Broody problems

[The Prairie]

My SLW went broody so I let her set a small clutch. Two weeks or so in my CCL went broody and was crammed in the box trying to get Big Momma off. I moved Lil Momma to her own box and she gave up setting on top of Big Momma. I made some plans for some hatching eggs and while getting those plans figured Big Momma's clutch hatched (on the 4th of July, day before yesterday). Both mommas were in.a tizzy so I seperated Lil because last time they "shared " a clutch a chick's leg got broken. Lil spent the night in her own pen, with a nest she refused to set in. Yesterday I moved Big Momma and her chicks to a brooder and got Lil settled in a nest on 2 turkey eggs with plans to add chicken eggs in a week. She set all night but this afternoon was off, letting someone else lay in the nest and spent the last 5 hours or so off the eggs. I got her back on, just now, and locked everyone else out in hopes the sc solitary will settle her in. I do not have another brooder and I can't incubate right now either. Do you guys think locking the others out (they're safe, have roosting spots and none are laying right now) will work? Or should I give up or?

 

[Lady of McCamley]

You can see if it helps. She sounds unsettled and unhappy that she got moved in the first place. Give her a couple of days to see how it goes. If she doesn't settle, let her out.

Unless hens are very accommodating, they often simply interfere with each other nesting causing, as you experienced, chick harm. It takes comfortable and confident hens to group brood.

LofMc

 

[The Prairie]

Darn, well I'll give her a bit and see. If she doesn't I have a friend looking for her possibly broody hen in case as back up.

 

[chickens really]

Possibly she wasn't really Broody but interested in practicing and possibly was more interested once the Chicks hatched.

 

[The Prairie]

She's broody every year and always hatches a clutch. She's been pecking me, floofing and trilling away but I think the new babies may have her worried. She was setting yesterday morning until I checked Big Momma and the chicks and they started chirping. We'll see, I'm about to go check on her

 

[The Prairie]

Welp she broke. Darn it. Moving the eggs to a friend's broody. Hope they're still good.

 

[chickens really]

Welp she broke. Darn it. Moving the eggs to a friend's broody. Hope they're still good.

They will be fine I'm thinking..Give them a few hours under her before looking..

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I've had mishaps with eggs and they still hatched. One time I mistakenly let out a broody hen and LOCKED her out of her coop. When I found her later in the yard, in panic I picked her up and put her back on her still warm, but cooler eggs. Only to find out at nightime lock up that I had put the WRONG hen, her sister, on the eggs. Her sister was on the coop bar looking down at me with odd curiosity as to why I had locked her in the broody hutch. I pulled the real broody hen out of a corner nest in the wrong coop and put her back on the now stone cold eggs thinking all was lost. Amazingly a few still hatched out of that batch!

Never give up. Hopefully your friend's hen will get some fruit from her effort.

 

[chickens really]

I've had eggs not covered or heated for over 16 hours and all hatched out fine...