Broody in Michigan Winter?

[aart]

Wow congrats! Winter chickens!
I am in northern massachusts and I have a broody right now... she hatched 4 chicks in August.. Raised them and now is broody again... I don't think she'll,ever lay again! Lol
If I keep moving her of nest and taking eggs will she get over it?
Will she likely to get broody again? Hoping to,hatch a,few in the spring.. Just not ready right now!
Thanks!

I'd break her if you don't want her to set.
Do some reading here: advanced search>titles only>break broody

I broke another broody hen this summer. My experience went like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest, I put her in a wire dog crate with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a few bricks right in the coop and I would feed her some watered down crumble a couple times a day.

I let her out a couple times a day and she would go out into the run, drop a huge turd, race around running, take a vigorous dust bath then head back to the nest... at which point I put her back in the crate. Each time her outings would lengthen a bit, eating, drinking and scratching more and on the 3rd afternoon she stayed out of the nest and went to roost that evening...event over, back to normal tho she didn't lay for another week or two.

 

[farnorth]

Didn't read the whole thread but when I had a broody hatch eggs in cold spring weather I just put a 60 watt light bulb in a clamp reflector in one corner of the brooder area so they had a place they could all go warm up (the hen too) and it kept the entire brooder a bit warmer. I hung a small waterer with nipples on the wall under the bulb too. Had a second waterer so I could switch out if needed. Just be sure the hen can't knock the light down.

Within a few days the chicks ran around in the cold a lot of the time and they would go under the light or under mama when they wanted to warm up. As long as they have food and water and a place to get warm they should be fine.

 

[SunkenRoadFarms]

So awesome, congrats!

 

[aart]

Didn't read the whole thread but when I had a broody hatch eggs in cold spring weather I just put a 60 watt light bulb in a clamp reflector in one corner of the brooder area so they had a place they could all go warm up (the hen too) and it kept the entire brooder a bit warmer. I hung a small waterer with nipples on the wall under the bulb too. Had a second waterer so I could switch out if needed. Just be sure the hen can't knock the light down.

Within a few days the chicks ran around in the cold a lot of the time and they would go under the light or under mama when they wanted to warm up. As long as they have food and water and a place to get warm they should be fine.

Heating will be only used as last resort.

So awesome, congrats!

Thanks!

 

[aart]

#4 emerged early this morning!

3 eggs left, but will remove any unhatched tonite or tomorrow morning.
Some of the eggs were cold when gathered, how cold I don't know, I only knew that 2 for sure were gathered warm.

Ramp to nest is built and installed.

Have 3 horizontal nipple waterers ready to go, offered one to mama on the nest and she partook easily.
I have no doubt that she will teach them, so that solves most of the wet chick risk. Tho I will be doing frozen water duty ALOT.

Have a stock of flock raiser whizzed thru the blender, a couple different feeders to try and a plan for a creep feed area once the partition wall is down.

Pics later maybe.

 

[aart]

There's actually 6!!

Counted 6 chicks and found 6 shells....7th is a mystery, will have to dig it out later today.
I doubt it hatched, because it was the oldest, was actually in the refrigerator for several days and was marked for another reason.

 

[tntchix]

CONGRATS!

I can't wait to see em!

 

[aart]

All 7 DID hatch!! I never did find the marked shell fragment but didn't spend a lot of time looking for it.


The 'older' 4, that hatched yesterday, are toddling all over in and out of the nest snacking with mama.
A couple went off the side of the ramp but were able to get back up, which was a big relief to me.


Got a nice ramp with cleats set up and fashioned an easy to swap out HN bottle holder.
They should be all set to tackle the cold weather.

 

[bobbi-j]

Hooray! And it looks like they have a nice, snug nest to sleep in at night. Glad you shared your adventure with us, Aart!

 

[tntchix]