Broody -- Success in December!

[MiniBeesKnees]

I looked in my nesting boxes the other day and found three eggs in one of them. I didn't know who laid them but it can only be one of two hens. I did not refrigerate them. Today I went out and my OE hen is sitting on a nest with another egg, so I put the other three in with them and when she finished her 'breakfast' she went back onto the nest, and sat on the four. Is she in one of the five nice nesting boxes? No, she has made a nest in the corner of the coop in hay I have about a foot deep.

I was not expecting any hen to go broody in the fall...this will hatch chicks around the tenth of Dec. or so. I have big plans for next year but will not do an incubator...I want my chicks to be all raised by their mothers. I had one sucessful hatch from my pair of OE on August 5th...a little roo and four girls...now 15 weeks old. I also have a D'Uccle rooster who is the widower of my D'Uccle hen lost to a predator...but before then she hatched three orphan chicks from a friend's eggs. Two roos, and one hen now 22 weeks old.

The Duccle roo is very intimidated by the OE roo who is called the Nazi chicken for a reason. He also chases off the two roos who are 22 weeks old, and chases off his son who is only 15 weeks old. I figure I only have one rooster on the job so to speak and I saw 'an encounter' the other day between the OE hen, and her husband the Nazi. She is the one sitting on the four eggs. The roos never fight, or hurt one another. The Nazi just chases them. I let them free range in the yard in the daytime. Yesterday was nice so I started building segregation pens for next spring so that I will have purebred chicks.

I did not plan on heating my coop (10x10 feet) but do plan on having very deep hay...over a foot deep. It is also ten feet high on the inside...with a total of 11 chickens in it. Lots of room. There are no windows yet, that comes next spring. It isn't insulated (yet) but is airtight. It does not smell in there and is completely dry. All I was planning on for the winter is to make a heater for the waterer to make sure it doesn't freeze. I'm in Tennessee...out in the country with no close neighbors and I'm allowed to have roos.

With all that dry hay I don't want to put a heater in the coop...but I'm concerned for the chicks to come that are unexpected. Should I be thinking about building some sort of brooding pen inside the coop for the sitting hen and moving her into it when she has laid all the eggs she plans on hatching? I think I can figure out a way to have a heat lamp safely in there...

So is it common for hens to go broody and want to hatch eggs this time of year?

 

[vnploveschickens]

I've got a buff orpington that also went broody and I couldn't break her. This is her first time (Loko is 10 mos old) and my first time.
So I've been reading and learning from everyone here. I put 6 eggs under her on Tuesday 11/3 so they are due to hatch next week.
So far, Loko has been sitting on those eggs in a nesting box in the coop and doing a good job.

My only question is after the chicks hatch, should I leave them in the coop with the other girls and the one rooster? Or should I create a box within the coop for the little family. I'll have the brooder ready in case Loko decides she doesn't want to take care of them.

Thanks.

 

[ChooksChick]

Except for the past week, it's been horribly cold this year, since October began. I had a hen start sitting- my 1 1/2# banty Cochin, and she hatched 4 chicks out of the 9 she sat on (she hatched the standards- hers weren't fertile due to too much fluff!) and has been parading around with the chicks in temps in the 30s and 40s since. It's a high of 38 today, and the chicks are 4 weeks old, but spend almost no time under Momma at all- they are out scratching and playing in the sleet and cold.

They seem to be hardened to the temps and are able to get under the Momma for warmth when they choose- and she's TINY, so that's not quite like a heat lamp, but they do great without! I have a flat panel heater in the coop that has been ignored since day 1...but I can't make myself take it out. It's just sitting there on the floor in the corner and they walk right past it. Momma wants her nest and doesn't care for auxillary heat, thank you!

If she were just going broody today, I think I would still let her do it, and we get VERY cold, with sub-zero temps on and off. I think she would know what to do and be able to manage fine. I'd wrap plastic over whatever the open area is there for wind and weather, but she'll be ok otherwise.

 

[DAFox]

Quote:
I have seen pictures of chicks with several chickens around them, but, the one time I had a successful broody hatch, the first chick was squashed and on the other side of the coop. I had 6 hens and a roo at that time. I moved the broody and nest into a dog house in my fenced in garden before any others hatched. She hatched 3 chicks there in early June. The next broody tried to cover 20 eggs because every time she left the nest someone would lay an egg. I had counted 9 when she started. None of those eggs made it for obvious reasons. The next two had similar problems but, did not brood for the full 21 days. This hen got chased off the" favorite" nest into another nest...or maybe the eggs looked better on the other nest so she switched nests. I don't know. In any event, my experience with leaving broody hens with the rest of the flock have not turned out well, so, I have finally learned to separate them.

This thread is turning into Fall/Winter Broodies!!! Lets all post their progress.

Dale-Ann

 

[vnploveschickens]

Hi Dale-Ann, Thanks for your advice. I wasn't sure as this is my first time at this. I'll have to come up with a plan.

Let's keep us all posted as to the adventures of our broodies.

Val

 

[DAFox]

Today is day 8 for my broody BA hen. I bought the two different sized totes so I could put the smaller one inside the larger. I haven't cut the holes or insulated between them, yet. The weather had been decent lately -- for this time of year. And the forcast isn't bad. I'm in no rush to move her around again.
I'd love to take a look at the eggs, but, man she is fierce. I'll have to wait until she moves off the nest of her own accord.

I really like my tote idea as a nesting box for broodies. Even though all my cats come in at night, I use totes as outdoor cat retreats. So, these new totes will serve another duty when she is done.

Thanks,
Dale-Ann

 

[goldeneggtees]

Hey all, I am in a very similar place, my fertilized eggs are hopefully arriving today! Mrs. Cuddlesworth has been broody for over two weeks now on unfertile eggs- yikes! I'm hoping she doesn't decide to break out of it before hatching which will be around Dec. 12th. I am moving her to her own separate part of the coop so the fertile eggs are not disturbed by the others. I have very similar concerns about the cold and the chicks, but I guess we'll see how it all goes. It's my first time hatching chicks under a broody and I'm nervous about everything!

 

[goldeneggtees]

Quote:
Do you have pics of what you are talking about with the totes?

 

[kathyinmo]

Dale Ann ...
Oh my gosh ... I am in SW MO also, and am in the same predicament as you! I have a buff orp that I have tried to break for the past week, to no avail. If that's not enough, I have 2 broody buff silkies! They also started a week ago. None of them have eggs. I have taken them all, each day (many times a day!). Gee, is it our area, something solar, or (in my case) the buffs!

I have 2 dozen eggs in my new (used) Sportsman. I really was so excited to try it out. Today is day 9, and I candled. I have at least 7 clear (nonfertile) eggs. I think I am just gonna give in to the girls, and give them all some eggs tonight, and just turn the bator off.

 

[DonnaBelle]

October 22, 09 one of my RIR hens hatched 11 chicks. One week before, a little quail banty hatched 4 chicks.

All are doing well, here in OK we have had a spell of pretty cold temps, in the 40's. All chicks are fine, sitting under Mom at night. Today I babysat outside with all the chicks and Moms in separate outside areas.

I am "chicken" to let them all mix in together. I think I'll wait until all are older.

I don't know nothin' bout birthin no babies, Miz Scarlett"

DonnaBelle