Broody Hen Thread!

[nchls school]

My poor first time broody sat on her eggs the entire time. They should have hatched Saturday and didn't. The chicks in the incubator did though. She is still sitting on the remaining two eggs and I have been debating on giving her a few chicks. I want her to have babies, I just don't want to risk the lives of perfectly healthy chicks. Thoughts?

If the hen has raised chicks before, hold a chick near where the hen can hear it cheep. If the hen answers the chick by clucking to the sound, give her the chick and watch. If the chick is rejected you will know almost immediately by the hen pecking hard. In that event you could try giving her the chicks at night in the dark. Should the first chick be accepted, wait a while, and give another and... I have fostered chicks a great deal. All were successful except one. And ghat one had been brooding less than a week.

 

[MKLaughlin]

Had my first experience hatching with a broody hen. I put 5 Icelandic eggs 7nder her and a few days before hatch 2 eggs vanished then the last 3 hatched. Two of the chicks didn't have much down and looked underdeveloped and died after hatching the last chick is doing well. She is 13 days old and has been living in the coop with all the other chickens. We have a bunch of eggs in the incubator waiting for hatch today but nothing seems to be hapening.

 

[nchls school]

Congrats! The rooster will be happy soon enough, I know our silkie roo was happy as can be when the last broody came off the nest with her babies and he had a 'job' to do again...roosters can be great babysitters! Not every rooster is great with chicks, but an amazing number of them are actually pretty good dads.

X 2. I have one rooster that hangs his head and tail for the chicks to peck at. It doesn't take long before the chicks are spending as much time with the rooster as the hen. And when the hen weans the chicks they follow the rooster for many more weeks. The first time I saw this guy call the chicks to come and get a found treat, I assumed it was the hens he was calling. It wasn't long before it was obvious it was not the hens he was wanting.

 

[harrellkd]

I've never had a broody reject chicks..what breed is she?
I've even had hens that were smaller, and could only cover 2 or 3 eggs, but once they hatched those, I slipped another 3 or 4 chicks in with her and she takes great care of them..
It really all depends on the hen tho..if she's a good broody, she will accept the swap out with no problems

She is a blue copper marans. About 2 years old. Generally very sweet and friendly. Has been very diligent about sitting on her eggs. Poor thing.

 

[harrellkd]

If the hen has raised chicks before, hold a chick near where the hen can hear it cheep. If the hen answers the chick by clucking to the sound, give her the chick and watch. If the chick is rejected you will know almost immediately by the hen pecking hard. In that event you could try giving her the chicks at night in the dark. Should the first chick be accepted, wait a while, and give another and... I have fostered chicks a great deal. All were successful except one. And ghat one had been brooding less than a week.

She's never raised or been around chicks. This would be her first time

 

[nchls school]

She's never raised or been around chicks. This would be her first time

Then wait til dark to try giving them to her. Check early in the morning at first light. You may wish to try just one or two chicks. If those are accepted she will accept more as long as they are similar in appearance. Good luck.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Two chicks. A squirrel got in at night and scared all my broodies off their nest. 12 eggs were hatching at the time. These two made it; the rest all DIS.

Oooohhhh...that darn squirrel...glad these two made it. Sorry for the rest.

LofMc

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Congrats! The rooster will be happy soon enough, I know our silkie roo was happy as can be when the last broody came off the nest with her babies and he had a 'job' to do again...roosters can be great babysitters! Not every rooster is great with chicks, but an amazing number of them are actually pretty good dads.

X 2. I have one rooster that hangs his head and tail for the chicks to peck at. It doesn't take long before the chicks are spending as much time with the rooster as the hen. And when the hen weans the chicks they follow the rooster for many more weeks. The first time I saw this guy call the chicks to come and get a found treat, I assumed it was the hens he was calling. It wasn't long before it was obvious it was not the hens he was wanting.

I am learning just have valuable a good roo is....I stopped brooding within the flock as the top hens hazed the broody too much, risking babies....but my rooster has eased transition 100%

Nobody messes with momma and baby when daddy is around, no squabbling, fighting, or being roudy 'round babe either.

It is a hoot to watch him take such good care of his ladies and babes.

LofMc

 

[Lady of McCamley]

She is a blue copper marans. About 2 years old. Generally very sweet and friendly. Has been very diligent about sitting on her eggs. Poor thing.

I would try it and watch.

I have had 4 Marans or Marans cross (2 BCM, 1 Splash Marans, 1 Isbar/Marans OE).

Apparently this line (all from the same breeder) got the broody genes as they have all gone broody, stubbornly so, throughout the seasons.

Splash momma sat and hatched a chick (I only set 2 under her as she was a new momma). She did well the first week, but then abandoned baby and went to a high roost where baby couldn't follow. (She actually was trying to do that on day 2 or 3).

My other Isbar/Marans had sat for 3 weeks, got a hatchling, but it was apparently crushed by others wanting to crowd the box (I've been attempting to coop hatch again within the flock in an experiment to improve integration).

She was still stubbornly wanting to sit, so I took that 1 week old chick and put it under her, at night, from the back. She immediately clucked to it, literally took it under her wing, and has fully adopted it. (Splash momma has been happy with the adoption).

I am in working small batches as I've got new broodies and trying a new set up in the main coop, but I've over the years done really well with first time broodies. If it is in their blood, they do well.

All to say overall my Marans breed has been good brooders, and your Blue Copper Marans likely will be just fine with the babies...place at night as suggested, from the back, and then monitor for the next several hours, and check first thing in the morning.

Likely momma will be fine but babies may be confused as they don't know the hen is their heat and comfort source and that it should be dark all the time (vs. the heat lamp). Standing by is to help babies know to stay with momma as much as to make sure momma is accepting. I usually give momma some room to move, eat/drink, but confine things so foster babies can't wander away too far for the first couple of days as they need to learn to obey her voice....as long as momma is handling the brood well.

LofMc

 

[fisherlady]

I would try it and watch.

I have had 4 Marans or Marans cross (2 BCM, 1 Splash Marans, 1 Isbar/Marans OE).

Apparently this line (all from the same breeder) got the broody genes as they have all gone broody, stubbornly so, throughout the seasons.

Splash momma sat and hatched a chick (I only set 2 under her as she was a new momma). She did well the first week, but then abandoned baby and went to a high roost where baby couldn't follow. (She actually was trying to do that on day 2 or 3).

My other Isbar/Marans had sat for 3 weeks, got a hatchling, but it was apparently crushed by others wanting to crowd the box (I've been attempting to coop hatch again within the flock in an experiment to improve integration).

She was still stubbornly wanting to sit, so I took that 1 week old chick and put it under her, at night, from the back. She immediately clucked to it, literally took it under her wing, and has fully adopted it. (Splash momma has been happy with the adoption).

I am in working small batches as I've got new broodies and trying a new set up in the main coop, but I've over the years done really well with first time broodies. If it is in their blood, they do well.

All to say overall my Marans breed has been good brooders, and your Blue Copper Marans likely will be just fine with the babies...place at night as suggested, from the back, and then monitor for the next several hours, and check first thing in the morning.

Likely momma will be fine but babies may be confused as they don't know the hen is their heat and comfort source and that it should be dark all the time (vs. the heat lamp). Standing by is to help babies know to stay with momma as much as to make sure momma is accepting. I usually give momma some room to move, eat/drink, but confine things so foster babies can't wander away too far for the first couple of days as they need to learn to obey her voice....as long as momma is handling the brood well.

LofMc

X2....I have encountered more problems from the chicks being confused rather than the hen.