Broody Hen Thread!

[fisherlady]

I'm hoping to raise birds for eating. We won't use an incubator as we have no mains electric connection. So I want to get them sitting on a decent number of eggs.

Hubby wants to eat both boys and girls, but I suggested we could sell the excess girls if we get a good breed. So my latest broody has 6 brahma eggs, quite expensive as from some showline so she's only got a few of them for this first time sitting.

If i may suggest...take a look at some quality Light Sussex and White Rocks, the young roosters cull at decent weights at 20-24 weeks and I like the hens' personalities. Some lines still have broody tendancis also.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I also wanted to mention that this is her first broody session! Maybe she didn't turn them right or distribute the heat right. Thank you for everyone who helped. about to do a float test. I will keep you updated on the float test results!

So many things can go wrong, or right, in a broody situation and often you never know why they didn't hatch (and sometimes how they ever hatched).

It unfortunately is trial and error until you find the right solution for your situation, and with each brood you learn something new.

I have had hatches that *should* have been perfect, but were dismal. I have had eggs that should never have made it, but gave them a chance, and healthy chicks came out.

There are so many dynamics to consider, and it takes time to work through the possibilities to see if there is a pattern that shows a problem, then fix that problem (hoping you don't create more problems with that fix).

If you are working with purchased eggs, especially expensive ones, it is best to isolate the hen completely, provide good nest materials, good food and water nearby, and interfere as little as possible.

If you have the advantage of a rooster, are not handling expensive breeds (to sell or breed), and a calmer flock (which happens with a good rooster), and can handle some "natural loss," you may be able to be more relaxed and "let nature take its course" on the farm.

I've been the former and now am the latter.

When I was purchasing expensive breed specific eggs while building my flock, you bet I hovered over those eggs and hens!

Early in our chicken years, we burned a full size coop down, to the ground, to ash heap, with a heat lamp, overnight with a blaze so hot that it scorched nearby trees and left nothing but the hot metal hardware and a smoldering ash pit at morning light (NO one had seen it or called the fire department!) So the idea of hot lamp brooding in the garage had waned considerably (it is the hand of providence that kept the whole property, and our neighbors wood pile, and our neighborhood, from burning to the ground with that coop fire...I could have become another Mrs. O'Leary).

So when I had a broody volunteer that spring, the idea struck me, why not try the "natural" way. She gave up (a Buff Orpington as it happens) and didn't go broody again, so I purchased a known Silkie brooding queen. I bought really cheap, mutt eggs, from a farm as her first test batch. She was in the main coop with my flock of large fowl, and I ran into problems through that first batch. Hens were laying in the nest, kicking out the fertile eggs. She was pushed off the nest leaving eggs to get cold. So I ended up subdividing the coop with a couple of boards and nails so she had a small area to herself. She hatched 3 of 3 eggs for me....but I learned with her, I would need isolation.

So we built a broody hutch, and I placed her in that when she went broody. I hatched some really nice quality, expensive breeds with her (BCM, Rhodebar, shipped Buckeye eggs, and more) as I built my flock. My problem was integration....I would open the grow out pen to let them integrate, and the chicks did pretty well, but my flock would always severely haze that poor silkie....even the very chicks she had hatched earlier now as adults would haze her!

So, I built a bigger and better grow out pen, and was planning to get another Silkie to keep Oma-San company as she would spend all her days in that....when, as Murphy's law would have it, a Coopers Hawk picked off my most valuable player on her last outing day with the last batch of grow outs!

Broken hearted, I scoured and found another proven Silkie and purchased 2 bantam Cochins for this fine broody hutch and grow out pen. And I've hatched a number of very expensive breed eggs and fostered various breeds until I have gotten the breeding flock and finally the rooster I want.

Now I've got fertile eggs and a breeding plan, and an amazingly calm flock with the most awesome rooster. When I had several full size hens volunteer in the main coop this year (I normally would put them in the broody hutch, but often had troubles with the large hens with the banty hens requiring some clever partitioning...and work), I "let nature take its course."

I'm working in small batches as I "troubleshoot" this set up. I've had some issues with hens laying in nest boxes,and I think one chick got crushed because of that. I've had one momma abandon her hatchling too early (at about a week of age) to stay with the flock, so I used the gal whose chick was crushed to foster that abandoned young chick (worked wonderfully, but then foster momma of course abandoned her second set of eggs I'd given her at day 14....which went to the broody hutch and my banties who had gone into brood again...being serial brooders).

So I'm going through a learning season of "musical nests" trying different ways to do things again. Learning how to do different methods most effectively, and that certain methods are better for certain situations.

The rooster has made broody hen integration and chick flawless...nobody gets to mess with momma and chick, no snotty gals allowed around here, yet tenderly cares for his ladies and babes. (I LOVE him!).

My banties, who are always hazed by the large fowl (and hawk bait for the multitude of hawks we have) remain safe in the broody hutch. These gals brood throughout the year, so I will use them for really important hatches that I want better control over.

So there is no right/wrong and every brood is different...even with the same hens...and some you win and some you lose...that's life with chickens. Again, you learn something new with each brood.

As to your gal, set eggs under her again if she is a stubborn broody, but if she shows signs she's had enough, let her get back into the flock. You can urge her back in by gently taking her off the nest and setting her into the yard away from her nest. Giver her really yummy treats each time. After a few days of this kind of treatment, those that are ready will break and join the flock. If they stubbornly insist on sitting...I put more eggs under them or fosters since a chick is the best way to break a hen from a brood....if you want to use that hen for brooding again.

My thoughts.

LofMc

 

[PD-Riverman]

Has anyone had 2 hens sharing a clutch?

I Must answer-----Honestly----NO----LOL

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Yes. That happens quite a bit.

How well it works totally depends upon the flock dynamics and the 2 hens involved.

Talk @fisherlady as she has done quite a bit of co-brooding, or rather her marvelous Silver Penciled Rocks have. She has a number of photos of dual hatching. EDITED TO ADD: I see she has beat me to it and added those photos...do you have the 2-headed Silver Penciled one handy? @fisherlady

I can attest to the Silver Penciled Plymouth calm demeanor and propensity to brood. Started a flock of these last spring. This spring 4 of 8 went broody. One I broke and one I sold. Now have two in the grow out coop where they moved their eggs to the door so they can sit side by side looking out all day. If one leaves to eat and poop the other spreads out to cover both clutches. I have no doubt they would share he chicks when hatched.

 

[Huggerlady]

@Lady of McCamley

Yep, the pics of the SPRs are usually easy to find
First pic is a reference one for another thread, just moved it forward on my list...shows an improvised broody area under a shelf.

So cute! I got BB and Speckles together just a few weeks ago. I was told they've both raised chicks. So far Speckles is sitting the most and BB jumps on if she gets off. I have not had a Broody in more than 5 years so really excited. Speckles raised up and showed me when I went in there awhile ago. I thought she was going for food and water close by but she just stood there a minute then plopped back down and fussed around. I love how sweet and careful they both are and I think there is 10 eggs.

 

[nchls school]

Has anyone had 2 hens sharing a clutch? Not sure what to do here. One gets off the other goes on. The sussex was on all night, she got off and the Blue Maran got on. When big mama blue came back, she just sat right next to speckles. No quarreling but I do believe it was hers first.

Yes. I give them each their own low nest box that stays side by side. My hens often team up. I have three right now that work as a team. Some chicks are three weeks old, some two weeks, and some one week. I have not seen this before. Yes to teaming up, but not when the chicks are different ages.

 

[RachaelR32]

If i may suggest...take a look at some quality Light Sussex and White Rocks, the young roosters cull at decent weights at 20-24 weeks and I like the hens' personalities. Some lines still have broody tendancis also.

Light sussex are what I originally wanted but it seems they are hard to get round here. I've 2 friends who have what they were told were light sussex but they look like sussex hybrids. I've another friend who breeds dark sussex and in her opinion there are no good pure breed light sussex in this part of the country. She recommend a breeder 4 - 5 hours away which was a bit far. I might yet try and get some eggs from him though if I can get better quality LSussex than can be got round here.

The brahmas I got though are broody raised so I hope have a good dose of the broody tendencies. The breeder I got them from had one brahma running around with 22 LF silky chicks she'd hatched.

 

[kendallb12]

just now I buried the eggs my BO was sitting on. she is outside taking a break and we got the 10 eggs she was sitting on and buried them out in the woods. We put 6 eggs in her nest about 30 minutes ago! maybe she will sit on them? I'm not sure if she will enjoy sitting on eggs for another 21days. She is still broody so she might want to. She has lost weight so me and my parents decided that we should take her outside daily. she never went outside so she lost weight. We decided that every day we will pick her up and have to carry her outside to eat and groom and defecate. 30 minutes to a hour later we will put her back on the left. around day 18 we will let her sit all day till hatch day. hopefully this works. if she decides to quit before day 21 we will either chuck them or get a incubator. Thank you for all of your comments and suggestions. BYC is the best! please feel free to comment or say anything. Anything helps!

-Kendall

 

[kendallb12]

take her back to the nest not the to the left. auto correct kills me

 

[Huggerlady]

Yes. I give them each their own low nest box that stays side by side. My hens often team up. I have three right now that work as a team. Some chicks are three weeks old, some two weeks, and some one week. I have not seen this before. Yes to teaming up, but not when the chicks are different ages.

Sweet! The Brooder is plenty big enough for 2 clutches. I should have taken a photo when BB was sittin patiently waiting for her turn. Do you remove a Broody for food and water? I put it just out of reach. The last batch hatched around here was a surprise. Mother looked just fine. It's not really to hot here yet and going to cool off the next week again so not worried about over heating and dehydration. So I should expect these chicks by 21 days. It's been about 30+ hours, so give them 22 before I worry?