Broody Hen Thread!

[Lady of McCamley]

Hi any one know where I can buy broody hen plz let me know

Welcome to BYC and especially the broody thread

Something and someone is always hatching around here.

I have had really good luck finding a proven broody through the BYC swap thread.

Type in your geographical location with swap in the search box to look for a swap/meet up that is in your area, then connect to local people through that.

If you choose a breed that is especially broody, like a Silkie or Cochin or game hen, they typically transition very well. I have found 2 Silkie brooding queens that way, and both, after a short transition time of designated isolation and then adjustment to the real coop, rewarded me with faithful broods thereafter every 3 to 4 months.

Once you connect with your local BYC swap thread, follow leads through it to link up with the Facebook exchanges and classified ads that those swap members are part of. As you network, you'll eventually find someone who will be willing to sell you a broody....in my experience it only took about a month or so of looking to link up with someone for Silkies as they seem to be abudant and abundant brooders.

If you want large fowl, that can be harder, at least in my experience....I had wanted to find a large fowl Cochin but have yet to link up with anyone willing to part with a proven broody or even selling chicks. But I can find plenty of bantams and Silkies.

I had luck with my local Craigslist and found a person who was breeding bantam Cochins...a popular 4H bird. She did not have any proven broodies to sell me, but I was able to purchase 2 four month old pullets that were out of a very, very broody momma...so genetically the odds are greatly in my favor they will be good brooders, but it is still unknown as they are now only 6 months of age.

That's what I've had success with. Good luck in your search.

Lady of McCamley

 

[JadedPhoenix]

Does anyone give their broodies something special a day or two before "lockdown" since they won't be coming off of the nest for a few days? My broody should have a clutch hatch this weekend so I was wondering if I should give her a special treat today before she becomes unmovable. Just curious. This is my first hatch with a broody.

 

[SusanPC]

Unfortunately, my broody BO Daisy has lost the one fertile egg we were down to after a break of 4 eggs during the first week and 2 eggs that showed no growth. We discovered Daisy's one egg broken today when we went to encourage her off the nest for a few minutes. After candling at day 7 and seeing growth from day 4, I candled again at day 14 (2 days ago) and everything looked on track. She hadn't left the nest since this Monday (no food or even scratch touched in her broody pen and no poops), so we thought she might benefit from a forced break. When we lifted her off the nest, the egg was smashed flat like a pancake. A few bits of errant shell here and there, but mostly it looks like it just broke or cracked and broke. The little embryo was in there and looked on target for size and development for around day 16. She seemed weak and pale (feet and comb) with a strange walk and eventually fluffed herself out and did her routine of loud cackle, dust bath, pop up to the bench to preen and then eat, drink, and poop. My husband and I quickly talked out Plan B of giving her chicks around day 21. We got two of our own hens' in(un)fertile eggs warmed up in our pockets and placed into the nest and called our local feed stores. Chicks arrive on Feb. 9th. If she returns to the nest and sits on the new eggs we placed, we are going to attempt to swap the new eggs overnight next week around what would have been her day 21. Of course, this Plan B all depends on her returning to brood the 2 new eggs. If she breaks her broodiness on her own, this adventure will be over.

Any doubts about switching out eggs for live chicks? I know we are taking a risk of her rejecting the chicks or potentially even killing them. We do have our brooder set-up to take over if they are rejected and we will be out there bright and early to hopefully avoid a massacre. Has anyone successfully practiced the egg for chick switch? I've seen threads about it here online...

Susan

 

[MelissaZeno]

This is a good question.

 

[fisherlady]

Unfortunately, my broody BO Daisy has lost the one fertile egg we were down to after a break of 4 eggs during the first week and 2 eggs that showed no growth. We discovered Daisy's one egg broken today when we went to encourage her off the nest for a few minutes. After candling at day 7 and seeing growth from day 4, I candled again at day 14 (2 days ago) and everything looked on track. She hadn't left the nest since this Monday (no food or even scratch touched in her broody pen and no poops), so we thought she might benefit from a forced break. When we lifted her off the nest, the egg was smashed flat like a pancake. A few bits of errant shell here and there, but mostly it looks like it just broke or cracked and broke. The little embryo was in there and looked on target for size and development for around day 16. She seemed weak and pale (feet and comb) with a strange walk and eventually fluffed herself out and did her routine of loud cackle, dust bath, pop up to the bench to preen and then eat, drink, and poop. My husband and I quickly talked out Plan B of giving her chicks around day 21. We got two of our own hens' in(un)fertile eggs warmed up in our pockets and placed into the nest and called our local feed stores. Chicks arrive on Feb. 9th. If she returns to the nest and sits on the new eggs we placed, we are going to attempt to swap the new eggs overnight next week around what would have been her day 21. Of course, this Plan B all depends on her returning to brood the 2 new eggs. If she breaks her broodiness on her own, this adventure will be over.

Any doubts about switching out eggs for live chicks? I know we are taking a risk of her rejecting the chicks or potentially even killing them. We do have our brooder set-up to take over if they are rejected and we will be out there bright and early to hopefully avoid a massacre. Has anyone successfully practiced the egg for chick switch? I've seen threads about it here online...

Susan

It is a very effective way of dealing with situations like you are in. I would continue to allow her to set on the two 'fakes' and try to be at the feed store at or near delivery time for the little ones. The problems with grafting is rarely on the hen's side of things, it is more often that the chicks have become accustomed to the brood lights already and are scared of the big chicken mama and don't understand that being under her is a good thing.
I would get at least 3 little ones, this allows you to handle multiple situations, if one or more doesn't graft it will give you another one to stay with it in the brooder while mama still has at least one to take care of.
When you get the little ones I would get them straight out to her in the coop, cup the chick in your hand with your hand on top, make sure the chick is well covered by your hand. Hold your other hand flat and slide it under your hen and lift her gently just high enough to slip the chick under her, release the chick and slide your hand out from under her to let her settle for a few moments, then repeat with the next chick. Do not show the hen the chick beforehand and make sure your hand covers the chick well to prevent the broody from pecking it. They often peck little ones as a way to tell them 'get back under me where you belong'.... it just seems to be their way and doesn't automatically mean they are trying to be nasty to the little one at all... but the poor little chick could be scared by such an event and you want to reduce the stress on them as much as possible to improve the grafting chances.

I would then cover her nest area with a towel or sheet to help reduce the light and reduce the stimulus.(unless it is already in a dark or quiet corner) You should remain with them so that you can catch any chicks who pop out and don't understand what they need to do... just repeat the process of placing them under her. Remember that the chicks don't recognize the broody hen as 'natural', to them the situation is scary and foreign so it takes a short while for their instincts to switch over. Continue to observe them for a while and after you are content that they seem settled you can leave them for a while, but check back frequently. Also make sure that the area is rather confined.... the chicks will lack the instinct to stay near 'mama' and may get lost or just stay out from under her and cheep rather than understanding how to get back under her.

 

[Angie16hearts]

T

I just took them out---175 hatched, but I put the unhatched ones back in for a little while. I had 3 different problems this set---but I got it under control. I am happy with 175 out of 185 eggs even if no more hatch.

thats great! Do you do all different breeds ? EE? Pepper didn't want to give up on egg. She was moving it with her in broody coop it was cold so I removed. It's heavy

poor chick. I'm happy with all the other beauties !

I have the broody coop on ground and a rain storm is on it's way 2-3 days. Is there anything I can out in coop to keep some ground dry? I covered it today. Worried one chick will get out of the wire. It has 3 sections 2nd has a bit of a hop. I don't think it will be soon before she takes them to the open area of coop.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Unfortunately, my broody BO Daisy has lost the one fertile egg we were down to after a break of 4 eggs during the first week and 2 eggs that showed no growth. We discovered Daisy's one egg broken today when we went to encourage her off the nest for a few minutes. After candling at day 7 and seeing growth from day 4, I candled again at day 14 (2 days ago) and everything looked on track. She hadn't left the nest since this Monday (no food or even scratch touched in her broody pen and no poops), so we thought she might benefit from a forced break. When we lifted her off the nest, the egg was smashed flat like a pancake. A few bits of errant shell here and there, but mostly it looks like it just broke or cracked and broke. The little embryo was in there and looked on target for size and development for around day 16. She seemed weak and pale (feet and comb) with a strange walk and eventually fluffed herself out and did her routine of loud cackle, dust bath, pop up to the bench to preen and then eat, drink, and poop. My husband and I quickly talked out Plan B of giving her chicks around day 21. We got two of our own hens' in(un)fertile eggs warmed up in our pockets and placed into the nest and called our local feed stores. Chicks arrive on Feb. 9th. If she returns to the nest and sits on the new eggs we placed, we are going to attempt to swap the new eggs overnight next week around what would have been her day 21. Of course, this Plan B all depends on her returning to brood the 2 new eggs. If she breaks her broodiness on her own, this adventure will be over.

Any doubts about switching out eggs for live chicks? I know we are taking a risk of her rejecting the chicks or potentially even killing them. We do have our brooder set-up to take over if they are rejected and we will be out there bright and early to hopefully avoid a massacre. Has anyone successfully practiced the egg for chick switch? I've seen threads about it here online...

Susan

x2 on every thing Fisherlady has said. That has been my experience exactly with fosters.

Don't worry about being spot on day 21. Chickens can't count nor read the calendar. Typically having them set 2 weeks before fostering is better than 1 unless you have a real foster prone hen.

Most important now is to get her resettled and then time getting those chicks before the feed store gets them into brood lamps. If they can come from the shipping box to home all the better. Since they have been stressed with shipping, I would eye dropper them with chick electrolytes in water first. That helps combat transition stress.

Lady of McCamley

 

[Tdough13]

Newbie with Silkies: one hen and one rooster. They will be one year in April. She appears to have gone broody: we noticed she was always in the nesting box in the coop for a few days but then had to bring them inside our garage due to below zero degree temps. In the garage box there is not a separate nesting box so she just plops down wherever for long periods. She gets up to eat, drink, poop 1-3 times/day, especially if I bother her in some way. She has not plucked out her feathers and has been laying eggs at her regular rate. I remove the eggs everyday and the last lay was 2 days ago. She's not acting aggressive at all. I put her in a broody breaker today in the garage near the box the rooster is in - she doesn't seem to mind it, ate immediately, but is still laying in one spot. I do see little poops under the breaker as opposed to the big ones. The rooster is upset and will not leave the little perch that allows him to see her.

My questions are: could this be just a very mild case of broodiness since she doesn't seem to have all the symptoms?
Can it ever be too cold for the broody breaker (I know that's kind of the point, but we're like in the negatives here)?
Should I put her back with the rooster at night? -or-
Can I put the rooster in the broody breaker with her since he's so concerned? He is very protective of her and just likes to be near her, he doesn't seem to bother her.
With the temps and two feet of snow, and lack of a flock - I can't really give her "stretch your legs" time or "flock" time so should I put her in the box with the rooster a few times each day and remove her if she just sits like she's nesting?

Thanks in advance for any help - I feel a bit overwhelmed by this condition that I wasn't expecting to happen in the dead of winter!!

 

[PD-Riverman]

She appears to have gone broody: we noticed she was always in the nesting box in the coop for a few days

She sounded broody here.

She has not plucked out her feathers and has been laying eggs at her regular rate.

I had 33 broodies this past season-------none of them plucked their feathers OR Layed a Egg while Broody. This info leads me to believe she is not broody now.

I put her in a broody breaker today

I think you can take her out of that.

I put her in a broody breaker today in the garage near the box the rooster is in - she doesn't seem to mind it, ate immediately, but is still laying in one spot. I do see little poops under the breaker as opposed to the big ones. The rooster is upset and will not leave the little perch that allows him to see her.

Why did you separate them? A broody does not need to be serarated from her mate. She is probably depressed because she is not with him.

In My thoughts, she was probably broody, then you moved her to the garage---which probably broke her broodiness then separated her from her mate----Pour Girl----Give her back her Man!

 

[fisherlady]

Well, Gracie is at it again....





So far she has 5 hatched, barnyard mixes (large fowl)... still has 2 eggs but I'm not holding out much hope, she normally hatches all of hers within a few hours of each other, but she can keep the eggs till tomorrow just in case.
The first one hatched was out roaming around within a few hours of when I first heard cheeping, don't know exactly when it hatched but it has been out from under her exploring more than it's been underneath for most of the day already... hardy little hooligan for sure! Probably a rooster with that kind of a 'go get em' attitude.