Broody Hen Thread!

[draag80]

Tasting bread for the first time. A week old

 

[Aredhel]

I have a broody hen w no eggs to hatch. Can I give her a three day old Guinea to raise? Beginning week four of brooding. She's in an out of the way spot.

 

[thunderbird]

My orpington from My older flock who I have appropriately named Broody because she goes broody all the time, lately has been making those soft clucking noises that broodys tend to make but she's not walking around all puffed up or sitting on the nest. But this morning I came in to find this

She wasn't happy to see me and Im just hoping she's actually going broody so I can hatch more chicks

My young cochin bantam has been sitting on eggs for an hour at a time or so screams at everyone and puffs up but isn't making those clucking noises and gets off the nest and acts like it never happens

She was in a bucket this mornimg

 

[Aredhel]

Nice birds. We decided to put incubated eggs under her. They should hatch in 3 days or so. She has food and h2o at hand. She is a blue laced red wyandott hatching wyandott, cemani and Guinea eggs.

 

[microchick]

Good luck, thunderbird. They sure look like they are either broody or going broody to me.

 

[thunderbird]

Good luck, thunderbird. They sure look like they are either broody or going broody to me.

Thanks, the cochin already abandoned her nest but my orpington looks fully committed at this point

 

[mysterychick]

. Well I tried Movie the duo broody hens but they were stubborn I didn't have another pen so I was trying to separate them in the same pen and they would end up back with each other and almost abandoning eggs 18 of the 24 hatched. Omg that's a lot of chicks and they seem to be co-parenting then. Whatever works I guess!

I have had the same problem trying to move my broody! The pen I moved her to has no ceiling, and somehow my limited flight Silkie flew out and then got locked out and couldn't get back in. I ended up putting her back where she started in her elevated nesting box in the main coop. I still need to move her as she can't be up high for when they hatch, but I am nervous about how she will respond! I can't tell if yours are elevated. If they aren't, I'd just let them be. These birds seem to get very determined!

 

[mysterychick]

In preparation for the hopefully hatch next week of our two remaining viable eggs that my Silkie is sitting on, I'd love to know what the hen typically does once the chicks pip. Do they still sit on them or do they get off??

 

[Mylied]

In preparation for the hopefully hatch next week of our two remaining viable eggs that my Silkie is sitting on, I'd love to know what the hen typically does once the chicks pip. Do they still sit on them or do they get off??  

They sit on them until they all hatch. Or she decides the remaining eggs won't hatch. Mine sat on them for 2 days before I removed the last eggs. Then she very happily got up and showed the chicks food and water.

 

[KJzCola]

Ok im sorry if these questions have been asked but I didnt feel like reading througb 477 extra pages )
Ive never hatched eggs before, I was considering venturing into incubation this year and decided to wait another year on that. I did however doscover a broody hen last week and thought... y not. So I grabed 2 dozen random fertilized eggs from down the road and put them in her favorite nest box. Shes going on day 5 of sitting on them so it seems like shes in it for the ling haul but this being a whol new venture for me I have questions about how to handle this.

I do want to candle on days 7 and 14 to try to get rid of duds that may expolde and remove my other hens unfertilized eggs, but how do I know when this girl will be taking her daily break for food and water!? Im worried about just nudging her out to check them bc I dont know of that could hreak her broodiness?? Is that a possibility or legitimate concern?

Also shes up in the nest box which is all fine and dandy I guess until they actually hatch right? I shoupd move them before hatch so they dont fall and get hurt once they hatch? If so when is the least detrimential time to move them? And how do I attempt to make it less stressful on mama and less likely to break her broodiness? Should I just close in the besting box the day they are supposed to hatch and move them after they are born?

Also, if id like to keep them in the coop but seperatef from the rest of the flock (hopefully making intergration simpler in the long run) how much space do I need in the enclosed area for mama and each baby that makes it? Our coop isnt very big so im working with limited space.

And lastly we have verl little predator proofing in the roaming area so id like to keep them in the coop round the clock while theyre still small but at what point should I be able to let them co-mingle with lesser chance of getting picked off by birds like crows and such?

Sorry for the mouthfull! And thanks in advanced!