Broody Question

[goodolsurvival1]

Ok so we have buff orps, nices hens ever our rooster (oops rooster since we bought a pullet run from ruralking we were the lucky 10%) on the other hand can be nice looks beautiful but he also likes to show his roosterness by attacking your feet once in a while tries to go for your legs so we have a rooster block stick lol (boy does he know when you don't have it cuz he gets brave)

Anyways with laying on eggs... they all show signs two more then the other 5 that they would lay on eggs... the issue is they only stay for so long... it has gotten longer each time but we swear our hens have ADD lol...

We just got them this year and they just started laying last month I do believe it was... so could it just be because of their age that they are staying on the nest or going back to it before the eggs get cold to the touch (at this point I always pull them) and once they are a little older maybe next year they will actually get it?

I thought maybe I shouldn't pull the eggs so I left them one day but they never got back on them all night long so in the morning they got pulled, thankfully it was a cool evening and night so it didn't hurt leaving the eggs like this.

Our chickens are a little different they do not lay in the morning what so ever. it is always mid day and sometimes evening times. We have never gotten eggs before 11am lol.

We want to let the chickens hatch their own eggs (if they will) only so the chicks can be out there with them. I read that if we hatched them (we have an incubator because we will be doing coturnix quail next year also in their own area away from the chickens) they would more then likely be killed by the other chickens, wouldn't one of the broodyish showing hens the instinct to protect and care for kick in or does that only happen if she actually hatches the eggs herself?

TIA

 

[nchls school]

One month of laying is a little soon to expect broodiness. Broody hens, when on the nest, will fluff up and growl at intrusions. Some people disagree with me on this, but I have found if I leave one dummy egg in the nest each day
hens have always gone broody when there are 8-15 dummy eggs in the nest. I have tested this over and over, young and old hens, and it has always resulted in a broody hen. I have read that broodiness is hormonal, and I agree, but a gradually filling nest will cause that hormonal change.

Most broodies only protect chicks they see as their own.

My seramas also always lay in the afternoon. My silkies always in the morning.

Good luck.

 

[Yayah]

Hi! So to start, I think youre on the right track with leaving the eggs in the coop if youre trying to "induce" broodiness. So that you don't start to get rotten eggs in there, though, some people buy decoy eggs, or easter eggs, or golf balls to test a broody and maybe entice her to sit, if that was her idea anyway.
It could be an age issue, and probably is, but each chicken is different. Even broody hens that have started sitting and sit for maybe a week will sometimes get up and lose interest. It happens. Right now, personally, my best broodies are my older, 3 year old girls.
For your last concern, yes, if you're introducing chicks to an existing flock, you need to wait till theyre pretty much the same size as the chickens youre introducing them to, so they have a good chance of standing their own. Theres a bunch of other tips that you should use when integrating as well, but the bottom line is yes, its much easier to have a Mama Hen raise them and do it.

 

[goodolsurvival1]

One month of laying is a little soon to expect broodiness. Broody hens, when on the nest, will fluff up and growl at intrusions. Some people disagree with me on this, but I have found if I leave one dummy egg in the nest each day
hens have always gone broody when there are 8-15 dummy eggs in the nest. I have tested this over and over, young and old hens, and it has always resulted in a broody hen. I have read that broodiness is hormonal, and I agree, but a gradually filling nest will cause that hormonal change.

Most broodies only protect chicks they see as their own.

My seramas also always lay in the afternoon. My silkies always in the morning.

Good luck.

Lol ya they do that... the kids call it the raptor (dinosaur) sound but they let us touch them if we need too.... that's why i thought maybe they are just getting use to all that and gradually will start staying on them longer and get back on them if they need too.

we had to take out the dummy eggs (had two, even tried with just one) because they wouldn't lay in the next box if they are in there they will lay on the ground in the coop/run area as soon as you take the dummy eggs out then they will start going back to the nesting box instantly...

the one day the one that shows more broodiness then the others got off the nest to get the treats we gave them and then paced like a chicken with its head off all through the run/coop area because there was another hen in the box and it wanted back in to lay on the eggs... she finally was able too and then after 10mins got off and never back on the rest of the day so when they went into the coop that evening we took the eggs...

We have two nesting boxes as I know they will only use one but figured just incase one an any point decides to go broody there was always the extra nesting box for the others.... and it has been used by one only once during the time another one was laying in the normally used nesting box and hissing at them all lol....


(our coop is open concept ish to where it gives them wind break and a roost but has it's own built in run like and then we have an extra attached run for more space)

 

[goodolsurvival1]

One month of laying is a little soon to expect broodiness. Broody hens, when on the nest, will fluff up and growl at intrusions. Some people disagree with me on this, but I have found if I leave one dummy egg in the nest each day
hens have always gone broody when there are 8-15 dummy eggs in the nest. I have tested this over and over, young and old hens, and it has always resulted in a broody hen. I have read that broodiness is hormonal, and I agree, but a gradually filling nest will cause that hormonal change.

Most broodies only protect chicks they see as their own.

My seramas also always lay in the afternoon. My silkies always in the morning.

Good luck.

Hi! So to start, I think youre on the right track with leaving the eggs in the coop if youre trying to "induce" broodiness. So that you don't start to get rotten eggs in there, though, some people buy decoy eggs, or easter eggs, or golf balls to test a broody and maybe entice her to sit, if that was her idea anyway.
It could be an age issue, and probably is, but each chicken is different. Even broody hens that have started sitting and sit for maybe a week will sometimes get up and lose interest. It happens. Right now, personally, my best broodies are my older, 3 year old girls.
For your last concern, yes, if you're introducing chicks to an existing flock, you need to wait till theyre pretty much the same size as the chickens youre introducing them to, so they have a good chance of standing their own. Theres a bunch of other tips that you should use when integrating as well, but the bottom line is yes, its much easier to have a Mama Hen raise them and do it.

ya I figured prob age, we were just curious what to expect as if they do get off that they know enough with time, exp, age, etc. when to get back on so that they keep their temps. we would rather a hen raise chicks (we feel stronger, healthier chicks since out in the elements from day one and they get that better connection with the hen and other things the wouldn't get from us if we did how we did with our flock now, we bond with them all and would any new ones to make sure they are not flighty around us).

it is all a learning experience for us as it is our first personal flock, I have helped in the past with others chickens but it is diff when you have your own lol.

 

[nchls school]

Lol ya they do that... the kids call it the raptor (dinosaur) sound but they let us touch them if we need too.... that's why i thought maybe they are just getting use to all that and gradually will start staying on them longer and get back on them if they need too.

we had to take out the dummy eggs (had two, even tried with just one) because they wouldn't lay in the next box if they are in there they will lay on the ground in the coop/run area as soon as you take the dummy eggs out then they will start going back to the nesting box instantly... 

the one day the one that shows more broodiness then the others got off the nest to get the treats we gave them and then paced like a chicken with its head off all through the run/coop area because there was another hen in the box and it wanted back in to lay on the eggs... she finally was able too and then after 10mins got off and never back on the rest of the day so when they went into the coop that evening we took the eggs...

We have two nesting boxes as I know they will only use one but figured just incase one an any point decides to go broody there was always the extra nesting box for the others.... and it has been used by one only once during the time another one was laying in the normally used nesting box and hissing at them all lol....



(our coop is open concept ish to where it gives them wind break and a roost but has it's own built in run like and then we have an extra attached run for more space)

What kind of dummy eggs were you using? I've used golf balls, white plastic easter eggs, and plaster/clay; in each case the dummy eggs were treated as real inducing hens to lay in that box and go broody.

I wait until a hen has sat the nest for two days and nights before trusting her with viable eggs to brood.

 

[goodolsurvival1]

What kind of dummy eggs were you using? I've used golf balls, white plastic easter eggs, and plaster/clay; in each case the dummy eggs were treated as real inducing hens to lay in that box and go broody.

I wait until a hen has sat the nest for two days and nights before trusting her with viable eggs to brood.

the dummy eggs you can get from the farm stores... they look like their eggs (color is just a hair darker brown then theirs) i think they are ceramic (think they maybe plaster or clay)...

it was funny cuz we were having to go around collecting the eggs they would go into the nest box and try and kick the fakes out (they can't cuz of the lip) and when they couldn't left the box... as soon as we removed them they used the nesting box every time and that is when they (3 out of the 5 hens we have noticed so far) started to actually stay on them for half a day only two do the sounds if you get close

the rooster even tried to do the same... we have a weird roo (or maybe we don't as we have no real roo exp so say lol) he goes in and makes the a round nest like with the hay (he's done it from day one before they ever started laying) he will even go in and turn the eggs and lay on them sometimes times but only like 2mins till the hens give him hell lol.... and the hen egg song (i think you know what I mean lol) he was the first to ever do it and he still does it and is even louder then the hens when they do it, it's funny

i figured either way they can't be trusted till they actually sit on them at night which they haven't at all yet

 

[nchls school]

the dummy eggs you can get from the farm stores... they look like their eggs (color is just a hair darker brown then theirs) i think they are ceramic (think they maybe plaster or clay)... 

it was funny cuz we were having to go around collecting the eggs they would go into the nest box and try and kick the fakes out (they can't cuz of the lip) and when they couldn't left the box... as soon as we removed them they used the nesting box every time and that is when they (3 out of the 5 hens we have noticed so far) started to actually stay on them for half a day only two do the sounds if you get close 

the rooster even tried to do the same... we have a weird roo (or maybe we don't as we have no real roo exp so say lol) he goes in and makes the a round nest like with the hay (he's done it from day one before they ever started laying) he will even go in and turn the eggs and lay on them sometimes times but only like 2mins till the hens give him hell lol.... and the hen egg song (i think you know what I mean lol) he was the first to ever do it and he still does it and is even louder then the hens when they do it, it's funny 

i figured either way they can't be trusted till they actually sit on them at night which they haven't at all yet

Very odd. Then in that case I would leave one REAL egg each day. Mark them so you don't collect them as fresh. When a hen goes broody you can let her brood them for a week. Then candle them to be sure they are good. If not, discard those and give the hen fresh eggs to brood.

 

[goodolsurvival1]

Very odd. Then in that case I would leave one REAL egg each day. Mark them so you don't collect them as fresh. When a hen goes broody you can let her brood them for a week. Then candle them to be sure they are good. If not, discard those and give the hen fresh eggs to brood.

wouldn't an egg go bad exp during the summer out like that? (I guess I am thinking eating lol..which we wouldnt eat those... but I also guess smell wise too) Is it one of the things to wait til they actually start sitting on them at night? as it is we leave the eggs there till the evening when they go into the coop then we collect them... they always go in around 830 and there is never a hen on the nest and the eggs are pretty ice cold.

 

[nchls school]

wouldn't an egg go bad exp during the summer out like that? (I guess I am thinking eating lol..which we wouldnt eat those... but I also guess smell wise too) Is it one of the things to wait til they actually start sitting on them at night? as it is we leave the eggs there till the evening when they go into the coop then we collect them... they always go in around 830 and there is never a hen on the nest and the eggs are pretty ice cold.

If you're having temperatures in the 90s and 100s the eggs will likely go bad; thats why I said to mark them. If your temperatures are in the 60-80 range they will not go bad any time soon and quite likely hatch should a hen start broodijng. A dozen eggs or so are the possible price of getting a broody hen.