Broody Hen Thread!

[TheDenaChickens]

Thanks again for all the great info!

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Well unfortunately she died late this morning. I don't think she got overheated it's been cool over the last week. I just don't know what happened to her - it wasn't meant to be I guess. She had access to food and water at all times. My other RIR hens and roo that are in the same yard and coop as her, appear very healthy.

After this experience I'm seriously considering refeshing with BOs instead.

Sorry to hear that. There was definitely something else going on with her. I hope you did try to save the eggs with an incubator...I've been surprised at how cold eggs have revived.

As to refreshing with BO's from RIR's.

I preferred my BO's to RIR's. Be forewarned, the BO's will not produce anywhere near the eggs as the RIR's will....but the BO's are often more compliant and definitely less noisy than a RIR (I've had some snotty BO's too though).

But unfortunately that isn't saying a whole lot for BO's....I tried several rounds of them and finally gave up and traded the lot for some Welsummers and a good brooding Silkie.

My BO's ate a lot, produced only moderate amount of eggs, were fat, and then lazy about brooding.

If egg production is what you want, with compliant nature, I highly recommend the Red Sexlinks/Gold Stars, etc.

If you want a more dual purpose bird...meat, eggs, some brooding...and nice temperament...see if you can find a breeder quality (not hatchery) New Hampshire. If you can get started with a good line of them, they'll lay a decent amount of large eggs, brood occasionally, and have decent carcass weight on the young roos by 16 to 20 weeks.

I tried Buckeyes, but was not that impressed to make it worth the effort for me to really establish a good line as they are so rare where I live. When I go back to dual, and am done with egg color, I will look into New Hampshires for sure.

My 2 cents on that.

Again, sorry to hear she didn't make it.
LofMc

 

[PD-Riverman]

@PD-Riverman

I was hoping you'd weigh in as well on the natural broody vs. unhealthy broody issue. (I didn't cue you at the time as you are pretty good about scanning the thread and responding).

Have you predominately had to watch your ladies to be sure they don't starve or hinder themselves while brooding? (I know you have voiced a "hands-off" approach).

How often have you experienced a hen that "brooded herself to death?" If ever.

Thanks for your input as I know you've done hundreds of broodies while I am working on a much smaller scale over time.

LofMc

As I stated---I Have Never lost a broody in Many years of raising chickens----about 150+/- in the last 3 years alone. If I have a hen go broody--I use 2 things to check her health---My eyes and my hands---feeling her and her weight. If she feel or looks not up to par---I break her-----I Will NOT allow a sick looking/feeling hen to set. When I set her----you know I move them---I mark my calendar---If she did not hatch in 21 days (which has Never happened) I would give her about 2 more days then the eggs would be pulled and she would be moved to the broody breaker pen. """I""" would Never reset one of my hens for another 21 days of brooding. I realize some do and maybe they have only that one broody hen---and they want chicks. I have alot of broodies and I do not want to put my hen through that.

I always monitor my broodies daily while they are setting. I check their feed/water and look at them. 3 days before they hatch I feed/water them---usually changing the waterer to a chick waterer---Then they are left totally alone---I can see them from the side of the pen, but I do not get close to them. When they hatch and get off the nest----I then open their box and clean out their nest which is usually hatched shells or a unfertile egg----which I check. This is My Way and it Works great for me.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

hello, my BO chicks didn't hatch, we decided just to give her chicks to raise. how do I take the eggs away from her and give her the chicks? I want her to think that they hatched and they are Hers!! PLEASE REPLY!! ASAP!!

Let her sit on the eggs until you get store-bought chicks.

At twilight, dark enough so that she is settled, but light enough so you can see and monitor, place the chicks at the back of the hen, and remove all but one or two eggs (that will help her to remain settled...once she has bonded with the chicks, after a couple of days, remove those eggs too).

Start with one chick cupped in your hand, hold the other hand so that the hen cannot see the chick or she will likely peck at it or hit it while trying to peck at you.

Upon placement, listen to your hen. If she clucks and coos at the chicks...she is accepting them. If she becomes distressed, obviously she may not be happy with foreign chicks. It all depends upon the hen. Check on her for the next several hours and check first thing in the morning to make sure the hen has not become distressed if she is a first time broody, and in particular, a first time foster mother.

My issue usually is not with the broody, who gnerally takes the placement with stride. It is with the feed store chick not knowing what to do. They often become frightened at the big scary hen and the darkness. Your job for the next hour or so is to make sure the chicks stay with the hen. You may have to scoop and replace frightened chicks. You may need to block off exits so chicks cannot strand themselves away from the hen. Place food and water close enough so that it can be seen from the nest.

If feed store chicks, I personally do better with 3 day old chicks rather than the 1 day olds on day of arrival. Chicks suffer from travel stress and re-placing them into a foreign environment with new bacteria and coccidia can be more than their systems can handle. I feed medicated feed to the fosterlings and load them up with chick saver before placing.

If you have a reliable foster mother, I place immediately upon arrival at home (after above eye dropper hydrating), but if a new foster mother, I wait until twilight.

Watch for the next several days to make sure chicks and momma are bonding and that no chick looks ruffled or lethargic (sign of transition stress which usually is bacterial overgrowth or coccidia).

And don't feel bad if it doesn't go well. I think a lot of hatchery stock doesn't know how to be chickens. I've had a number of feed store chicks refuse to stay with a loving hen, dying with cold or travel stress. Then others take to her like a duck to water. It is partly the genetics of imprinting.

My experiences.
LofMc

 

[carolinasculpture]

Yay!  My hen adopted the late chick I stuck under her last night.  She was up walking and clucking around the brooder this morning and I saw all 9 tottering after her.  I hope she can take one more tonight as that last hatcher looks pretty lonely in the incubator.  

Yeah! Keep us posted! My hen is on day 23...hope some hatch!

 

[microchick]

Then you'll enjoy this story...a chicken friend of mine was out on the back porch and happened to observe her cat "playing" with a mouse. The poor thing was tossed in the air numerous times until it finally fell out of reach from the cat.

Terrified, the mouse looked at the cat, then looked at the chicken pen. It bolted into the chicken pen away from the cat, to obvious safety, it thought.

It made a poor choice.

Those hens collectively pounced on that mouse as one hoard, and my friend said the mouse was torn limb from limb into smithereens within seconds.

However, I have yet to see any of my lazy gals so much as lift a beak at any rodent scurrying around my place.

LofMc

My Buff O's won't do anything other than tweet with alarm when they see one that the Wellies have caught. Even the roosters won't react to them but those Welly hens love those mice to pieces. I threatened our cats with feathered replacement.

 

[BenAnnaMama]

EDIT!

Hi! I'm too excited and in a rush to look through the forum to see if my questions are answered but here is my situation :

1. I have a hen separated in a shed in a locked dog kennel sitting on eggs that are just starting to hatch. She is in the general area that the other chickens are.
2. I have two others that have since gone broody and may potentially be hatching chicks as well in the chicken coop.
3. Now that I have the babies coming, I'm not sure if I let her lead them out into the pasture, or if I keep all of them in this shed for a while. In the meantime I may have other chicks too, remember.
4. If I let her free range with the others, where will she sleep? They can't go up the ladder to the coop, I'm assuming?
5. I feel a strong pull to "let nature take its course" but I also want to do right by these babies!
6. She has hatched 2 out of7 eggs. She's abandoned the unhitched eggs now that two have hatched. Is it possible they can still hatch? Why would she abandon the other eggs?

HELP!

Thanks!

 

[Lady of McCamley]

EDIT!

Hi! I'm too excited and in a rush to look through the forum to see if my questions are answered but here is my situation :

1. I have a hen separated in a shed in a locked dog kennel sitting on eggs that are just starting to hatch. She is in the general area that the other chickens are.
2. I have two others that have since gone broody and may potentially be hatching chicks as well in the chicken coop.
3. Now that I have the babies coming, I'm not sure if I let her lead them out into the pasture, or if I keep all of them in this shed for a while. In the meantime I may have other chicks too, remember.
4. If I let her free range with the others, where will she sleep? They can't go up the ladder to the coop, I'm assuming?
5. I feel a strong pull to "let nature take its course" but I also want to do right by these babies!
6. She has hatched 2 out of7 eggs. She's abandoned the unhitched eggs now that two have hatched. Is it possible they can still hatch? Why would she abandon the other eggs?

HELP!

Thanks!

It really depends on your preferences. There are no wrong answers, just different situations and approaches.

You will need to consider your overall flock temperament, rooster, and brooding hen as well as the general environment and overall safety for the chicks.

Hens are fully capable of integrating chicks into a flock with free range conditions, providing you do not have heavy predator issues. But you will need to expect some possible loss. How much you are willing to risk depends on your personal temperament and purpose for the chickens (what is their value to you...commercial, sustainable food source, expensive breeder stock, adorable friend and pet).

Are you willing to let nature take its course with the knowledge you can lose a few? If you've got a rooster, a source of free fertile eggs, and the desire to develop a sustainable flock, then I personally recommend that you let nature take its course. The first year may see some losses, but only those hens and chicks savvy enough to make this life work will survive.

After a few years, you've got very savvy hens and hardy chicks ranging freely...that is assuming you do not have heavy predator issues that would make this flock style unreasonably dangerous. If you've got predators or other environmental safety issues (try to remove all you can of course), you may need locked sheds and wire fences buried deep into the ground.

If however your chickens are pets, and you know you'll feel a deep loss for every fluffy beak that doesn't make it, I recommend keeping the broody and her chicks in the shed until they are older, perhaps 2 to 3 weeks, then allowing integration if you have safe environment and friendly flock members. Otherwise, you may need to grow the chicks until they are larger in size, perhaps 8 to 10 weeks, and integrate older chicks.

If the eggs were set slightly different dates, that will cause a stagger in hatch days. Most hens will only set for 1 to 2 days after the first chicks hatch and will abandon the rest to take care of the hatchlings. Chicks need to be taken to food and water by day 2 or 3 latest. Some hens are better than others at waiting for the last eggs to hatch. Some hens ignore hatched chicks to steadfastly sit on unhatched eggs, to the detriment of their hatched chicks.

The eggs may not be fertile or have stopped growing, or momma simply is ready to move on with the chicks. The system is not infallible. Those eggs may be still good. Candle them to see if they are developed, and if they are, place them under another broody who is ready to receive babes or place them in an incubator with a plan on either fostering with a hen or brooding them yourself.

Let us know how it goes.
LofMc

 

[16 paws]

14 eggs....checked after a week...all but two appeared to be developing...so far so good. I will keep you posted.

Thanks so much and best of luck.

Marie

 

[blessings6]

Who knows? That rooster can not stop a hawk that scoops down and grabs a chick-flying off with it to be back shortly for another one. Well really that rooster can not stop a good size hawk from killing him---he might put up a fight for a few seconds while that hawk tears his throat out---I have seen it done. So if you got Hawks---might better put them chicks/mom under a wire top----pen.

my rooster is constantly looking up and warning the hens of danger he gives my Australian Shepherd a run for her money if she gets too feisty. He scared a hawk off last year. He keepa close to the hens and keeps them close to the bushes.