Broody Hen Thread!

[fisherlady]

Thank you! Yes, still poop in the nest, so she won't be getting any eggs until she commits. I've got a spare dog kennel in the coop (no door on it) that I'm optimistic to move her to, and surround with a puppy pen that I've already "upgraded" for containing baby chicks lol. I feel ready for a broody, just need someone to commit. I have high hopes for Betty though, and will try to keep things as normal as possible so she doesn't quit this time around, before she even gets good and set. 

And if her behavior outside of the box goes to "normal" for her, I'll block off the boxes entirely at night. I don't have any interest in fishing poop out of the boxes in the morning LOL 

Sounds like a good plan

 

[Nksg75]

I have a interesting/complicated situation going on in my coop. I would like some advice, opinions, etc.
Ok here it goes:
I have a total of 11 birds in an enclosed coop. 3 silkie hens who are all broody, 3 (9 week old) silkie mixes(they were hatched by silkie #1), and 5 (5 month old marans&polish chickens I hatched myself, and introduced successfully)
Our rooster is no longer with us(vicious man who kept attacking my husband and father in law!)
So, once I realized silkie #1 went broody again I purchased 12 BLRW,AC,CO,&EE hatching eggs locally. When returned to set eggs under silkie #1, I noticed my other 2 silkies were also broody.
So I split the eggs up under each broody and walked away.
Fast forward 7 days:
I go out to the coop, to check on everyone. I candle the eggs and to my surprise only 4 viable eggs. The rest had detached aircells (they had good intack aircells when I placed them under the broodys) I wondered why until I sat there and watched the 3 broodys stealing each other's eggs. Constantly rolling them to their own little nest when one would get off to take a break and go eat. I also notice our EE(RIP) was unable to walk, paralyzed in legs, and just sitting in the coop with the 3 broodys. Uh, oh!! So I immediately get her out of there and separated.
(I need to mention that our coop is at our farm, 40 miles away. We go there on the weekends, and my husband is there to run his business 2-3 days during the weekday. And we also have my in laws that live down the road that checks on them when I need them too)
So I bring her back home with me to try and figure out what the issue is. I cared for her for about 7 days (at the end had to tube feed her) all the while she spirals downhill. I call Texas A&M and spoke to Dr. Moore(head of poultry lab in Center Texas, and the most wonderful helpful man) In the back of my mind, I have that feeling that it may be the horrid big M!! So on Sunday I had to put her out of her misery, poor girl was not going to bounce back from this. I sent her body off yesterday(Monday) to Dr. Moore's lab in Center, Texas.
In the meantime the hatch day is drawing near(only 4 viable eggs between 3 broodys), and I am fearful of what the lab will come back with.
I go back out to check on then around day 14-15 and all seems well except one of our 1st time broodys is looking a little too thin for my liking. (Yes, I do know that they will get thinner while brooding)
So I decide that I want to separate at least on broody who has proven to be a good mama(she hatched and raised the silkie mixes that are 9 weeks)
I put her on ground level and leave the other 1 st time broody girls up in the coop. I place 2 viable eggs under her, and split the other 2 eggs between the girls in the coop.
The silkies, and EE, and the 9 week old silkie mixes were never vaccinated for Mereks . After reading so much about the horrible virus, I decided to vaccinate from then on. So the 5 maran/polish are vaccinated.
I have the vaccine in my fridge to give to the new chicks.
If the necropsy comes results come back with Mereks I am totally at a loss for what to do.
I want the silkies to be able to raise the chicks after all the hard work they have put in, and yet I know that the chicks may not have time for the vaccine to work before they are exposed.
This is all under the assumption that the lab comes back with a positive diagnosis of Mereks.
I keep thinking that it may have been botulism, it has not stopped raining here, and I let them free range on the weekends. The coop is located next to an old barn that has had so many chemicals, tractors and whatnot in it over the years, that I have no idea what poison could be leeching from it. I of course keep the barn doors shut when the chickens are out free angling, so they have never been given access to the inside.
I am posting a pic of my basic set up(the barrier has since been removed, and rooster is gone).
The coop on left is where two broodys are and little coop is what the 5 maran/polish sleep.

What would you do if this was your situation?

 

[rebrascora]

As someone who has Marek's in their flock and broody rears chicks within that flock, it might be helpful to tell you about my experience.

I knew nothing about Marek's until 2 years ago when I suddenly had a lame adolescent chicken one morning. As everyone else, I assumed it was an injury until, within a few days I had another 2 lame chickens. Whilst I have high roosts it was too much of a coincidence that I had 3 lame chickens within a week. The first one declined over a couple of weeks and eventually I had to euthanize. I did a post mortem and found tumours. Of the other two, one learned to live with her paralysis and hopped everywhere and the other went from lame to floundering on her side in Marek's splits posture to completely recovered within a week. Unfortunately she had a second attack a couple of months later that was much more prolonged but after several months of supportive care through the worst of the last of the winter and with the help of a bit of spring sunshine and some grass, she picked up and eventually managed to free range with the flock again and even laid 2-3 eggs a week, although she still hobbled. In the mean time I had a cockerel that went down with paralysis but fully recovered and lived another year before his second attack which was sadly fatal. I lost a couple of other youngsters for no apparent reason with no sign of paralysis which I now think was probably also Marek's. I had broody raised about 20 chicks that year and lost 4 or 5.

Last year my broodies reared 28 chicks and I had 2 show symptoms of Marek's and both recovered from the first attack but one succumbed to a second attack several months later.

This year my broodies reared 56 chicks so far and another 9 eggs currently under my favourite broody. I've had 3 with Marek's, so far and sadly the two pullets didn't make it but the cockerel is fully recovered from that first attack. I care for the sick ones until quality of life is untenable and it is a heart breaking decision to put them down but I have come to know when it is time.

I don't vaccinate and have read that the Marek's vaccine may not be the best option as it is an "imperfect vaccine" that can lead the virus to mutate into a more virulent strain. I am lucky that I have one of the milder strains and I would like to keep it that way.

I don't isolate Marek's sick birds other that for their own safety as my flock has already been exposed. My broody nest area is actually in the same brooder/infirmary which is located in my hen house, that I use for caring for Marek's sick birds, so chicks are hatched into that environment, although I would not keep a Marek's sick bird in the brooder at the same time of course.

What I am saying is that, if your necropsy result comes back as positive for Marek's, it is not the end of the world! There is always some heartache in raising chickens as well as lots of pleasure and watching a broody hen raise her chicks is top of the list in the latter category. Personally I would not vaccinate, particularly in your scenario, because the chicks are going to be exposed to the virus from hatch anyway.

The other option is that you remove the eggs now and use an incubator to hatch them. Vaccinate them and brood them at your home for 3 weeks to give the vaccine time to work but by then the weather will be too cold and you will have to brood them for a further 4-5 weeks before they can be introduced to your flock at the farm. Then you have the stress of integrating them. Out of the 4 eggs you have remaining they may not all hatch or possibly all be cockerels if you have luck like mine and need disposing of anyway..... so you might be better letting nature take it's course and then breed from whatever survivors you have in future years.

That is just my opinion and others will have different ones. If you haven't already, check out the thread Marek's Disease - Breeding for resistance.

Good luck whatever you decide and fingers crossed the necropsy comes back negative for Marek's and the whole issue is moot.

Regards

Barbara

 

[lpyrbby]

I'm wondering now, if Betty was just laying an egg especially late last night. She was out of the nest this morning when I went to let them out and scrape the roosts. I cleaned the dirty fake eggs then went to check for poo in the box she was in. Found the egg, cold, and no poo.

She's pulling my chain, I bet, since I want her to brood so badly lol. Sigh. One day I will join the broody hen club lol

 

[Nksg75]

Wow, thank you so much. That actually gave me some hope. Your right, they will be exposed right off the bat, if it is indeed mareks. Yes, it was so hard to have to make the call to end her life. I tried so many things to try to heal her, to no avail.
My concern, and bewilderment is the silkies are fine. I know that could change at anytime, however I thought they would be the first to die. They do have a reputation for being especially vulnerable to this virus!
I guess I will just have to wait till I have the results.
I really would rather not have to remove the eggs, the girls have been so dedicated to hatching.
Ahh, decisions decisions!!

Any advice on how to separate the eggs that may hatch?

 

[chickennutty]

Should I replace my broody hen eggs after she has set on some for 3 days?? We will be away for 8 days. They should hatch 4 days before we get back. The neighbors will be checking in. She went broody last week. I tried to discourage her. She finally won! I have her separated in the coop. Wondering if changing the eggs now is too long to be broody. Love this site. Thanks to all of you for your thoughts and knowledge over the years. You have taught me so much.

 

[fisherlady]

 Should I give my broody hen new eggs after she has set on some for 3 days?? We will be away for 8 days. They should hatch 4 days before we get back. The neighbors will be checking in. She went broody last week. I tried to discourage her. She finally won! I have her separated in the coop. Wondering if changing the eggs now is too long to be broody. Love this site. Thanks to all of you for your thoughts and knowledge over the years. You have taught me so much.

Changing eggs out for new ones this early on should be fine as long as she is healthy....but just adding eggs to her current clutch is not.

Adding eggs anytime beyond the first 16-24 hrs causes a staggered hatch...and staggered hatches are dangerous situations for the later eggs and/or chicks. You can go back a month (or use the search box) on this thread or the 'old fashioned broody' thread to see further info on it.

 

[chickennutty]

No, I would replace the 4 eggs she is presently sitting on and start new ones. I'm thinking she became broody on Sept. 23, so tomorrow would be 2 weeks. I let her sit on eggs in the nesting box, but realized she was changing boxes on me. I separated her on Sunday. She is a healthy little one. I have been getting her out 3 times a day the last 3 days to eat and drink now that she is in the pen. She has responded well to that, but doesn't dally. She has food and water , but I never see her get up on her own. I've read that she may stay broody on her own for 6 weeks, so I'm hoping changing eggs won't be an issue. I would be much relieved to be home when she hatched them.Thanks.

Oh, how is it a hen picks the worse time to do these things?

We're leaving for 8 days and it's getting cold! Perfect timing for little ones! I sure would love some,though!

 

[rebrascora]

@Nksg75

Quote:
I'm not sure what you mean by that. I thought you only had 4eggs left and had put 2 under one broody and one each under the others?

One other thing that I would mention about Marek's is that it is a Herpes type virus and as such, it can often be triggered by stress. Keeping your birds as happy and stress free as possible is the best way to prevent outbreaks. Since your silkies are no doubt contented being broody, that might be another reason to leave the eggs with them.

Any news on the necropsy result yet?

 

[Nksg75]

Oh, sorry. Let me explain my question. I have 3 broody hens, and last time I checked only 4 viable eggs. I wanted to ask how others split up eggs with so few eggs and so many broody hens.
I was thinking that the most reliable broody would get 2 eggs and the other 2 first times could each get one.
And in response to your question about the news:

Yes, unfortunately the necropsy came back with definite signs of mareks. I had them do the Gross Nercropsy only, and I will post that after I black out my personal info.