Broody Hen Thread!

[thebulg]

update, even though i am sure it's not as important to anyone else mama looks so much better after pooping. i mean, hands down the best she has looked. she is going to need a bath once everyone is hatched, but she is fine otherwise. i've had to handle her twice to change out the explosion and the poop and there is not a sign anywhere of mites which makes me think that i did in fact catch it pretty early and i am so thankful for that. she is a GREAT mama. they pecked at her eyes and she didn't really even do much except raise her head! she scoots them to where they should be and cleans them up. we had one hatch out too early-- the first one. really bloody shell and i knew something was going to be wrong. its navel is still trying to close, but it's dry and there are no signs of infection. just a very weak chick right now.

i believe 8 of the 14 have hatched, but i am not sure. the first chick hatched some time between 4 and 7am today, so i am expecting everyone to be out when i wake up tomorrow.

 

[jaide]

I have a question for you more experienced chicken owners. I had a hen go broody. She quietly sat and hatched 5 eggs. She hung out with them for 2 1/2 weeks and as of Saturday shes back on a new clutch of eggs. Is it normal for them to be broody that soon again?

 

[ceceuu]

Just thought I'd pass on my experience with a broody hen trying to sit on unfertiliźed eģgs. I have a small flock of 8 two-year old hens and no rooster. Only one of my hens has gone broody and that is the Cuckoo Marans. She went broody last year and this year too. Last year it took me more than a week to figure out what was going on. I mowed her to a cage and a few days later I elevated it so air could get under it and prevent her from building up the heat. It took four or five days before she came around and she didn't lay for another month so that was about 6 weeks off production. This time I caught her broody within a few days and put her in the cage up off the floor. I think know she came out of it in two days but I kept her there for four days. She started laying again in three weeks. So it seems like the cage thing really works and getting her in it right away cut down the time she wasn't laying by quite a bit.

 

[16 paws]

update, even though i am sure it's not as important to anyone else mama looks so much better after pooping. i mean, hands down the best she has looked. she is going to need a bath once everyone is hatched, but she is fine otherwise. i've had to handle her twice to change out the explosion and the poop and there is not a sign anywhere of mites which makes me think that i did in fact catch it pretty early and i am so thankful for that. she is a GREAT mama. they pecked at her eyes and she didn't really even do much except raise her head! she scoots them to where they should be and cleans them up. we had one hatch out too early-- the first one. really bloody shell and i knew something was going to be wrong. its navel is still trying to close, but it's dry and there are no signs of infection. just a very weak chick right now.

i believe 8 of the 14 have hatched, but i am not sure. the first chick hatched some time between 4 and 7am today, so i am expecting everyone to be out when i wake up tomorrow.

Aw thats great news, we were all pulling for you, her and the chicks.

 

[Mezzer]

Hey Mezzer,
The hatch before this one were brooded in the mama heat pad cave.  Its so easy, I would give it a go for sure. I brooded mine right in the coop in an area that was sectioned off. I even taught a blind chick to use it.
Good luck now
Marie

Yes, I saw that. I have the heating pad under them for now, but I may do the heat cave later for them. They all look good EXEPT for the last one hatched (this morning) she's much smaller than the others and very weak. :/ she's hanging in there though. Broody hen is STILL broody. She's refusing to budge even though the eggs are gone. The other 5 are eating and drinking up a storm.

 

[16 paws]

Hey Microchick.

I got a good laugh at the thought of Aggie looking like a sumo wrestler

She sure changed her tune when she saw that bread huh?

Chicken little is doing well. I do believe she can detect when I come into the coop now. Before she seemed like she didnt hear me. The progress is slow but she is still very young. She sure does love to eat. She sits on her feed dish and happily chows down. Now that it is getting warmer she doesnt like to go into her cave as much at night. I turned the heat pad off a week or more ago. She enjoyed some fermented food today. She still squeals bloody murder when I pick her up. She is fiesty and thats good. She has a good size area to get around in and she is still with mama and 5 hatch mates. Taffy and her new little Serama babies are in the same area but are sectioned off. Thats kind of the nursery now.
Happy chickening all!!!!

 

[towen91]

Ok so I have my first broody hen! This will be hers and mine first time, so I have plenty of questions! First of all my flock is very small, 3 hens and 1 rooster. Before anyone ask the rooster does fantastic with just the three girls and all are happy and well lol. I only have one laying box because I would always just go in every day and collect all of their eggs and they all share and take turns great with no problems. Well we went to the lake this past weekend and one of my girls decided to go broody! However since she has gone broody, I have not received any eggs from my other two girls that I know of. Could they be laying when she gets up to eat and drink? If they are laying, how will this effect the broody girl? Will she continue to sit on all of the eggs even if most of them hatch before some of the others? Also should I separate my broody girl from the rooster and other hens? One of my other hens stays right next to the broody and is very protective of her. Is this normal? Should I be looking at the eggs or anything like that? I just kinda figured that chickens have been hatching eggs long before I came along lol. Thanks in advance for all of the great advice I know I'll get. Oh yea and feed! Do I need to switch the whole flock over to chick start? Half and half ? Or can the chicks its regular feed?

 

[thebulg]

you want to separate her @towen91 if she keeps getting new eggs every day, they are going to develop on the day they went under her. so she could be looking at a 4 day long hatching session, which is really not ideal-- the first chicks out will need help from mama, and she will refuse to get up. she will also likely get on to the eggs on day 18 of the first set of the eggs and not get off until everyone hatches, which could mean more than a week of not getting up. that means sick hen, poop in the nest, lots of things you don't want!

a lot of people opt to put their broodies in a dog crate! room to walk off and poop and stretch, but also safe.

the other option you have is to mark the eggs now, and every day maybe at night depending on how she lets you handle her, collect the unmarked eggs. you do run the risk of missing one, or disturbing her too much and breaking her broodiness, leaving those eggs with no mama. those are things you will have to weigh, and none of us can tell you which direction is best for you and your flock! but one way or another, you need to make sure that new eggs aren't being added to the nest.

after that! ha! your hen will sit for around 21 days, and will usually get up once a day for 30 minutes to an hour to poop, dust bathe, eat and drink. if it's really warm where you are, she might get up longer, and that's ok! as long as she goes back! on day 18 she will probably get up one more time and then won't leave the nest until everyone hatches. there is plenty of time between now and then to google everything! which i recommend!

but to start with, here is what i wish i had known, and hopefully others will chime in!

1. dont put food and water right in front of her because then she has no reason to get up and will poop the nest!
2. dust the nest and mama with your choice of bug control (diatomaceous earth, sevin dust, ash, baking soda any of those. look them up, and again, make the choice that you feel is best for your flock! everyone has an opinion on them!). do it again a week later when she's off the nest and dust her again as well, and do it one last time on day 17 or 18. sitting hens are lice and mite targets and it is the right time of year to make a lot of problems
3. if the coop is especially warm, you might want to rig a fan in there if you let her stay. she won't do as much to cool herself off as the rest of the flock will.
4. many people candle on the evening of the 10th day and toss non viable eggs. there are many, many tutorials and blogs and ways to learn about candling online, and you have time to read up on it!

there is probably lots more info! good luck, and congrats!

 

[PD-Riverman]

I have a question for you more experienced chicken owners. I had a hen go broody. She quietly sat and hatched 5 eggs. She hung out with them for 2 1/2 weeks and as of Saturday shes back on a new clutch of eggs. Is it normal for them to be broody that soon again?

Its not normal on my farm, BUT I do not have a new clutch of eggs laying around to temp her. Where did she get the new clutch of eggs and you did remove them I hope for her?

 

[Donna R Raybon]

She has not had enough time to recover from last hatch, so do not let her continue. If this is first time for her, make note to remember she sets well, but easily distracted from brooding. I would pen her and her brood together and watch to see what happens. Put her in pen tonight on a couple of eggs to keep her happy. Wait until good and dark, then put her chicks back under her. They will know to go snuggle with momma, so don't worry about getting them right up under her. Last thing you do is reach under and get two eggs you left with her. I have a flashlight that has red led and blue led light so not to disturb birds, yet I can see OK. Then I would keep her away from eggs, other setting hens, etc, so not to tempt her.