Broody Hen Thread!

[JJSS89]

Mare, I had a sebright rooster who got himself killed by a hawk because he was so aggressive and never backed down. He was a mean fella to everyone. If my big chickens or turkeys were that mean, I would get rid of them ASAP but even if it's unfair, I tend to not mind a mean bantam. Particularly one as small as a sebright or serama.

 

[LadyHawkeAvry]

Mare, I had a sebright rooster who got himself killed by a hawk because he was so aggressive and never backed down.  He was a mean fella to everyone.  If my big chickens or turkeys were that mean, I would get rid of them ASAP but even if it's unfair, I tend to not mind a mean bantam.  Particularly one as small as a sebright or serama.

They are so small the most they can do is put a few scratches on your ankles! Lol!!!

 

[MisfitMiniFarm]

I do.. and I have! I carry a large fishing net with me and when he doesn't leave me I catch him in it, force him down then grab his ankles until he calms down... then I can hold and pet him. But this is something I must do every single day I encounter him. Before I used the net... I even hit him with a 2x4 and he does not give up! I started to feel weird about it because I've never treated an animal like that in my life! But I've never been treated like that either (by an animal.... pet).
I keep him because he was my brothers. I feel its not up to me to get rid or dispose of him (plus we don't eat meat, we fish.. but no land animals). this is the rooster my brother kept out of the other 8 he butchered.. he loves this guy, but has since gotten a flock of hens that "came with" a rooster of their own and the constantly fought. So when my happy "Rhett Butler Rooster" was killed by a stray dog... in a messed up way, it worked out since my brother was having problems. I guess I think of his ill behaviour as good behaviour for a protector of my girls (?)... idk my heart is too soft for butchering. (oddly I understand hunting.. but when i personally know the animal, it makes it that much more of an emotional ordeal)

 

[JadedPhoenix]

Mare, I had a sebright rooster who got himself killed by a hawk because he was so aggressive and never backed down. He was a mean fella to everyone. If my big chickens or turkeys were that mean, I would get rid of them ASAP but even if it's unfair, I tend to not mind a mean bantam. Particularly one as small as a sebright or serama.

That tends to be the same general opinion people have of dogs, too. A German Shepherd had best tow the line but if a Chihuahua did the same stuff, folks are like "Ain't he cute?".

A misbehaving animal is still a misbehaving animal no matter how big. Neighbor learned that when their rat-sized dog (Chihuahua) mauled their grandchild and the kid was in Brenner's for a few weeks.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

That tends to be the same general opinion people have of dogs, too.  A German Shepherd had best tow the line but if a Chihuahua did the same stuff, folks are like "Ain't he cute?".   A misbehaving animal is still a misbehaving animal no matter how big.  Neighbor learned that when their rat-sized dog (Chihuahua) mauled their grandchild and the kid was in Brenner's for a few weeks.

So true. When we raised guide dog projects, everyone tripped over themselves to mug the labs and goldens, but mothers hid their children from the german shepherds....and all dogs had exemplary breeding and training.

I had a Chihuhua face off and challenge a big german I was working with at the park. My german looked at the snarling dust ball and looked up at me as if to say "really? seriously?"

We called it "little dog syndrome" where grandma's little FiFi bsically wanted to rip your eyes out because the coddling had created a sense of superiority...

Not to say any has coddled their roo to create a monster, but you have to understand how the animal's communicate and what their social structure behavior works...and use that to implement behavior you desire.

And some roo's are best in the pot. It's not worth a law suit or surgery on someone's eye.

My thoughts...such as they are. We each must come to our own decisions for our flock issues...
LofMc

 

[aatx]

After "breaking" my broodies since last fall, I finally decided to allow them to stay broody. I had hoped this would be about a month later, but you can't control when they go broody.

I've got a room set up in our house for the chickens. It held them as chicks, it's held any that needed observed, it's been my isolation area to break them from broodiness, and now we're making the circle again and it will hold them while they brood and then for a bit after the hatch.

Dahlia, the black silkie, went broody first this time. I made her a nest inside and stuck some golf balls in it. She was a bit wishy washy at first, but settled in quickly. After a day or so I swapped out the golf balls for 5 real eggs. She laid her own egg, either that next morning or the morning after, so now she has 6.

Lily, a white silkie, also went broody a few days later. Same process repeated with her. She got her real eggs 4 days after Dahlia got hers. I only gave her 4 eggs.

I will do my first candling on day 10 for Dahlia which will be Monday.

Tonight I will have to aggravate them a bit and get them to eat, drink, and hopefully poop. I can't tell that they are getting out of the much nests at all to do that, so I feel like I need to intervene every few days to keep them strong, but leave them alone the rest of the time. (Main thing is to make sure they do not poop on eggs.) I do get some growls in the morning when I wake them up. It's an interior room, so at night I have a tiny night light I keep on. Both nest have sides so that the chickens are pretty much in the dark, but I can see just enough to peek in and make sure they didn't get up and have trouble finding their way back to the nest. In their real coop, the have some faint light that comes in from a security light outside, so this mimics what they are used to as well. For the day time, I turn on an LED clip on light. The room stays dim, but gives them enough light to see if they do leave the nest. I get the growls when I flip on the actual overhead light that I need to see to get to the LED light to turn it on. LED light gets turned off in the evenings.

 

[mymilliefleur]

Well my hatch with my broody hen didn't go well. The temperature has not gotten above freezing all week. The eggs were stone cold in the short time she got off the nest to eat and drink. This morning she had lost interest in the nest. I think it was just way too cold for the eggs.

 

[csmorton]

So we have had one silkie hen go broody and just hatch one of her 2 eggs ... the other is hatching any day also ... so after she excepted new chick I put her other egg under my second broody silkie hoping she will come out of being broody ... i want to only have one mom at this point ...can I take chick once hatched introduce to first hen and if she takes it put other back with her flock ... ideas on how to do this ? Thanks

 

[JJSS89]

Tonight I will have to aggravate them a bit and get them to eat, drink, and hopefully poop. I can't tell that they are getting out of the much nests at all to do that, so I feel like I need to intervene every few days to keep them strong, but leave them alone the rest of the time. (Main thing is to make sure they do not poop on eggs.)

It probably doesn't hurt anything to do this but really your hens will take care of themselves. They don't eat much because they don't need much when all they do is sit and keep eggs warm. It is natural for a broody hen to withhold her feces for a longer time. It doesn't harm them. If she doesn't have the sense to get up and poop then she is probably too dumb to be a mama. Good luck with the eggs.

 

[Dekachick]

We have 12 Buff Orpington chickens that are just over a year old and 1 BO rooster who is around 2 yrs. old. We have had this group for around three months. Recently one of the hens refused to get out of her nest for days & days. We thought she was sick so have been "babying" her with food, special attention etc. She has been like this for about two weeks and has lost a lot of weight. We have recently been told she may be broody so we have decided to give her some eggs and see what happens. We are concerned that she has lost so much weight so we will continue to provide her with her "favorite" foods. Are we on the right track? Should we keep her with the rest of the flock or separate her to a "private" area so she can brood in peace without other hens climbing in the nest with her? Should we take her out of the nest to feed her? In other words....HELP!