Broody Hen Thread!

[fisherlady]

Thanks @fisherlady
 , we ended up using some plastic netting my husband bought for gardening.  Did the trick! The broodies are left alone now & hopefully we'll have chicks safely hatching in 2 more days.

Great!

 

[microchick]

I hope we are looking forward to seeing chicks around Tuesday or Wednesday. Lil'Girl was off the nest this morning grabbing a bite to eat. She was really talking to those eggs though. I've noticed with my hens that they usually don't go into lock down until about 2 days before hatching and then I have seen them get off the nest briefly.

I find this to be the hardest part about brooding. Those last 3 or 4 days where you are sitting around thinking "please hatch. Just a few, please."

I'd really hate to make a mad dash to Orschelns to pick up a few chicks for her at this late date.

 

[slordaz]

I hope we are looking forward to seeing chicks around Tuesday or Wednesday. Lil'Girl was off the nest this morning grabbing a bite to eat. She was really talking to those eggs though. I've noticed with my hens that they usually don't go into lock down until about 2 days before hatching and then I have seen them get off the nest briefly.

I find this to be the hardest part about brooding. Those last 3 or 4 days where you are sitting around thinking "please hatch. Just a few, please."

I'd really hate to make a mad dash to Orschelns to pick up a few chicks for her at this late date.

They do hatch some usually, was saddening that if one goes broody in my flock everyone donates, they think she should be able to sit on 30 eggs and sneek em in while we aren't watching as broody wouldn't let us look. The newest one sitting right now we did get a count and this is closer to what the other broody actually hatched out 10, she's got 11 under her and doing awesome, Looks like my BR's are the only ones going to successfully brood, the others wasn't for lack of trying but they don't seem to have the patience to get to the goal line.

 

[fisherlady]

You have to be the bad guy and take all eggs away from a broody, Mark the ones you want her to keep with a circle around the middle of them and give them back to her, pitch the rest. After she is set with her clutch you need to check every day or two and remove imposter eggs.
It may not be pleasant but it is our responsibility as flock keepers. We have removed them from a natural environment for brooding by restricting them to a coop and run... Wear gloves or long sleeves to reduce pinching or scratches. No matter how vicious they seem they are still only a 5-8lb bird.

 

[microchick]

My little Space Cadet is still getting off the nest on occasion. Luckily she hasn't rolled any eggs out in a day or so but this morning when I caught her off the nest I thought it would be a good time to do a final candling. Tomorrow should be the start of lock down for her. The first 3 eggs I checked were right on schedule if not a little ahead. I picked up the 4th egg and literally yelled "YIKES!" scaring the begeebers out of the hen in the nesting box next door and setting her off, which set the roosters off. I discovered that I was looking at a perfect pip. 2-3 days early! I carefully tucked it back into the nest pip up and got out of there after I was sure Lil'girl was back on the nest. The egg movement is definitely making her a bit nervous but when I just went out to check, she was sitting pretty and I heard a distinct soft "Peep" come from her nesting box so hey, what does the calendar know anyway?

I am a bit nervous about all the eggs hatching in time so the incubator is up and running just in case. I'm always glad when the first timers make it to this point.......and so do I.

 

[fisherlady]

My little Space Cadet is still getting off the nest on occasion. Luckily she hasn't rolled any eggs out in a day or so but this morning when I caught her off the nest I thought it would be a good time to do a final candling. Tomorrow should be the start of lock down for her. The first 3 eggs I checked were right on schedule if not a little ahead. I picked up the 4th egg and literally yelled "YIKES!" scaring the begeebers out of the hen in the nesting box next door and setting her off, which set the roosters off. I discovered that I was looking at a perfect pip. 2-3 days early! I carefully tucked it back into the nest pip up and got out of there after I was sure Lil'girl was back on the nest. The egg movement is definitely making her a bit nervous but when I just went out to check, she was sitting pretty and I heard a distinct soft "Peep" come from her nesting box so hey, what does the calendar know anyway? 

I am a bit nervous about all the eggs hatching in time so the incubator is up and running just in case. I'm always glad when the first timers make it to this point.......and so do I.

I had to chuckle when reading your post, probably because I can totally sympathize since we have had similar experiences. Broodies work on their own schedule, the heck with us silly humans using a calendar! Hope the hatch goes well!

 

[windyhawk]

So grateful for this thread and the posts about marking the eggs with a Sharpie. I got a quick rare glimpse of Broody's 6 eggs and quickly marked them. Next day she had 9. Grabbed the 3 new ones. Next day she had 8 & grabbed the 2 new ones. She would be sitting on an egg mountain if left alone.

I have rigged up a brooder coop but no idea how to move her and eggs. She is normally tame and sweet but right now really feisty. I am also concerned how she will take the move. If I move her shortly before the eggs hatch and keep her penned in the brooder coop until hatching, will she think of it as home and return there once we let her free range with the biddies? She has always been in a henhouse/run and never free ranged before. Thanks for all the help. I had no plan to ever hatch my own chicks but my hen had other plans and I cannot resist taking advantage.

 

[Selsley]

@windyhawk
i grabbed the hen and my sis moved the eggs at dusk and she settled straight away, was done in under 30 seconds, we did it on the 3rd day of the sit
blocking her in is a good idea coz ours didnt return to the nest on her own. and i had to make a barrier
just remove the barrier next day so she can go outside and monitor her, if she returns to the nest then all is good, if not move her manually and block her back in,
ours finally went back to the eggs after a fews days of returning her by hand, at which point the barrier wasnt replaced,

its best to move the eggs before day 18 coz you shouldnt move them in the last few days of hatching,

our nursery was under our nest boxes in an area set aside for the goose who never uses it, she stayed there for 4 weeks with the chicks, at which point she moved up into a nest box, then another then another so we ended up with a poop problem and annoyed hens lol, at 6 weeks she went back to the perch, with most of the chicks, a couple still nest so we have started blocking 2 boxes for the night to confine them to one so they dont poop in them all,
we have 2 rows of perches and the hens wont let them stay on the front one and they keep getting pushed off, even by mum. they have been relegated to the one 16inches behind it, which we put in to stop the traffic jams caused by our placid but stubborn orpington who got in the middle and refused to move along, now the hens use the perch to walk past her then jump onto the front,

 

[windyhawk]

@windyhawk
i grabbed the hen and my sis moved the eggs at dusk and she settled straight away, was done in under 30 seconds, we did it on the 3rd day of the sit
blocking her in is a good idea coz ours didnt return to the nest on her own. and i had to make a barrier
just remove the barrier next day so she can go outside and monitor her, if she returns to the nest then all is good, if not move her manually and block her back in,
ours finally went back to the eggs after a fews days of returning her by hand, at which point the barrier wasnt replaced,

its best to move the eggs before day 18 coz you shouldnt move them in the last few days of hatching,

our nursery was under our nest boxes in an area set aside for the goose who never uses it, she stayed there for 4 weeks with the chicks, at which point she moved up into a nest box, then another then another so we ended up with a poop problem and annoyed hens lol, at 6 weeks she went back to the perch, with most of the chicks, a couple still nest so we have started blocking 2 boxes for the night to confine them to one so they dont poop in them all,
we have 2 rows of perches and the hens wont let them stay on the front one and they keep getting pushed off, even by mum. they have been relegated to the one 16inches behind it, which we put in to stop the traffic jams caused by our placid but stubborn orpington who got in the middle and refused to move along, now the hens use the perch to walk past her then jump onto the front,

Thank you much. I didn't know not to move in the last few days. I hope she gets some chicks after so much effort. So dedicated. It is really impressive.

 

[microchick]

We have chicks! The first one hatched last night and they have been busily hatching all day. This morning I was able to snap a picture of the little one peeping out from under momma who was busy trying to stuff another baby back under her. Tonight I have seen maybe 6 chicks but that could be higher or lower. So far the babies are all colors from yellow to white to black and brown mottled. I can hardly wait to see them all.