Broody Hen :-)

[sweetappleacres]

There is no guarantee that the 2 broodies will raise the babies together. They might, or they might fight over the babies or kill each others' babies. You just never know how an animal is going to behave.

I see. Thanks!

 

[clifford258]

OMG Friends I think I just messed up! :-( I decided to move here into my broody pin.... well i have a wood nesting box with a plastic container inside for easy cleanup!!! Well i took her off the nest and took her and nest to broody pin. she was off the nest for about 2 mins but she is not going back on the nest :-( What should I do?????

 

[gimmie birdies]

she will go back maybe she had to potty. You cannot force a hen.

 

[clifford258]

been 3 hours now.... its hopeless

 

[gimmie birdies]

her eggs may still be fine up to 12 hrs. wait until night and put her back. she may remember to sit then.

 

[clifford258]

Well my wife kept telling me to put nest back but I didn't think it would work lol after her being off nest for 3 hours I put nest back and ahe went back to sit lol should have listened

 

[Mudder Jones]

I am having some of the same problems. We have eggs-hatching as I type-in the incubator. This is my first time incubating and I have spent all my time learning about incubating eggs. Meanwhile, I have a chicken that started sitting on eggs (also a first for me and my hen). We have 1 rooster and 14 hens. She sat in the box that most of the hen like to lay in. I wasn't aware enough to know when exactly she started sitting. The other hens have continued to lay in that box.

1. My husband kept telling me to mark her eggs, which according to you is right, but how? She is never off the nest when I am down there. Do I shew her off the nest? Will she come back if I do? Will she try to attack? I didn't want to upset her any more than I had to.

2. I know she has been sitting for maybe almost two weeks. Do I try to move her to another box this late?

The real problem is now her box is full of eggs. There is no way she can hatch them all and the other keep laying so a staggered hatching is apparent, but if they don't stop, she will always have eggs to sit on. After reading this thread, I could candle them and keep the best ones, but when is the best time? What is the best thing to do after I take some of the eggs out? How many is a good number to leave? HELP ME PLEASE!!!!

 

[gimmie birdies]

I would leave not more than a dozen, I candle my eggs and I don't tippy-toe around chickens. I reach under- don't worry about peck doesn't hurt that much, and get the eggs or at least a portion you can candle, then trade the eggs and candle the rest. keep only the eggs that are well developed- look for veins, they are more important than a dark blob. I don't move hens off a nest. if I know she is going to have a stagared hatch, I remove the chicks as they hatch to a brooder box so she keeps sitting, till all that you have decided to keep are hatched.

I try not to move a hen when she has chosen a broody place, let her be, collect, chicks as they hatch, then move them to separate enclosed pen when the chicks have fluffed out- don't worry mom and chicks will still bond. I bring my mom in the night the chicks hatch, put her in a box and put chicks that have fluffed out and walking under her. by morning if they have a warm broody hut they can go in there.

IN the future, remove all eggs and store them in a cool room til you decide you have enough. mark them with a pencil, and remove any fresh layed eggs other hens contribute. seeing a hen sit on 40 eggs is cute, but they will not all hatch what you will have is a smelly mess.

 

[Mudder Jones]

Thank you for the information. Most of the information I asked about came off of this site. I have just told my daughter, this is my "Chicken Bible". I didn't know to collect the eggs and then bring them back. I have seen on other threads the saying, "Seeing a hen sit on 40 eggs is cute," I do not think it is cute. I was just so preoccupied with my incubator eggs, that I didn't realize that many was in her box.

 

[gimmie birdies]

I have eggs in incubator, eggs to collect and chicks in a brooder. so chicks everywhere. but... this is my last batch of the season, and next year I plan on having enough different colors to my egg collection, I won't need to hatch. chicken math.