broody incubation nightmare, need some help please.

[cat]

Ok, I finally got my husband to agree to let me hatch some eggs and had two broody hens and my fertile eggs arrived in one piece.... sooooo everything was going just swimmingly untill I tried to move my broodys.

I followed the method described in one of the threads, moved them at night and left them shut in for 24 hours. Opened the door today for broody no.1 and she flew right out back to her old coop.

I put her back several times but she just got up and went back each time. In desperation I closed the door to where her old nest was, she sat at the door for about an hour then walked away and does not want to sit anywhere! She is now behaving as though she was never broody at all, running about and generaly back to her hooligan self

Ok, broody no.2 is a little Silky. I moved her at the same time but never opened her door today. She is still shut in the broody coop with food and water because I am now terrified to let her out in case she runs off as well, in which case I am stuffed because I don't have an incubator

My question are:

1) Is it all right to leave no.2 locked in another 24 hours in the hope that she bonds with the new coop?

2) If she doesnt take to the new coop is it cruel to keep her locked in it to try and get her to hatch these rather expensive eggs? (she does have food and water in there)

3) If it is unacceptable to lock her in, what are the chances the other chickens will leave her alone to brood in the main house? I ask this because she is only small and rather low in the pecking order and I have seen her picked on by the Buff Hooligans.

4) Is it not true that it is cheaper in the long run for my husband to buy me a bator than for me to go broody?

 

[pdsavage]

i would check on her..better safe then sorry and could you put the extra eggs under her if she is still broody?

 

[cat]

I checked on her and she seems quite happy.

Moderators, please could someone move this to chicken behaviour or wherever you think this topic should be, as I think judging by the lack of replies maybe I posted in the wrong place. Sorry

 

[hikerchick]

If you want an incubator, why don't you just buy one instead of watiing for someone else to buy it for you?

 

[A.J.'s]

IVe never had any luck at all, never at moving a broody hen. Its my experience that they will set where they want to or not at all.
At present time, I have two hens, one RR and one Banty sitting on an empty nest. Ive removed them every day for 2 months. I soak them down in cold water. I feed them food they have to forage for and Ive locked them out of the chicken house. As soon as they can get back in, its to the nest again. Ive never seen this happen.
It just so happens as Murphys law predicts, that I dont want to hatch any eggs at this time. If I did, not one of the girls would set a few seconds much less two months.
Normally they set in their preferred nest and the other girls contribute their eggs daily and I have to remove them.. sometimes they get thrown out of the nest and set in another nest and the eggs get cooled down. its always something... a great woman said once....
But i have better luck this way than with an incubator. I hate those things..

 

[cat]

Quote:
Does your computer not show smilies - it was a joke!

 

[pdsavage]

i have moved my broodys with there nest that is, as my nest are all transportable...Anyway looks like the hen went broody agian...and i just put 19 eggs in the bator...can we say dejavoh...i just did this 21 days ago with the other first time broody..so ill take the eggs out to her after i mover her to a safer spot...

 

[cat]

You seem to be having more sucess with yours, maybe I should just send you my eggs!

I let Katie out today for half an hour to eat and poop, then I lost my nerve and put her back in the nest with the door closed. I am beginning to think I should have just bought an incubator in the first place.

I know everyone says the mama chicken knows what she is doing, but mine seem to be dumber than most

Hope your hatch is sucessfull PDSavage

 

[CTChickenMom]

I've always believed in letting mother nature do her thing. I've also heard that when you think a hen has gone broody, let her sit for a few days on some dummy eggs. This will help you decide if she's really broody or not. It may take some time. If your hen left the broody pen, she wasn't ready. Silkies are supposed to be great sitters.

I want to get some Marans eggs but my fear is that they won't sit when I want them to or I'll get all roos. Its a tough call.

 

[matthew1985]

hope it works out for u.