Broody Hen Thread!

[mrsfarmchick1]

mrsfarmchick1 wrote:

I have a mixed breed hen that has been sitting on 2 fake eggs for 4 days. I have guinea eggs in the incubator that still have 20 days, and I added one chicken egg to the incubator last night...
so I will probably put some of those eggs under her or wait till they hatch and put some chicks under her... which way do you think will work best???

I think you should just put as many eggs as you can under the hen and let her hatch them, I mean it's like having 2 incubators and a brooder. lol. Thats what I would do, now you will have more room in the bator!

Since she's a young hen that has never gone broody - I'm worried that she will change her mind halfway through and the eggs will die... my husband suggested waiting till the keets/chick are safely hatched and then put them under her. Decisions, Decisions...​

 

[BarefootMom]

Quote:
Since she's a young hen that has never gone broody - I'm worried that she will change her mind halfway through and the eggs will die... my husband suggested waiting till the keets/chick are safely hatched and then put them under her. Decisions, Decisions...

or you could just watch her closely and have the bator on standby. If she leaves the nest take the eggs and put them in the bator. Let the hatch and try to give them back to her. I had 2 silkies sittin on 14 eggs...then they decided that they wanted to be my meaties' mamas

So I have some of the eggs in the bator and some under my broody EE (one hatched Friday night!!)

 

[SierraView]

I have a silkie that went broody day before easter so I gave her 4 barnevelder eggs. The next day my EE was sitting next to her acting broody and had stole 2 of the eggs. The EE didn't stay broody and left the nest so the silkie took back the eggs. Now that EE is back on the nest and took back 2 eggs and has stayed broody almost a week now. I know if she leaves the nest the silkie will put them under her.

Do EE go broody much?

 

[lottyloo]

I have three broody hens at the mo!

Only two are actually sitting on eggs though, 5 each. Due to hatch on the 15th May!!

Its so exiting

 

[lottyloo]

A pic to go with that

 

[cackler]

Is it important to try fake eggs first? I don't have any. Just the real deal.

 

[BarefootMom]

Quote:
My broody that I have right now is an EE. She is the first broody that I have ever had! I read somewhere that they are frequent brooders, I have 7 EE's but have only had 1 go broody thus far. My girls are about 2 years old now. (Her chicks are hatching now!! Already have 2 hatched, and 1 had pipped when I was out there this morning!!) She started setting on the 10th of April and I added a few eggs under her...so she will have a bit of a staggered hatch.

 

[Lifesong Farm]

I have a second hen that has been sitting since Sat. I pulled an egg out of the fridge and so far so good. I am hoping she stays broody since I have eggs coming.

 

[cackler]

I have guinea eggs in the fridge that I found several days ago - how long are they good for in terms of putting them under a broody?

 

[wsdareme]

I have a young Ameraucana pullet that I THINK has gone broody. It seems like every time I go to the coop, she's sitting in a nestbox. No eggs, just sitting in there. And God help you if you try to reach underneath and get any eggs out. I wear leather gloves, and she goes after me like nobody's business. I don't ever remember her being this aggressive. Man, she growls like a tiger, and bites like one, too.

Is it normal for a pullet to go broody when they're only 9-1/2 months old? And I thought Ameraucanas weren't particularly broody? Am I just "blessed"?

I'm thinking about giving her some eggs and putting her in a small hutch I have inside the main coop. How much room does a hen need when she's broody?