Broody vs Bator - Going with the Broody!

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

The experts say to let a hen do it, and they are probably right in most circumstances. Nothing more dedicated than a broody. i haven't had the best of luck personally. First time i tried it with two broodies, they sat on those eggs and protected them for 21 days. Then when the first chick hatched they must have thought it was something trying to get their eggs and started pecking it. i had to snag the chick and other eggs and finish in an incubator.

Next time i tried i let the broodies stay in a nest box in the coop with all the other chickens. Well, the other chickens were pushing their way in to lay eggs. The hatching eggs got knocked and bumped and many of them cracked. And so, i had to pull those eggs out and finish up in an incubator. i lost most of them.

And so, from my meager experience, broodies are great, but you will want to isolate your girl for the safety of the eggs. i have no idea what to do after they hatch as i have never gotten that far.

 

[cowman910]

the dog crate would probably work because if she is sitting on the eggs she wont be walking around to much just make sure that she has food and water close to her so she doesnt need to leave the eggs

 

[ThePolishPrincess]

I agree. If your hens are similar to my hen, they'll only want to sit on the eggs. I find that my girl refused to leave her nest on her own, so when I was out there feeding everyone, I'd throw her off the nest so she could have her 'free time'. When I was done, I threw her back on and she resumed her trance-like state. After a few days, her comb turned orange from lack of nutrition. I had to wedge her feed and water between the wall (she was in a corner) and the nesting bucket. A few days after hatching her brood, her comb turned back to normal.

As far as I've seen, many broodies will wait for the whole clutch to hatch, unless they sense nothing is going on behind the shell of some. I have, however, heard that some will only raise the first to hatch and leave the others, not yet hatched, to die. Moms can get tempermental at times, but they're your best bet.

I would try the dog crate and see how it goes. I know that is a popular method for people who don't have other space to provide them with.

 

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

Thanks for all the input and I think I'll give it a try. Thanks for the tip about the comb too - I will have to watch for that.

 

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

Well, I got the dog crate all set up with a feeder, waterer, and a box with pine shavings. Went to move the hen and there have been two broodies sitting in the same nest all day. From what I can tell, there's at least 5 eggs. I moved one broody and the other growled at me and tucked the eggs under her. As soon as I moved away, the other broody assumed her position with the other so I opted to leave them.

So now DBF and I have a broody debate/dilemma...

Here's my thoughts: with two broodies sharing a nest, I'm thinking/hoping that one will set on the eggs while the other eats and vice/versa. With two broodies in the nest and two boxes still open (with other laying wherever they please anyway) I'm thinking the eggs will be ok. When they hatch, I am planning to move the chicks to the brooder in the house. That's the plan anyway...

Here's DBF's thoughts: My coop is in my garage and it is unheated. It'll be in the 40's-50's next week, but it could plunge to zero at any time. Will the hens be able to keep the eggs warm enough? What happens if the chicks hatch when I'm at work and it's zero outside - will the hens keep them warm until I can remove them?

I saw another thread asking very similar questions and the answer was "why would you move them?" Now I'm very confused.

Please help me decide what to do!

 

[austinhart123]

the hens will be able to incubate the eggs fine even though it gets cold and they will be able to keep the chicks warm... but my advice is to give them their reward for all their hard work and let them raise the chicks on their own. i think you should move both the broodies into the dog crate and keep it shut so they cant get out and let them share a nest, and when the eggs hatch, let the moms raise them, i just know that one time a hen only hatched one baby and it dissapeared ( idk what happened to it) and she was so distressed and every time she heard another hens chick, shed turn her head, it was very sad to see, so unless they attack the chicks or are very bad moms, i advise you to let them raise their own chicks.

 

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

Thank you! Despite DBF's concerns, I'm going to go ahead and try this. One broody moved into her own nest, so this morning DD moved the other broody with her 5 eggs to the dog crate where she immediately started eating...and eating...and eating!!! Maybe she really HASN'T been off the nest in two weeks?! I'm at work now, but DD said when she gets back from cleaning stalls at the barn she'll check on her again and let me know. If she's not sitting on the eggs, we'll move her back to the coop and incubate the eggs. I also had DD mark today's date on the eggs in pencil.

Guess we'll just have to watch and wait now!!

 

[kyeschicks]

Hens are the best incubators!

 

[egggarden]

I have a broody BO. Last year, when we figured out what was going on, we separated her from the the rest of the flock but putting nesting stuff in a dog crate. Our coop is divided into two sections, so she could still hear them, but they couldn't bother her. Frankly, I don't think she cared. All she cared about was sitting on those 11 eggs! I did have to shoo her off the nest to go eat. I live in Wisconsin, and we had a really cold Spring last year. It was down in the teens - Annette would go walk around in the snow for 10 minutes or so, then head back to the nest. I worried that it would be too cold for the chicks when they hatched, and contacted the poultry professor at UW Madison. His advice was that the hen would know what to do and keep them plenty warm. 10 eggs hatched, and under her care, all ten have lived to maturity! We kept Annette and the chicks separate from the rest of the flock until they were about 8 weeks old......
Broody hens are amazing!

 

[Msbear]

broody but have a bator back-up

if the broody bails

edited to say: don't worry about the cold. My broody hatched eggs in Dec. My dad's homers have been hatching all winter... not a thing but a chicken wing