Broody Hen Thread!

[Puddin Fluff]

Thanks Puddin Fluff. It's been a busy morning here with our last two abandoned eggs hatching.

You do have a mystery there. Hopefully your game camera will help solve it for you. I was thinking maybe a predator such as a raccoon but I don't think one would stop with eggs when there is a hen sitting there. You don't have another broody somewhere that could be stealing eggs from your sitting hen? I've heard of it being done.

Hope you find out what is going on and can stop the problem.

I've searched around the boxes and nothing found.

This is another reason I move all my broodies to private hatching pens---60+ hens in the last year or so alone---100's and 100's of eggs under them---never have a egg to go missing, rarely have a broke one. My hatching pens are wrapped with 1/2" hardware cloth---Nothing bigger than 1/2" can get into it(unless it digs under ground which has not happened). Works good for Me and them! I encourage everyone to get set-up so you do not have all these problems!! Good Luck in your Future Hatches!!

I am just hatching for fun and to let the broody do what she wants to do. If I were working on production hatches or selling chicks, I would separate. I had great hatches last year with this exact system and only one fatality due to hen squish because I didn't separate at hatch. (I do cage them a couple days before hatch is due just to protect the chicks.) I am just enjoying letting them do their natural thing. Just curious as to where the eggs are going.

 

[snlconner]

I found one of the original eggs out of her nest. It was cold by the time I found it. I candled and didn't see anything. I'm thinking it was infertile? Day 6.

 

[fisherlady]

I found one of the original eggs out of her nest. It was cold by the time I found it. I candled and didn't see anything. I'm thinking it was infertile? Day 6.

Some Hens have been known to kick out eggs which quit or never started... I have a couple which eat the infertile ones, I know they were no good because there is never any blood in the shells. I have no idea how they know (maybe they can sense vibrations on ones which are developing?), but somehow they do.

 

[malkered]

Nearly there, Belle has now gone into her 20th day on what I believe are 7 fertile eggs.

 

[microchick]

Those last two days are rough.

Our two late chicks are doing well. We just reunited them with momma who immediately tucked the smallest of the two under her, and after a moment to get used to the idea, did the same with the largest of the two. I set with them about an hour to make sure everyone was settled in okay. Siblings are fine. I think the little ones are a bit confused. They looked at me a couple of times as if they were thinking "we thought you were mom. You've been talking to us for two days now!" Aggie is being such a wonderful mom with the 8 of them and I am so glad I didn't give up on the two late arrivals. I was sure when I felt how chilled they were that they were goners, but I remembered the medical adage that says The hypothermic patient isn't dead until they are warm and dead. Sure enough, once the eggs warmed back up, they pipped and zipped.

It's so rewarding to see momma and youngsters together. Funnier yet, now that the hens have access to their regular nest boxes back they laid 8 eggs today. For the last three weeks we have only been getting 3 a day.

Wonder how they held them in that long?

 

[BoiseChik]

Hi, I have a broody hens question. :]
Last summer we had our first experience with a broody hen hatching eggs. It was a great experience! Our mama hen did a great job mothering 7 chicks. Now one of her babies is all grown up and seems to be trying to go broody. She is about 7 or 8 months old, and is only acting broody sometimes...? She will be broody during most of the day, and then abandons the nest in the early evening. I'd like to get her some fertilized eggs (we don't have a rooster) but I don't want to do that until I know for sure that she's actually broody and will stay with her eggs. Is she too young to be fully broody, or what? Another one of our 8 month olds did the same thing a few weeks ago, she would act broody for part of the day, but didn't stay on the nest around the clock and eventually not at all. I'm really eager to start a hen with eggs again. Is there a way to encourage broodiness?
Thanks for your help! :-]

 

[microchick]

Hi Boisechik. Have you tried letting her sit on a few fake eggs or even golf balls to see if she is really serious about staying broody? I personally wouldn't trust her with fertile eggs until she becomes 'one' with her nest.

 

[BoiseChik]

I did put a golf ball in the nest, and she also sits on the eggs that were laid that day by all the hens. Today she was mad at me trying to gather all those eggs, but I left the golf ball. A few hours later that hen was off the nest and out wandering around the yard. Hmmm...?

 

[microchick]

Do you think she knows the difference in the shape? They can be crafty little devils when they want to be.

 

[RachaelR32]

My first time mamma hen is doing a great job with her little ones.