Broody Hen Thread!

[Wendy High]

My broody girl Smokie had a little peeper today. I found her pecking at a dead chick that appeared to not survive the hatch. She did do something odd. She left the little one peeping away and alone for 10-15 minutes. I took the chick into my brooder for a bit. Once she returned to the nest I took the chick back to mama and they snuggled up. I created a "lock down" situation in that per advice here, I enclosed the area outside the nest with a large wire dog kennel. Hoping to keep the new mama close to the baby.

I am concerned about the eggs she was sitting. After reading on here not sure about the humidity...I guess the next day or so will tell.

Too fun! Glad ur hen took chick back. I have been reading lots of info on here too. I am on my 2nd broody hen and learning loads.

 

[daxigait]

My 2nd broody hen hatched 7 of 11 eggs. Saw 1st baby on Monday (I think) and she didnt come off nest until Thursday. She still has all 7. Am enjoying her be a momma too much. Gotta get nesting/brooding area reworked.

1st day I saw a chick.

It was a very long 72 hour wait until she came off nest. I took the advice from site a did not interrupt her.

Lots of good posts and enjoyable photos on thread. Am going ti definately rework nesting/brooding area and encourage hens to be mommas.

 

[JaeG]

Hi Everyone, just wanting some info on using broody hens, this being our first time. We currently have two Old English Game Bantam girls (who are VERY broody) sitting on some bantam eggs (2 d'uccle and 10 pekin eggs between them). We have just passed day three of incubation and everything is going splendidly. We moved our broody girls indoors into our laundry - our big chicken run and coop is very secure but I don't have a super secure alternative outside and we've recently had two feral cats start hanging around so I wasn't taking any chances! And with the tropical cyclone that hit Fiji headed our way (we are in New Zealand) I'm quite glad they are indoors.

The girls, Pixie and Sunflower, seem perfectly happy to be inside but we are having to take them off their nests to give them a break - they won't get off voluntarily. I even had to spoon feed them water for a couple of days until they worked out where that was!!!

My question really is, what day do we stop removing them and giving them a break? I have read that bantam eggs often hatch a bit earlier, and having candled the lighter shelled ones today (I left them in the nest and put a little light under them) I can already see the tiny developing chick and veins (that was 70 hours after the start of incubation).

We are all very excited, especially our eight year old daughter, so it's going to be a long few weeks.

 

[PD-Riverman]

Hi Everyone, just wanting some info on using broody hens, this being our first time. We currently have two Old English Game Bantam girls (who are VERY broody) sitting on some bantam eggs (2 d'uccle and 10 pekin eggs between them). We have just passed day three of incubation and everything is going splendidly. We moved our broody girls indoors into our laundry - our big chicken run and coop is very secure but I don't have a super secure alternative outside and we've recently had two feral cats start hanging around so I wasn't taking any chances! And with the tropical cyclone that hit Fiji headed our way (we are in New Zealand) I'm quite glad they are indoors.

The girls, Pixie and Sunflower, seem perfectly happy to be inside but we are having to take them off their nests to give them a break - they won't get off voluntarily. I even had to spoon feed them water for a couple of days until they worked out where that was!!!

My question really is, what day do we stop removing them and giving them a break? I have read that bantam eggs often hatch a bit earlier, and having candled the lighter shelled ones today (I left them in the nest and put a little light under them) I can already see the tiny developing chick and veins (that was 70 hours after the start of incubation).

We are all very excited, especially our eight year old daughter, so it's going to be a long few weeks.

To start with----you do not have to feed and water them or remove them----it would be best that you do not----as long as they have a place where they can get off the nest. They are setting and will not be eating/drinking like normal. They WILL get off the nest when they get ready. Make sure their food and water is not close to their nest.

Now you said pekin----are you saying pekin like in duck eggs? If so I hope you put the pekin eggs under them a week before the bantam eggs?? If not you have set-up a staggered hatch which is not good. Most hens will hatch the first few then in a couple days they will leave the nest to take care of their hatched chicks. It takes a week longer for duck eggs to hatch. If you set these eggs at the same time-----you will have to remove and BROOD the bantam chicks as soon as they hatch and hope the hens do not get upset bad and will stay on the nest to hatch the duck eggs.

If you want to do this again with chicken eggs and pekin duck eggs---put the duck eggs under her---then 7 days later add the chicken eggs. Good Luck

 

[daxigait]

To start with----you do not have to feed and water them or remove them----it would be best that you do not----as long as they have a place where they can get off the nest. They are setting and will not be eating/drinking like normal. They WILL get off the nest when they get ready. Make sure their food and water is not close to their nest.

Now you said pekin----are you saying pekin like in duck eggs? If so I hope you put the pekin eggs under them a week before the bantam eggs?? If not you have set-up a staggered hatch which is not good. Most hens will hatch the first few then in a couple days they will leave the nest to take care of their hatched chicks. It takes a week longer for duck eggs to hatch. If you set these eggs at the same time-----you will have to remove and BROOD the bantam chicks as soon as they hatch and hope the hens do not get upset bad and will stay on the nest to hatch the duck eggs.

If you want to do this again with chicken eggs and pekin duck eggs---put the duck eggs under her---then 7 days later add the chicken eggs. Good Luck

if she has two hens, could she carefully put all of one type under each broody?

 

[Grandmas Coop]

HELP!!!!!!!!!!! my buff Orphington / broody hens egg #1 hatched this morning,

I went to the coop just as it was coming out of the shell,,,, mother had pecked the baby,,

I had to grab it cuz she was wounding

it,, it has a bis skin pecked spot on its neck and I found one on its butt { I am typing one handed cuz I am holding the baby} will the wounds heal?
will I be able to put the baby back out with the mother,,

 

[Grandmas Coop]

HELP!!!!!!!!!!! my buff Orphington / broody hens egg #1 hatched this morning,

I went to the coop just as it was coming out of the shell,,,, mother had pecked the baby,,

I had to grab it cuz she was wounding

it,, it has a bis skin pecked spot on its neck and I found one on its butt { I am typing one handed cuz I am holding the baby} will the wounds heal?
will I be able to put the baby back out with the mother,,

The baby peeps and moves around ok, it is sleeping right now

 

[daxigait]

The baby peeps and moves around ok, it is sleeping right now

I am a newbie. Ask on the Incubating with friends site. They may know. Definitely use blu-kote before putting with anybody. For now, if you don't have a heat lamp check out the momma heating pad stuff.

 

[CourtneyG1082]

I'm a newbie to raising chickens. I have 5 hens who started laying about a month ago. So far I have been collecting the eggs to eat but I'm realizing I simply can't eat all these eggs! I get 3-5 eggs a day

I decided to only collect from 2 boxes and let the other accumulate to see if they will brood. Will a hen brood on eggs that aren't hers even if theyre in the same box? How many eggs need to be in the nest before they start sitting? I have about 2 dozen eggs in the box now ( just from the weekend!) and I'm wondering how many more they'll lay before one will brood.

 

[PD-Riverman]

if she has two hens, could she carefully put all of one type under each broody?

The broodys she describes probably can not cover 10 duck eggs. If she knows the duck egg are most likely fertile """"""I""""" would do Just that-----candle and put the bantam eggs under one and as many of the most fertile(candle)looking eggs under the other that she can cover good! Throw the rest away if there is no incubator or other broody. OR she can do as I described above---remove the bantams as soon as they hatch and brood them. The bantams will probably get trampled by the ducks when they are a week or two old if kept together.