Broody Hen Thread!

[HighStreetCoop]

Three out of my four are now broody. This is getting ridiculous. I got one egg today, and it got broken in the nest and ended up gluing the three fake eggs to broody #1.

 

[SmittenChicken]

Went out to the coop this evening to collect eggs, only to find one of my Red Star hens, Goose, sitting on all the eggs laid today. She hissed at me! I know it's rare for red sexlinks to go broody, and she may be a horrible mother, but I'm going to let her try and hatch these out if she stays broody! If she loses interest, I'll just stick them in the incubator.
She is in the favored nesting box of the whole flock though, so I think I'm going to switch her out with the box beside her while she's sleeping. I feel like all of the others will disturb her more by sitting on her and trampling her to lay in that one box, as it is quite small. When I know she's good and broody, then I think I'll find a good place to let her hatch them!
Does anyone have any stories of a broody Black or Red sexlink? Did they finish the hatch, and did they make good mothers to the chicks?

I had a hatchery Black Star hen go broody at two years old, almost immediately after a fox wiped out most of her flock. She was on shipped eggs and only hatched 3/12, but she was an EXCELLENT mother and very good natured. Great instincts and very easy to work with. She's 5 years old now and hasn't tried motherhood again (but one of my other hens is on the nest and due this weekend). I think you should give Goose a chance!

 

[Chickencame1st]

I had a hatchery Black Star hen go broody at two years old, almost immediately after a fox wiped out most of her flock. She was on shipped eggs and only hatched 3/12, but she was an EXCELLENT mother and very good natured. Great instincts and very easy to work with. She's 5 years old now and hasn't tried motherhood again (but one of my other hens is on the nest and due this weekend). I think you should give Goose a chance

My broods get crunchy peanut butter. They love it.

 

[SIMZ]

After water candling Agatha's eggs this evening, we've pulled them. They stunk, (one of them really bad) but I wasn't sure if that was from the egg that exploded before or not. Got my answer when they went into the water. They floated so high that most of the egg was out of the water. There was absolutely no sign of any life in them whatsoever. She looks terrible - she's dirty, exhausted, and lost so much weight she's all feathers.....and even they look terrible. So she's done. Seems funny to have the brooder/broody pen taken down for the first time since early March. I would love to have had another little Scout running around but in the overall scheme of things she's here now and deserves to be back to her old self.

Sorry to hear this. I know you were so hopeful.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

After water candling Agatha's eggs this evening, we've pulled them. They stunk, (one of them really bad) but I wasn't sure if that was from the egg that exploded before or not. Got my answer when they went into the water. They floated so high that most of the egg was out of the water. There was absolutely no sign of any life in them whatsoever. She looks terrible - she's dirty, exhausted, and lost so much weight she's all feathers.....and even they look terrible. So she's done. Seems funny to have the brooder/broody pen taken down for the first time since early March. I would love to have had another little Scout running around but in the overall scheme of things she's here now and deserves to be back to her old self.

to you and Agatha.

 

[Blooie]

Thanks for all the warm comments! I guess it's goodbye for a while to Atilla the Hen. Poor baby!

 

[chicksurreal]

Our newest moms.

 

[torilovessmiles]

My sex-link is still very broody! We're on day 3 and she still wouldn't get off the nest to eat or drink, so I coaxed her off for just a few minutes before she went back to her nest! Should I move her out of the coop into her own cage, or let her hatch in there with the flock? This is my first broody so I've heard "move her to her own cage, the other birds will kill them!" and "just leave her be, she'll abandon them if you move it!"
Thanks!

 

[PD-Riverman]

My sex-link is still very broody! We're on day 3 and she still wouldn't get off the nest to eat or drink, so I coaxed her off for just a few minutes before she went back to her nest! Should I move her out of the coop into her own cage, or let her hatch in there with the flock? This is my first broody so I've heard "move her to her own cage, the other birds will kill them!" and "just leave her be, she'll abandon them if you move it!"
Thanks!

I have set 47 broodies in the last year-----all were moved to a private hatching pen----None abandon the eggs. I have my nest set-up for the move and the move has to be done right----I have no problem.


You can leave her where she is-----you Just Got to mark all her eggs and remove DAILY any fresh laid egg to prevent a staggered hatch.

Some just fix her nest where she has some room to get off the nest---to eat etc, but where no other chickens can get into her nest. Its your call----if we can help----just ask.


One other thing-----you do not have to take her off or coax her off her nest-------I promice you she will get off when she is ready------and in my Opinion its best to let her do what she feels she needs to do------hands off in my opinion. Once I move mine----I never bother or touch them again till after she has hatched all that will hatch----I have really great hatches from the broodies.!

 

[Farm Sweet Farm]

We have had many experiences with broody hens. Once one stopped being broody, another one started! There was only one thing that worked. We put the broody hen in an confined area with no nesting material for a few days. The hen could not be broody because ther was no nest, so after a couple days, the broody hen was no longer broody.