likely mess with her without her abandoning the nest if I were to pull an egg out and candle it(if there are any under her to begin with).  I had been seeing her early in the morning going to eat by the coop but since we found where she is I haven't seen her leave the nest once for me to be able to peek and see if there's anything there.  This is the first time I have had a hen go broody at all.

I had a bantam that did that as well. As I learned through advice from here, if you want to candle or mess with a broody darkness is your friend. Wait until it's dark out then go reaching under her, she may growl or peck at you. We have too many predators for me to leave mine outside. During the day I set up a brooder for her in the coop and then that evening, after dark, I went and grabbed her and her eggs and placed them in the brooder. After I moved her I took one egg at a time and candled it before placing them under her. I found a candled egg day to day image sheet on Google images and that helped me determine roughly how far along her eggs were. I ended up having to cover her brooder for a few days with a spare junk sheet to keep her from flipping out and knocking her nest all around once the sun came back up in the morning. I would leave her in there all day and at dusk I'd take her out to eat and potty for 30 minutes before putting her back. Good luck!

 

[onetbcamiller]

I'm not sure this is the thread or group I need but here goes my question: One of my hens just hatched 2 eggs, yesterday, so the chicks are now a day old, and she is in a nesting box made out of milk crates. Do I need to move her and her chicks away from the other nesting boxes? and if so, do I need to put here in a nest without sides so the chicks can get out and follow mom?

I am afraid if I move her she may abandon the chicks!!

 

[darkbluespace]

When does a broody give up her chicks? My Cochin hatched out her chicks 6 weeks ago and she is still raising them. She has been taking them to the nest box with her but she does not lay yet. I am not concerned that she needs to lay just that it is ok for her to raise them this long.

I have found that Cochins and silkies tend to raise chicks linger than other breeds. My silkies sometime won't cut ties til the chicks are 9 weeks. Hang in there it'll happen. some mothers just have to get fed up with big chicks before they will run them off.

I was wondering about this too... I don't have a Cochin, just a very dedicated Salmon Faverolle with 7 Serama Chicks that are over 6 weeks old. I wonder if she will take care of them longer because of their small size? She nested in my shed next to the coop and has been looking like she wants to take them in the coop with the big girls. I am planning on having the Seramas in their own coop/coops and don't really want to expose them to the LF chickens... not that anyone is really mean, but none of them have ever had chicks before. I was hoping when Mama was done with them that I could bring them inside for a bit and handle them more and tame them a bit. They are very used to me and will eat out of my hand but I really can't pick them up and I need to be able to handle them more... I am hoping a lot more. I wanted to wait till she was finished and not rip them away from her... so I should just be patient and it will happen soon, I guess.

 

[SD Bird Lady]

I've only had one hen hatch up high. I "stole" her baby and put it on the floor of the coop; she followed, just like any good mother. But as long as falling isn't an issue and she takes them out to eat and drink before 3 days then everyone is fine.

 

[BayBay Peepers]

Has anyone successfully stopped a broody hen without a wire crate? I've tried taking her out and distracting her with food, cool baths (not super cold, but cool), closing the coop after everyone else has laid their egg, and I'm running out of ideas.

The reason I'd like to stop her is because 1. she's sitting in an empty nest. 2. it's too late here for chicks with winter approaching. 3. her health (most important)

Any other ideas?

 

[Angie16hearts]

Hello everyone, so I have a question. I have a welsummer/ brown leghorn mix . She just started laying two weeks ago. She has now gone broody as of this morning she is sitting on her nice warm egg and has built herself a nest in the box she has been using. She has not left the nest like she would on any other day. She laid a few hours ago. Here is my question. We had a rooster who died last Sunday . Yes they had been mating everyday, a few times in the evening and I'm sure during the day . Is she fertile? It's been 7 days. Since he passed away. Is this healthy ? Her eggs are very strong and a perfect shape . I want a broody, I just don't want her to do it the wrong way. Yes , we have a new rooster for the flock but is us in quarantine. Help !! Do I let her sit and try ? Is she still fertile? I didn't think she would go broody so soon.

 

[TiaRC]

Hello everyone, so I have a question. I have a welsummer/ brown leghorn mix . She just started laying two weeks ago. She has now gone broody as of this morning she is sitting on her nice warm egg and has built herself a nest in the box she has been using. Here us my question. We had a rooster who died last Sunday . Yes they had been mating everyday, I'm sure more then once . Is she fertile? It's been 7 days. Since she just started laying is this healthy? Her eggs are very strong and a perfect shape . I want a broody, I just don't want her to do it the wrong way. Yes we have a new rooster for the flock but is us in quarantine. Help !! Do I let her sit and try ? Is she still fertile?

Yes she is fertile! Let her sit! A hen will stay fertile for up to 4 weeks after just one in counter with a male.

 

[Angie16hearts]

Yes she is fertile! Let her sit! A hen will stay fertile for up to 4 weeks after just one in counter with a male.

She is in her nesting box will it get to hot? How many eggs should I let her sit on? Yay! I wanted chicks didn't realize it would be so soon for her to go broody! I need to do my research ASAP! Any suggestions please let. Me know thank you so much!

 

[TiaRC]

She is in her nesting box will it get to hot? How many eggs should I let her sit on? Yay! I wanted chicks didn't realize it would be so soon for her to go broody! I need to do my research ASAP! Any suggestions please let. Me know thank you so much!

She will regulate to the temp she needs. So now worries there. She is a LF soooo 8 eggs is ideal. One or two more would be ok as long as she can cover them. As for suggestions. Make sure she is were you want her to hatch the eggs. If not move her only at night to another location. Candle eggs on day 10 and 15 and remove any clear or bad eggs. Other than that. Have food and water for her at all times. Beware the stinky broody poos! They are huge and smell awful! Enjoy your broody and have fun experiencing a first time momma raise her bitties. she will tend to them for about 6-9 weeks before she will let them go and run them out from under her.

 

[Angie16hearts]

She will regulate to the temp she needs. So now worries there. She is a LF soooo 8 eggs is ideal. One or two more would be ok as long as she can cover them. As for suggestions. Make sure she is were you want her to hatch the eggs. If not move her only at night to another location. Candle eggs on day 10 and 15 and remove any clear or bad eggs. Other than that. Have food and water for her at all times. Beware the stinky broody poos! They are huge and smell awful! Enjoy your broody and have fun experiencing a first time momma raise her bitties. she will tend to them for about 6-9 weeks before she will let them go and run them out from under her.

Good information ! She sat on it for a few hours but then got up to eat , drink ect.. The egg was pretty warm when I felt it and she had moved it under her body. Since it is warmer here in California. Should be 88-90 does that mean she will be on and off her egg? I don't know how to candle light ? We have 10 other hens so I'll need to move her? Thank you so much ! Like I said wasn't expecting this soon.