Broody Hen Thread!

[nchls school]

Good morning to all. Latest update...Day 20 yesterday for hen in wire cage inside hen house. Lockdown (shut her door) 3 days ago. Yesterday when she let me know she wanted out.....here's a few thousand words for those who have paid close enough attention in the past...

Thank you to everyone who posts info and photos. It is invaluable.


Oh yeah, left 2 large, stinkie gifts b4 heading back to cage.


Settling down. The whole process took less than 90 seconds. Yep, she ran around enclosed pen and jabbered the whole time. Was a wonderful first time experience for me.

Good day to all. I have some catching up on here to-do.

Wonderful pictures. I just found this thread and I look forward to seeing and reading more.

My last family of serama.

 

[microchick]

Wendy High I just love the picture of your hen doing laps around her water bowl. Too funny. At least your girls have clean feet!

 

[16 paws]

thanks but they are fisherlady's

Yea, I figured that out

 

[Dani4Hedgies]

Im so confused

 

[n3kms]

I have one broody coop. It was occupied by a silkie that hatched 3 Black Javas. Then a Cream Legbar goes broody, so I let her sit on whatever eggs are under her until I am ready to move the silkie and babies to main coop. I like to give chicks some time on clean ground before they are in the run with all the other to prevent coccidiosis.(Has worked so far) So, 3 nights ago I decide to move them. I have a dishpan in all my nest boxes so that when
I need to move someone I can just pick up the whole thing and move to the broody coop. So I go out late and it's fairly dark, I reach in to grab the dishpan and think that wow this is heavy. Then I see that there are 2 CCL girls in the one pan. Didn't know which was which or if both were broody so I just put the pan in the coop. When I checked the next afternoon and tried to remove the eggs in favor of some Java and Silkie eggs it was difficult with two chickens pecking me. I finally just picked them both up and set them to the side and replaced the eggs. When I checked later one was brooding in the dishpan and one beside the pan and there were more eggs under the one on the outside than the on the inside. Funny chickens. But now that I have two broodies I added a few extra eggs to the one with less. Interesting to see what happens when they start to hatch.

 

[16 paws]

I have to admit that I admire these little hens so much. Mine were purchased as one day olds from a local breeder and brooded in our utility room with just me acting as 'mom' to them. There was no adult hen to teach them anything, just little old me and I mean that quite literally. Less than a year later, Aggie goes broody. (I had predicted she would be the first when she was still a little pullet and was right)

I have watched her through the process and studied her every move and it amazes me how the instincts kick in and they know just what to do and when to do it. She has been an exemplary mother to her little brood of 8 chicks without having another hen to watch and learn from.

I notice our other hens standing at the fence separating them from the little family watching them intently and wonder if they are learning anything from watching Aggie and her babies or whether like Aggie, it's all stored in their genetic makeup.

It should be that easy for humans raising kids. Instinctively we know the biology of birth but women depend so much on other women, mothers, sisters, friends, etc to offer up advice to the new mother on how to raise the little ones where chickens just seem to know how to do it on their own.

Simply amazing, IMHO.

I believe we have a lot to learn from this humble species. As humans we so often live under the tree of knowledge instead of the tree of life.

 

[16 paws]

Im so confused

dont worry, its just me complementing the wrong person.....lol

 

[Dani4Hedgies]

16 paws lol ok im with ya now

 

[16 paws]

16 paws lol ok im with ya now

I am sure all of you realize by now I am a little bit of an airhead at times.....

Just forgive me please....

 

[16 paws]

I have one broody coop. It was occupied by a silkie that hatched 3 Black Javas. Then a Cream Legbar goes broody, so I let her sit on whatever eggs are under her until I am ready to move the silkie and babies to main coop. I like to give chicks some time on clean ground before they are in the run with all the other to prevent coccidiosis.(Has worked so far) So, 3 nights ago I decide to move them. I have a dishpan in all my nest boxes so that when
I need to move someone I can just pick up the whole thing and move to the broody coop. So I go out late and it's fairly dark, I reach in to grab the dishpan and think that wow this is heavy. Then I see that there are 2 CCL girls in the one pan. Didn't know which was which or if both were broody so I just put the pan in the coop. When I checked the next afternoon and tried to remove the eggs in favor of some Java and Silkie eggs it was difficult with two chickens pecking me. I finally just picked them both up and set them to the side and replaced the eggs. When I checked later one was brooding in the dishpan and one beside the pan and there were more eggs under the one on the outside than the on the inside. Funny chickens. But now that I have two broodies I added a few extra eggs to the one with less. Interesting to see what happens when they start to hatch.

Oh I cant wait to see what happens next,

didnt you used to check in on the "Hatching with 2 broodys" thread? That was fun to follow along. With 2 broodies you have double the fun and sometimes you just want to tear your hair out