broody hen!!

[Megs]

so its now into the - temperatures here, 2 weeks ago my grey japanese hens started laying again (added light after a few months of no eggs due to darkness) i have the bator off because its winter and its not worth firing up for just a few eggs (sportsman cabinet bator) so i left the eggs in the coop in hopes one of the hens would brood them, looks like one of them decided she wants babies!!! so with any luck in 3 weeks i will have some lil fluffball jap babies! shes got 7 eggs but it looks like she can only fit 6 under her, i will remove the extra egg if need be. i have a heat lamp in their coop so i think it should be warm enough to leave her in there with chicks, but if not i have a broody cage i can bring her in the house! ill keep updating! and ill get some pics!

anyone else have going to have a new years hatch? they will be due right around the end of the month

 

[faykokoWV]

how egg-citing for you!

 

[chickenwhisperer123]

Good Luck!!

 

[JestersEye]

I just searched for "broody hen winter" in order to find another member in similar circumstances.

I wasn't really expecting any new chicks this time of year... having only recently moved our three 13-week-old pullets to the coop, while still housing four 10-week-olds and three 8-week-old chicks in the living room! Anyway, it appears that our light blue "alpha" Orpington hen, Sky, has got other ideas...

I originally got Blue Orpingtons to go along with our Blue Andalusian chickens, because of their higher likelihood to go broody... but I have to admit I was surprised to find her sitting on eggs this week! She had "faked" being broody twice before over the summer, but always gave it up after only a couple days. This time, however, she seems to be serious, finally.

We haven't seen her out of the nest box since Monday, so I think we will be having babies sometime around the end of the month, like you. The older chicks mentioned above were hatched in an incubator, so Sky's clutch will be the first chicks hatched under a hen, since we started our flock about a year and half ago. I just hope she can care for them well enough during the winter. I do have a heat light in the coop and recently set up a pen, that I can move the hen and her chicks into, if need be.

Here's hoping that both of our hatches go well, and that all the chicks stay happy and healthy despite any harsh weather!

 

[bargain]

Oohh wee!!!!

I love baby chickies....

May you be especially blessed and have babies!

I need to get some broodies!!!!!

 

[PandoraTaylor]

Congratulations to you both on your Broody girls.......Good Hatching Vibes .......

 

[adorable]

Quote:
Hi
I am in the same vote as you are. THey are due at the end of the month

 

[Chickie'sMoma]

i went out 4 times already today to seeing 3 of those times my banty buff brahma sitting in the nest box. i knew one girl was already in the box trying to lay her egg the first time i went out so she had been sitting on one egg when i saw her the first time and i checked for her egg-noting at that time, just the white one from the other girl.

third time i was in and she was still in the box i checked again-no egg from her but another egg from someone else so i put it in the box near her and she grabbed it under her. fourth trip out and she laid her egg but wasn't willing to leave the box.

i'm thinking i now have the beginnings of a broody little lady!

(trying not to tell the dh but i'm always soooo eggsited when new and cute behaviors start!)

 

[M To The Maxx]

 

[JestersEye]

Sky is STILL in the same nest box, so I'm more sure than ever that she will stick it through this time! She hasn't been spotted out of that nest box since we found her there on Monday. I'm assuming that she must be slipping out once in a while to eat and drink, because she seems to be in a slightly different position sometimes. I'm a bit concerned that she's neglecting her own needs, though. I moved some food and water up close to the nest box, so it's within easy reach for her... and I offered her some yogurt, but not sure if she ate any. I also added a squirt of Nutri-drench into her water, in an attempt to add some extra vitamins and calories to her diminshed diet. She's definately acting broody... sitting flattened out, puffing up her feathers, and making clucky/growly sounds at us, etc. She has allowed me to carefully inspect underneath her, however, so at least I know how many eggs she's incubating. There are four perfect Orp eggs under her, and they all feel toasty-warm to the touch.

On a side note... What's weird is that the other two hens have decided to stop laying, even though they are otherwise behaving normally??? I wonder if they are somehow copying Sky, since she's the head hen in the coop. Of course, that hasn't prevented the low hen from bullying the three new pullets that I recently introduced. It seems odd to have the hen social structure so out of sorts, with Sky off the job of keeping order in the flock.