Broody Hen Thread!

[Back2Roots]

Back2Roots - Had the same issue last year, kept mine separate till they were big enough to handle the big girls bossing them. My issue right now is, my two remaining chicks from my early June hatch, are the size of their Mama (Banty Hen), their father is more than twice their size, one chick is a roo, the other is a "I have no clue". It is a throw back to it's silkie grandpa, so I have to wait till it crows or lays. Because of their size, at night they are moved to a large black water container, and are in their own pen during the day. I hope by Nov. they will be big enough to move into the slikie pen, which has it's own fenced in area and coop.

I have a Broody Mama, who is sitting on, I don't know how many eggs, for a week now. I just hope none are her's (her half brothers are the Roo's), most of the eggs are from my EE, and my little Banty. She is under the stairs of our deck, and is so far back that we can not reach her. So I hope that she does not do what she did last time we though she went broody, and put her on lock-down....and eat the eggs.

Good Luck with your little ones.

Thanks, "Mommy 2 Wee Ones". I think they are fine. It's my long young Speckled Susex pullet that I feel bad for. I had to re-home her buddy because she turned out to be a he (they were sold to me as 7 week-old pullets), and now the chicklets and mama have squeezed her off the main roost and she sleeps by herself on a secondary roost on the other side of the coop. :-(

I am just wondering ... since your two remaining chicks are from an early June hatch, wouldn't they be old enough to be integrated in with the main flock? Mine were hatched July 17, so quite a bit younger than yours, and they are fine all together, but that's probably because they were always able to see the main flock from their section of the run and the only time the girls didn't see them with their mama was at night because they had their own broody coop in their section of the run. We took down the fencing a few weekends back, and the integration went remarkably well: just some chest bumping and pulling on mama silkie's topknot, but everyone seemed to sort things out rather quickly. We have a compost area in the run where we toss kitchen scraps a veggie garden rejects and I also threw down some scratch and some clover pulled up from the yard, so they were happy and distracted.
Am I correct in my assumption that the reason you are waiting for them to get older/bigger before you integrate is because they have separate living space and can't see the rest of the gang at all? If so, maybe, if it's possible, you can set up an area within your main pen with some temporary fencing, so everyone can get used to one another a bit without the risk of physical altercations? I think it may make integration less of a deal, and you may be able to do it sooner.

 

[SD Bird Lady]

My Light Brahma broody hen took her little EE baby to roost with her. I believe she is giving me the stink eye lol

 

[annaclaireirene]

I believed my barred rock pullet to be gone, or disappeared. But yesterday, I spotted her in some tall grass on the side of my neighbor's driveway. She's on about 20 eggs currently and it looks like one of the eggs are pipped. I have never dealt with a broody before and I have no idea what to do. Since the chicks most likely are so close to hatch, should I just let nature take its course or try to seclude mom and babies at least a little with some shelter? Last time I tried to do this with another hen, she refused to sit on her babies again and they all died. Very torn here!!!

 

[16 paws]

I agree, it is cute. I can try for a photo, but it's getting dark earlier and earlier here and the girls like to leave it until the last possible moment to retire for the night, so the there's not a lot of light left in the coop. I hate to disturb them with a flash when they're settling in, but maybe they won't care.

No hurry, whenever the right time presents itself.
Happy chickening!

 

[16 paws]

I believed my barred rock pullet to be gone, or disappeared. But yesterday, I spotted her in some tall grass on the side of my neighbor's driveway. She's on about 20 eggs currently and it looks like one of the eggs are pipped. I have never dealt with a broody before and I have no idea what to do. Since the chicks most likely are so close to hatch, should I just let nature take its course or try to seclude mom and babies at least a little with some shelter? Last time I tried to do this with another hen, she refused to sit on her babies again and they all died. Very torn here!!!

I think I would wait until they hatch and then move her to a safe area. It is a hard call but I think once the babies start hatching she will stay with them. I have a big rabbit cage that does not have a bottom. Something like that would work to protect her and the babies until you move them. Good luck...
Marie

 

[annaclaireirene]

I just took chicken wire and made a large rectangular enclosure and we're going to make a roof over the top of it as well. I'll place it over her tonight when it's dark so I don't upset her as much. Food and water as well. Thank you for the help!!!

 

[annaclaireirene]

One more question. I just went out to check on her again, as she got off the nest and she broke an egg when she had gotten up. It was very foul smelling and completely white, clearly not fertile. But it cracked in the middle of the nest and got on the other eggs. She then started to eat it. Is that normal? This is the first egg that's been broken at all the whole incubation

 

[fisherlady]

One more question. I just went out to check on her again, as she got off the nest and she broke an egg when she had gotten up. It was very foul smelling and completely white, clearly not fertile. But it cracked in the middle of the nest and got on the other eggs. She then started to eat it. Is that normal? This is the first egg that's been broken at all the whole incubation

Broodies will often eat bad eggs to keep the nest cleaned. So yes, it is normal.

 

[annaclaireirene]

Thankyou

 

[16 paws]

I just took chicken wire and made a large rectangular enclosure and we're going to make a roof over the top of it as well. I'll place it over her tonight when it's dark so I don't upset her as much. Food and water as well. Thank you for the help!!!

Excellent