Broody Hen Thread!

[PD-Riverman]

The 2 are separated from the flock just not each other and havent been given eggs yet because I just moved them. The other hen has been in a nest the last couple of nights but I've not seen her daytime behavior much because of not being home much. She may just be hanging out there at night although she usually roosts. School is out now and I'll be home most days for free range time and can better assess her determination.

OK, again these are yours and you can set them up any way you want. I just try to suggest the BEST way so people have Less trouble. Some leave their broody hens with the rest of the flock and have no problem, a lot have Major problems doing that. Some stick two or three together in a pen and have no problem, some have problems. With 150+ broody hens in the last 3 years alone---all moved to Private Pens I had Zero Problems---This is why I suggest to everyone---that if they/you want less or no problems-----"properly" move them to a private pen/set-up!! Good Luck

 

[katatonic123]

Well space is limited and I only have one other place to go with a broody so 3 broodies present a problem. This is the best I can do with what I have.

 

[WildHens]

Seems broody is contagious. .must be airborne bc my now 2 broodies can't even see each other..lol..
Thought maybe my little Serama had just been laying low bc she prefers the barn and that's where the grow out room is..nope..she was hiding, faithfully setting on 2 ping pong balls she gathered up and 1 newly laid egg of her own..It took me 3 days to find her, so I found her 3 of her eggs that were set in the bator and swapped those out for her fresh egg and the ping pong balls...thought for sure when I did the swap out that she'd screech and fly off like the little crazy she is..instead she just growled and spit like a mini T-rex, tried to take a finger or 3 off and then tucked the newbies under her like an old pro ♡♡

I did move the juvies from the grow out room out to a big coop , so now just her and the hubs have the whole barn to themselves... thought about moving them to a smaller pen, but she's safe where she's at so, probably just gonna leave her alone

 

[Morrigan]

Pre-dawn this morning I put the 8 chicks that hatched in my incubator under my poor-broody-but-good-mother. This is my first time trying this. At first I just put the chicks around her breast, which was a mistake. She was pecking my hands and then and pecked one chick right after I released it, still viewing it as part of my hand intrusion, I think. I then moved everyone around to the rear and under her wings, and crossed my fingers.

She was very alertly listening to the cheeping, and then began softly clucking and fluffed out over the chicks. 10 seconds later I would not have known there was a thing under her. I'm amazed at how the noisy, trampling, unruly mess that was in the incubator this morning disappeared under her. I'll continue to check on her throughout the day, but I'm optimistic. She looked very contended with those chicks under her.

I saw one unhatched egg -- I have no idea if any of the other 3 hatched. I was going to give her a day with the new chicks and then clear out any remaining eggs from her tonight (which will be day 23), so she can focus on her new ones. She doesn't know it, of course, but 3 of the chicks are from her eggs, so this will be her first time raising her own chicks.

 

[WildHens]

Pre-dawn this morning I put the 8 chicks that hatched in my incubator under my poor-broody-but-good-mother.  This is my first time trying this.  At first I just put the chicks around her breast, which was a mistake.  She was pecking my hands and then and pecked one chick right after I released it, still viewing it as part of my hand intrusion, I think.  I then moved everyone around to the rear and under her wings, and crossed my fingers.

She was very alertly listening to the cheeping, and then began softly clucking and fluffed out over the chicks.  10 seconds later I would not have known there was a thing under her.  I'm amazed at how the noisy, trampling, unruly mess that was in the incubator this morning disappeared under her.  I'll continue to check on her throughout the day, but I'm optimistic.  She looked very contended with those chicks under her.  

I saw one unhatched egg -- I have no idea if any of the other 3 hatched.  I was going to give her a day with the new chicks and then clear out any remaining eggs from her tonight (which will be day 23), so she can focus on her new ones.   She doesn't know it, of course, but 3 of the chicks are from her eggs, so this will be her first time raising her own chicks.

Yay♡♡ nothing quite like it is there.. and then to see little heads popping out of wings and looking around like "wow"..
People think I'm crazy, but if all of my hens went broody, I'd let every single one set..whether I had to empty my incus for the eggs or even buy eggs for them.. nothing better ♡♡

 

[PD-Riverman]

, so now just her and the hubs have the whole barn to themselves... thought about moving them to a smaller pen, but she's safe where she's at so, probably just gonna leave her alone

You going to Move Poor Hubs To The Main House too??? Guess you are not talking about your Hubs----LOL.

 

[WildHens]

You going to Move Poor Hubs To The Main House too???

No no. .he's in the barn with her.. well she's in the feed/tack room and he goes back and forth between the empty grow out room and feed room with her.. they have always flown out of any of the main coops and always made their way back inside the barn, so leaving them there.. he weighs all of about 6-8oz, even the babies could hurt him if they tried..and he seems to enjoy being with her..
I usually (depending) on the boy of course, but leave the roo with the hen when they go broody if it's a pair.. now if the broody hen comes from a pen with several hens and a roo, she is removed and penned separate

Eta...hmm, maybe should move the human one there too

 

[PD-Riverman]

No no. .he's in the barn with her.. well she's in the feed/tack room and he goes back and forth between the empty grow out room and feed room with her.. they have always flown out of any of the main coops and always made their way back inside the barn, so leaving them there.. he weighs all of about 6-8oz, even the babies could hurt him if they tried..and he seems to enjoy being with her..
I usually (depending) on the boy of course, but leave the roo with the hen when they go broody if it's a pair.. now if the broody hen comes from a pen with several hens and a roo, she is removed and penned separate

LOL. I edited my other post while you were typing this one---Thinking you had YOUR Hubs (husband) in the barn-------LOL

 

[Morrigan]

Yay♡♡ nothing quite like it is there.. and then to see little heads popping out of wings and looking around like "wow"..
People think I'm crazy, but if all of my hens went broody, I'd let every single one set..whether I had to empty my incus for the eggs or even buy eggs for them.. nothing better ♡♡

I'm right with you. So sad to only have one broody. I'm hoping at least one of her offspring is a hen and that some of her broodiness passes on.

 

[fisherlady]

I'm right with you.  So sad to only have one broody.  I'm hoping at least one of her offspring is a hen and that some of her broodiness passes on. 

Be careful what you wish for, lol....we current.y have 5 with chicks, 2 setting, one who is hatching today and another doing serious nest shopping.

Thankfully we love our broodies also but I wish they would keep it at 5 or 6 at a time, since ours brood mostly right within the coop/flock it creates some logistical challenges to find private spaces for their first few days! Though integration is taken care of by the hens and the chicks are full flock members before they are done being brooded by the hen.