Broody Hen Thread!

[casey197530]

Yay I've got one healthy chick and another one working on coming out I swear silkies make the best moms

 

[daxigait]

Congratulations go Chickie's

 

[RachaelR32]

I assume all I need to be doing with my broody is checking she's got food and water each day? That's all I have been doing. Opening up the broody coop for a quick check of food and water while she growls at me from the nest box.

 

[PD-Riverman]

I assume all I need to be doing with my broody is checking she's got food and water each day? That's all I have been doing. Opening up the broody coop for a quick check of food and water while she growls at me from the nest box.

Thats all I do, I just do not put the food/water where she can reach it from her nest. That way she will have to get off the eggs to poop, eat, drink, dust, etc. I just leave mine alone till they get off their nest with the new chicks. "I" never look under them. If I see them off the nest I then look into the nest. I set about 63 in the last year and Had all great hatches. Good Luck!!

 

[RachaelR32]

Thats all I do, I just do not put the food/water where she can reach it from her nest. That way she will have to get off the eggs to poop, eat, drink, dust, etc. I just leave mine alone till they get off their nest with the new chicks. "I" never look under them. If I see them off the nest I then look into the nest. I set about 63 in the last year and Had all great hatches. Good Luck!!

Thanks. Good to know I'm not missing something! She does have to step out of the nest to get food and water. The food level has gone down and she's pooped in the run so she must be getting off to eat a little.

 

[gimmie birdies]

Did a nice coop clean today ... the hens were happy for new straw every where. Rooster took credit for the nice housing.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Did a nice coop clean today ... the hens were happy for new straw every where. Rooster took credit for the nice housing.

I did a coop clean today...not deep cleaning...but most of it...I've got so much mud and muck right now.

And my rooster thought it fine as well.

LofMc

 

[casey197530]

My second chick hatched under mom about an hour ago she had two eggs to sit on and both look good one cochan bantem and a silkie

 

[RachaelR32]

My broody girl went out with the others to eat again today so I did a quick candle again (day 8). I can see lots of veins in the little white bantam egg. One of the brown ones looks clear - can't even see an air cell in so I think probably infertile? The darkest brown one I couldn't see through the shell at all. The 2 blue ones I can see an air cell in them but can't see anything else. The other 5 I can see an air cell and a dark mass. I don't think my little torch is really bright enough. I hope she gets at least some from them.

 

[Tuhmu]

I have a first time broody hen that's been going at it for two weeks now. I also have some eggs hatching this weekend in my incubator. I'd like to try and give her the chicks, which I've successfully done with others but i'm not sure where to actually put the broody hen. It's going to be in the negatives here and normally I keep the chicks in a heated room in my barn. I'm not sure how well she would take to being put in there....she would be in a box around 2.5' x 4'.... Think I should even bother with her and just raise the chicks in the brooder? Any other ideas? I do have another empty coop I could potentially put her, the babies, and maybe a heat lamp in but like I said...it's going to be in the negatives, plus our north Dakota winds....it'll just go right through the coop.