Broody Hen Thread!

[aart]

Mindy looks like a good ole girl!
Geez, you even have a 'broody' dog

 

[PouleChick]

Just found this thread! Still loving those photos - saw them on the other broody thread!

I'm a nervous day 18 with my little new silkie hen being a wonderful mum so far - she hardly moves just does her zombie pancake thing . Am very excited for Wednesday / Thursday!

 

[Honora]

Thank you, hard to go wrong with these birds, lol...

The hen is a Silver Pencil Rock
The dog (Mindy) is a constant coop 'helper', our birds all grow up thinking having a furry 'Nanny' is the normal.
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The hens hatched in separate boxes, but we found them in the same box by the end of the first day, so looks like they are going to work together raising the chicks. Co-brooding is great for the chicks and is a common thing around our coop. Since our chicks are raised in the flock having multiple 'moms' works out great for everyone.

Great pics! How did you train your dog to brood chicks? I am planning to get a dog later this year (also a golden retriever) but I am nervous that it will chase the chickens.

 

[fisherlady]

Mindy is an English Shepherd, and they have been bred for many, many generations to be livestock animals, so much of her behavior is just her personality...
With that said though, other dogs can still be trained to at least behave around livestock, even if it is a learned behavior rather than a natural one.
Simple obedience behaviors have to be taught to any dog at my house. Sit, stop, here, stay, lay down, drop it, and leave it.
The 'drop it' and 'leave it' are the ones which need the most time and repetition to help the dog get used to the idea that dropping or ignoring something tasty or interesting will actually be rewarded. Patience, repetition and reward (often as praise, not just treats) will work.
I have taught these basics to numerous dogs which belong to us or visit us. There are many reading references which can be googled for guidelines.
I suggest starting with very simple requests and short sessions, frequent praise and rewards to keep it fun and interesting. When the dog starts getting bored it is time to take a break. And remember to reward the dog for 'not doing' some things also...for walking quietly past birds or other objects, for not grabbing things when they are supposed to be paying attention to you.
I am not a dog trainer, but I will just encourage anyone to try to find out what motivates their own dog's actions so they can better figure out how to reshape their behaviors. Not every dog can become a 'chicken safe' dog but many can at least become much less of a risk.

 

[BW56]

How do you like that. One of my two Buff Orpingtons went broody friday. Exactly 12 days AFTER I removed the roo in everybody's best interest. Guess I'll wait and see how she does. She's got 5 eggs under her.

 

[stuckinthecity]

My girl Little Bit has hatched 4 (hatched 5, 1 died) Production red x SLW chicks!

And then one of the mothers of the chicks has also gone broody for me

She's sitting on 15 eggs, and she's got some hatchery chicks on the way...

Here is her sister. Another mother of the chicks...who forgot SLW were supposed to be rose combed.

I know some people might be concerned I'm overwhelming my hen with so many potential chicks... The hatchery chicks are mainly back up babies in case nothing hatches from her nest, but I have had hens in the past raise 32 chicks with no problems. If I need to, I will brood the chicks myself

 

[stuckinthecity]

pics or it didn't happen.

 

[Redhead Rae]

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pics or it didn't happen.

Is that 20+ chicks that she hatched/is mothering?

 

[trudyg]

I may have been posting under the wrong subject line, so I'll try again here.
Bertha has been spending 99% of the time in the nest box recently. She's a black sex link, 18 months old. I didn't think, last Saturday, and pulled her out and brought 5 eggs in the house, leaving 2 ceramic eggs in the box. She went right back in.

Sunday morning I heard a loud ruckus and my rooster was bleeding. Following the blood spatter, he must have poked his head in where she was and she pecked him. I thought she was in to lay an egg, but she was still there late in the evening. I couldn't find other eggs, except 1, so the others may have climbed in and laid theirs in the same box. The one I found was laid on the bare floor and was cracked. I checked late Sunday night and she was sleeping in the nest box.

Monday morning, I saw her come out to eat and drink. Monday evening I had another cracked egg and no others, so she's probably on them, too, if there were any.

Tuesday same thing, so when I got home from work I set up a wire dog crate with one door by the nest box and the other for me to put in food and water. Someone must have laid late in the day, because Wed after work there were 5 eggs (only 4 hens, including the nest bound Bertha). The math doesn't add up, I know.

Anyway, there was no evidence that she came off the nest to eat drink or poop since I set up the crate. Yesterday and this morning I carried out some scrambled egg for her and maybe just a nibble was gone, but definitely no poop in over 24 hours.

Should I take her off so she'll at least move a little? I'd hate to think she was sick and I'm thinking broody, but what should I do? I'm fine with leaving her if that's the best course of action. The other chickens cannot get at her or her food/water, so she's safe and they are fine and now laying in a second nest box.

Also, I have 16 chicks in the garage that I had planned to move into the big coop several days ago--should I move them as planned (into a sectioned off area under a mhp). They are10 days old and starting to flutter so well that I'm wanting them someplace they can't fly out of.

Any advice is welcome. Thanks!

 

[stuckinthecity]

Is that 20+ chicks that she hatched/is mothering?

So basically I was just saying I've let hens raise large broods before. That it can be done without issues. I've been told many a time that a hen couldn't raise "that many"-I'm assuming they meant more than can fit under momma. To save time I share the picture as proof.
The picture I showed you of the hen and chicks is from a past hatch (obviously its not the silver laced Wyandotte sitting on eggs), which the hen was a (medium sized) game hen that fit all 32 chicks under her until they were about 2 weeks old. With that many bodies huddled up it wouldn't have mattered if they fit under her or not; especially in Alabama in spring/summer.