Broody Leghorns

[txcarl1258]

Hello Everyone,
I am brand new to this forum and am so excited to find an online community of chicken people. I used to help manage a group through MSN a few years ago and I didn't have the time for it when I went off to school. Any way enough rambling about me! LOL Have any of you ever had a leghorn go broody? I have always been told that a leghorn will NEVER go broody. Well mine have proved me wrong! I actually had two of my pullets go broody. One was an exquecher and the other a white leghorn. The Exchequer gave up after a week, but the white has 4 new babies! She accidentally smashed two and still has 5 eggs to go. From the looks of them they are from my Blue Cochin rooster. I guess he talked her into setting! I have another black sexlink that is due to hatch soon also. These babies were purely accident, I actually didn't plan to have a rooster at all. My wife picked him out as a chick. Figures the only one she picks out is a roo! Can't wait to see what kind of mom she will be.

 

[Mahonri]

Congrats. When I was a kid we had the same white leghorn go broody twice in sequential years. The second year she was a great mama.

 

[txcarl1258]

So far she seems like a good mom. She pecked my hand when I went to check the chicks! Another has hatched so now she has three blues and a white with black specks. I am assuming all the eggs are hers, no telling who else could of laid in her nest. I had to wake up my wife in the middle of the night to show her the new arrivals. She wasn't as excited as I was! LOL Anxious to see if the others eggs hatch or not and what color they will be.

 

[storminstaffs]

i hand a black leghorn go broody, and she was murder as she attacked up when changing the food and water, her eggs didn't hatch so don't know what she would of been like with chicks

 

[Loving My Peeps]

I have a broody white leghorn right now as well. She has only been laying eggs for 2 months then went broody on me. Since I don't have a roo< I set some fertalized eggs under her. Placed 5 fertalized and 2 went bad so I chucked them. I'm trying to place some from my infertile girls just to keep the nest large. Yesterday when I took her off the nest she got very mad at me tried to peck at my hand. She will starve herself if I don't take her off once a day. I candled one of the EE eggs she is setting on......There is a large dark mass, lengthwise in the egg. I have not seen movement but, still have my fingers crossed. One egg is too dark to see through so ??? Another is clear so that's a NO. I am 10 days into incubation right now. Out of 24 eggs shipped to me only 1 under my broody is developing. I have 11 in the incubator but only 2 developing there. Again a few shells that are too dark to see.
My broody leghorn is being very protective of her nest. I moved it yesterday since she was in a nest box about 4 feet high. I filled a large dog crate with hay and pine wood shavings. Placed in in the corner of the coop, placed all 5 eggs in the nest then when she can into the coop flipping out that I stole her eggs, I placed her on then and put a piece of plywood over the whole (lower 1/2 of the crate) thing. There is a small opening for her to come in and out of. She seems very happy in there.

 

[txcarl1258]

She is being a great mom, but unfortunately tragedy struck. I moved her, the chicks, and eggs into a pet carrier last night. I found her nest under my house! LOL Well fire ants discovered her and the chicks. The first two that hatched are doing great, she was out and about with them this morning. The two blues that hatched last night were dead, I could not tell if she crushed them or the ants got them. There were 4 eggs left and two were rotten. I took the other two in the house. On closer examination one was half way pipped, but was very dry. I help the chick out and it is doing great. The other looks fully developed, but I am not sure if it is going to hatch or not. I am going to move her to a small coop and, put the new baby with her tonight. Hopefully she can raise these three. Kinda curious to see if they have sex link properties since the roo was blue and the hen was white. Will let everyone know.