Broody Hen Thread!

[chicksurreal]

** Question **

Ok, I'm brand new to this whole egg hatching thing & need some help. I have one serama mama who was laying eggs all over my back yard so I read that putting a golf ball in the coop would possibly trigger her to lay them there instead.

Well, it worked!! Kind of. She's been sitting on that golf ball for a week... but now she's not laying eggs!! This is probably a dumb question but do hens continue laying eggs once they've began the sitting process? Do I need to remove the golf ball in order for her to start laying eggs again?

Welcome to BYC!!

If she's been sitting on the golf ball for a week, it sounds like she's gone broody and won't lay again until she has either hatched a clutch or is broken from her broodiness, and even then it takes a while.

My Nessie just laid her first egg yesterday after being broody and hatching chicks out and the chicks are 3 1/2 weeks old now. I know it varies as to when the hen starts to lay again, but that's a good example.

 

[Mandyj0458]

Thank you so much for your help! Well, the breeder that I got my seramas from lives a little over an hour from me. If I went to him for fertile eggs would that mess with the temperature of the eggs & possibly harm them?

 

[Mandyj0458]

Oh, and thanks for the kind welcome!!

 

[Mandyj0458]

Thank you so much for your helpful response!!

 

[chicksurreal]

Thank you so much for your help! Well, the breeder that I got my seramas from lives a little over an hour from me. If I went to him for fertile eggs would that mess with the temperature of the eggs & possibly harm them?

I think it's fine. Until she starts to sit on them they don't have to be kept warm. Some people have actually even hatched fertile eggs that have been refrigerated.

I'd just try to keep them from bumping or rolling around.

 

[Mandyj0458]

Oh really??!!! Wow, I'm learning so much right now!! Thank you!
Ok, one more question. I have a polish hen that is a bit larger than my serama roosters. Is it possible that her eggs might be fertile or probably not? She started a nest a few weeks ago that had about seven eggs in it but I collected them for the fridge because I assumed they weren't fertile because of the size difference between her & the seramas. Not real sure if I'd even want a polish serama... but who knows!! Lol

 

[holm25]

Oh really??!!! Wow, I'm learning so much right now!! Thank you!
Ok, one more question. I have a polish hen that is a bit larger than my serama roosters. Is it possible that her eggs might be fertile or probably not? She started a nest a few weeks ago that had about seven eggs in it but I collected them for the fridge because I assumed they weren't fertile because of the size difference between her & the seramas. Not real sure if I'd even want a polish serama... but who knows!! Lol

That's a good question. As long as he can breed her there is a chance. Worst thing that could happen is they dont start developing and u get different eggs! First we should ask someone who breeds seramas if the chick would hatch considering its a standard pee wee bantam cross.

 

[fisherlady]

Thank you so much for your help! Well, the breeder that I got my seramas from lives a little over an hour from me. If I went to him for fertile eggs would that mess with the temperature of the eggs & possibly harm them?

not to discourage you at all... but a few things to evaluate (and possibly adjust) before you get her eggs.....

- Is the hen setting in a location which you are comfortable with her continuing to use through the process?
Remember that she will be sitting there for 3 weeks from the day she gets eggs to hatch, which means if other birds want to use the coop/nest area where she is at then she may be disturbed.

- Is the nest easily accessible to you?
You will want to be able to easily reach her nest to check for stray eggs (added to her clutch by sneaky coop mates if she isn't separated somehow) and you may want to count/candle eggs at some point during the process (though not a requirement).... you really don't want to have to practically crawl into a coop and lay on your stomach to reach the nest! (yes, that is speaking from personal experience! LOL)

Hens are rather easy to move after chicks hatch (so temporary mesh fencing in front of any box can be used to keep chicks safe the first day or so after hatch)

Moving hens who are setting on eggs can be done but there is always the chance that the broody mood is broken.... which can be heartbreaking if she is halfway through the process , or more, and the eggs die... my choice (for new broodies, at least) is to move the hen to the desired setting location before giving her fertile eggs, once she is settled in for 24hrs + then we give them the eggs. If a hen is moved to a new nest, sets well, gets up for her daily stretch and goes back to the new nest without fuss then she should be good to get eggs. Many hens will seem fine with the move initially but after getting up the next day for their daily stretch they try to return to their old nest and get freaked out and sometimes refuse to resettle... so I use a successful daily stretch and return as a guideline before they get their eggs)

Broodies are wonderful... and can be very confusing and aggravating all at the same time. We are taking a natural process and fitting it into an 'un-natural' environment (the coop) and therefore it pays to understand as much of the process as possible and the 'chicken psychology' which may be in play. Avoiding problems rather than trying to fix them after the fact helps reduce the stress for everyone!

If you go back a 50 pages or so on this thread and the other broody thread (Old fashioned broody hatch along) you will read many, many situations and solutions which will help you understand the process better so you will feel better prepared for what all it entails...

 

[chicksurreal]

Oh really??!!! Wow, I'm learning so much right now!! Thank you!
Ok, one more question. I have a polish hen that is a bit larger than my serama roosters. Is it possible that her eggs might be fertile or probably not? She started a nest a few weeks ago that had about seven eggs in it but I collected them for the fridge because I assumed they weren't fertile because of the size difference between her & the seramas. Not real sure if I'd even want a polish serama... but who knows!! Lol

Roosters have an amazing ability to overcome the odds, even when they are small. I would watch and see if you can tell if they are making contact. You can also tell by breaking an egg open and checking to see if it has been fertilized.

There are pictures on BYC to show you how to tell. Basically, each egg has a small white dot on the yolk. That's the hens genetic material, if the egg has been fertilized, you will usually see a small white ring around that dot. It looks like a bullseye. Very cool.

 

[chicksurreal]

not to discourage you at all... but a few things to evaluate (and possibly adjust) before you get her eggs.....

- Is the hen setting in a location which you are comfortable with her continuing to use through the process?
Remember that she will be sitting there for 3 weeks from the day she gets eggs to hatch, which means if other birds want to use the coop/nest area where she is at then she may be disturbed.

- Is the nest easily accessible to you?
You will want to be able to easily reach her nest to check for stray eggs (added to her clutch by sneaky coop mates if she isn't separated somehow) and you may want to count/candle eggs at some point during the process (though not a requirement).... you really don't want to have to practically crawl into a coop and lay on your stomach to reach the nest! (yes, that is speaking from personal experience! LOL)

Hens are rather easy to move after chicks hatch (so temporary mesh fencing in front of any box can be used to keep chicks safe the first day or so after hatch)

Moving hens who are setting on eggs can be done but there is always the chance that the broody mood is broken.... which can be heartbreaking if she is halfway through the process , or more, and the eggs die... my choice (for new broodies, at least) is to move the hen to the desired setting location before giving her fertile eggs, once she is settled in for 24hrs + then we give them the eggs. If a hen is moved to a new nest, sets well, gets up for her daily stretch and goes back to the new nest without fuss then she should be good to get eggs. Many hens will seem fine with the move initially but after getting up the next day for their daily stretch they try to return to their old nest and get freaked out and sometimes refuse to resettle... so I use a successful daily stretch and return as a guideline before they get their eggs)

Broodies are wonderful... and can be very confusing and aggravating all at the same time. We are taking a natural process and fitting it into an 'un-natural' environment (the coop) and therefore it pays to understand as much of the process as possible and the 'chicken psychology' which may be in play. Avoiding problems rather than trying to fix them after the fact helps reduce the stress for everyone!

If you go back a 50 pages or so on this thread and the other broody thread (Old fashioned broody hatch along) you will read many, many situations and solutions which will help you understand the process better so you will feel better prepared for what all it entails...

X2! Great information.