Broody Moms' Different Personalities - Two Hens

[LaynaDon95]

That's so cute! My mama hen just decided she was done being playing mommy. They were about 2 months old. She laid an egg one evening, and the next morning was pecking at the babies so I threw her out and she hasn't looked twice at them since. I miss watching her tuck them all up at night! She is/was my first broody and she was a very good Mama. Her babies were not allowed away from her. It was so sweet. Looking at your pics makes me with she would go broody again. I have 2 silkies and 2 standard sized cochins that should be laying soon, if they aren't already, so maybe they will decide to be a mama soon!

 

[Stephanie739]

I love broody hens!! I hope my australorp does better this time, so I'm not so scared for the babies. She wasn't mean at all. They just ran all over the place! It is so different this time with my brahma mama. I bought a couple of cochins partly because of broodiness (and because they are so beautiful and sweet!!!) I am kind of hoping that my broody hens will eventually sustain my flock.

 

[gryeyes]

I've had several of my hens go broody and also discovered some are much better mommas than others. Right now I have two sets of "double-teaming" hens: a bantam brahma mix and a full-sized Cochin; they brooded together in the same large nestbox and hatched two chicks, which they BOTH escort around the yard and have taught them to roost with them on the top rung of one of two ladder roosts. The chicks are like regular kids with two parents: they hang close to one or the other hen at various times and will run to the closest Mom when they suddenly realize they've wandered more than a yard or two away from 'em. Sometimes a chick will mistake another black hen (an Australorp or a BCM) for "mom" and scuttle over to one of 'em. Then they have to dash back or or the other of their "real" two Moms.... I love watching them.

Also, a blue Orpington (3rd time broody) and a Cuckoo Marans hen (1st time) have been sharing a nest box; they just hatched 11 chicks in the past 3 days. The Cuckoo Marans hen is nearly three years old.... I think the Orp will take over the rearing of the chicks, but that's just from having seen her raise two other batches of chicks.

...and then there's the 3 year old hatchery RIR hen who has gone broody for the first time, also. But she's chosen to go broody in a "roll-away" nest box, so she isn't actually SITTING on any eggs - I took 'em from the bin below her. She's tried a couple of times to "pull back" an egg which rolled away. Really quite funny. Poor girl. She's quite annoyed with me.

Good luck with your girls!!

 

[Stephanie739]

I've had several of my hens go broody and also discovered some are much better mommas than others. Right now I have two sets of "double-teaming" hens: a bantam brahma mix and a full-sized Cochin; they brooded together in the same large nestbox and hatched two chicks, which they BOTH escort around the yard and have taught them to roost with them on the top rung of one of two ladder roosts. The chicks are like regular kids with two parents: they hang close to one or the other hen at various times and will run to the closest Mom when they suddenly realize they've wandered more than a yard or two away from 'em. Sometimes a chick will mistake another black hen (an Australorp or a BCM) for "mom" and scuttle over to one of 'em. Then they have to dash back or or the other of their "real" two Moms.... I love watching them.

Also, a blue Orpington (3rd time broody) and a Cuckoo Marans hen (1st time) have been sharing a nest box; they just hatched 11 chicks in the past 3 days. The Cuckoo Marans hen is nearly three years old.... I think the Orp will take over the rearing of the chicks, but that's just from having seen her raise two other batches of chicks.

...and then there's the 3 year old hatchery RIR hen who has gone broody for the first time, also. But she's chosen to go broody in a "roll-away" nest box, so she isn't actually SITTING on any eggs - I took 'em from the bin below her. She's tried a couple of times to "pull back" an egg which rolled away. Really quite funny. Poor girl. She's quite annoyed with me.

Good luck with your girls!!

Thank you for sharing!!!

 

[Stephanie739]

The eggs are hatching
My australorp is very sweet. She doesn't even mind me looking and/or touching the babies.