Broody Hen Thread!

[lazy gardener]

It's not at all uncommon for a hen to sneak an egg into a broody's nest when she gets off for her morning constitutional. That's one of the biggest reasons to provide a barrier to keep the rest of the flock away from a broody while she's setting on her eggs.

 

[n3kms]

I had seen some get in the nest box with her but when I checked for extra eggs there were none and she would peck the other girls pretty fiercely but I didn't think about when she got up. I had been checking under her every day while I was getting her broody coop ready but I didn't the day I moved her.

 

[tvlgal85]

I had some chicks hatch out in early July last summer and 2 of them are broody at 9 months old. Is that weird? I welcome your opinions. Thanks KIm

 

[holm25]

I had some chicks hatch out in early July last summer and 2 of them are broody at 9 months old. Is that weird? I welcome your opinions. Thanks KIm

Nope that is completely normal. I have 3 broodies right now one is an 8 month old orp and 2 Blue bantam Cochins who r 7 months and they went broody on the same day to!!

 

[lazy gardener]

It would make sense to me that broody begets broody! Good for you! Still hoping that one of my gals will go broody!

 

[ShockValue]

Came home last night to my broody hen on the wrong nest with her eggs getting cold. Now we're on broody-watch to make sure she doesn't get "lost" again.

She still seems hell-bent on brooding (she hadn't abandoned them on purpose, just made a mistake I think) so we're going to let the eggs go for a few more days and see if any survived the cold.

 

[Jaybeetee]

So, I am getting chicks this Friday
And I have 4 broody hens I don't know who I should give the chicks too
I have a black australorp who is the only one who has raised chicks before, but I want to give the other chockens a chance
I also have a BO who is super protective of other hens so I think she would do a good job protecting the babies but she's also very skinny and small
I have another BO who is very calm and sweet and would raise the hicks to be nice civil chickens, but she doesn't protect them what so ever
And lastly my EE. I really wanna see how an EE raises chicks and how she will react to them, cause I've never given chicks to an EE, but she's also really crazy so I feel like she would teach the chicks to be like her
So what do you guys think? Who should I give them too?

 

[Lady of McCamley]

So, I am getting chicks this Friday
And I have 4 broody hens I don't know who I should give the chicks too
I have a black australorp who is the only one who has raised chicks before, but I want to give the other chockens a chance
I also have a BO who is super protective of other hens so I think she would do a good job protecting the babies but she's also very skinny and small
I have another BO who is very calm and sweet and would raise the hicks to be nice civil chickens, but she doesn't protect them what so ever
And lastly my EE. I really wanna see how an EE raises chicks and how she will react to them, cause I've never given chicks to an EE, but she's also really crazy so I feel like she would teach the chicks to be like her
So what do you guys think? Who should I give them too?

Really depends on your goals. If these are valuable chicks which would not be easy to replace, then give them to the most qualified hen...that would be your Australorp who is a proven broody or perhaps the protective BO.

If these are chicks of no special value (other than you wouldn't wish any chick harm, but these could be replaced), then divide them up among the hens and see how they handle them.

Be aware that some hens will try to steal chicks from others; some may co-brood nicely. You may need to separate them all from each other, or provide a quiet, together, area away from the flock.

LofMc

 

[chicksurreal]

We decided to move Nessie into the adjoining pen, nesting box and all so she wouldn't have to leave her chosen nest, they are all used to being able to move freely between pens, but we closed off the opening to it. We waited until it got dark and just carried the whole thing into the other pen.


Now she's all set up to do her thing. She is only separated by a fence from her flockmates, hopefully this won't be too stressful for her. We'll see what happens.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

We decided to move Nessie into the adjoining pen, nesting box and all so she wouldn't have to leave her chosen nest, they are all used to being able to move freely between pens, but we closed off the opening to it. We waited until it got dark and just carried the whole thing into the other pen.


Now she's all set up to do her thing. She is only separated by a fence from her flockmates, hopefully this won't be too stressful for her. We'll see what happens.

If she accepts the change of nesting spots, then all will be well. Broodies are not interested in interaction with the flock while they brood. They are too deep into their trance and do not like disruption by others...they are loners who want to nest alone.

LofMc