Can a 6 month Buff Oprington be broody?

[Mom2Cool]

Ridgerunner thank you so much. You know I had actually found & read that article earlier today and I think at the time I was a bit more confused about the age of the BO going broody & then if she did me not being prepared or not having "planned for it". But technically I do have eggs coming & some will come just before the weekend or I think like Fri. & I know that the "shipping" will make the chance of hatching lower but I think I might just set some under her because I can separate her after the weekend & I think thei chances of some hatching under her are as good as them hatching in the incubator & frankly I agre with the person who wrote the article that it just seems easier in a way to let her handle it. I guess the big thing is getting her to set in a new coop. I do have a separate smaller coop I can put her into where she'd have more than enough room to set on a nest & then get up & move over to a place to eat/sleep/poop. That was the original coop we'd purchased & it isn't as weather hardy but it does have a plexiglass front & right now the nest box she's in is pretty cold compared to the rest of the coop. It's suppose to be real warm again this weekend so I may try to move her & then set her on a new clutch?

I read through a good portion of that article you'd referred me to again & parts of it to hubby so we're on the same page etc. & I might print it out for more reading later & I thank you again because it was VERY educational.

As I'd thought about it tonight reading that article & I see all those saying "How do I get my hen to go broody" I thought "that was one of the reasons I'd wanted BO's & I've literally got eggs on the way & so maybe it's divine intervention because if I'd TRIED to plan the timing this close I couldn't have done it..... So it would be nuts for me not to at least try setting some under her & so she's gonna get a portion of the eggs coming in.

 

[Mom2Cool]

Quote:
If she's puffing up, and growling/hissing when you get near, chances are she's broody. My youngest BO was 7 months when she went broody. She is also very sweet, so she just protested when I took all the eggs out from under her, but didn't fight me otherwise.

Are the Orpingtons too cute or what? I always feel bad because they're 6 months old now & I still can't tell 1 littl girl from the next except they are all just adorable, sweeties and with these real animated little personalities that always keep us laughing.

The girl didn't "hiss" really but really just suddenly had an "evil eye" & even then it was more like that "zen look" described elswhere. At the start Ithought I'd annoyed her by desturbing her eggs laying.

I think I might try just letting her have a clutch, she's got to be as reliable as me with a heated foam box right?

 

[OrpingtonManor]

Quote:
If she's puffing up, and growling/hissing when you get near, chances are she's broody. My youngest BO was 7 months when she went broody. She is also very sweet, so she just protested when I took all the eggs out from under her, but didn't fight me otherwise.

Are the Orpingtons too cute or what? I always feel bad because they're 6 months old now & I still can't tell 1 littl girl from the next except they are all just adorable, sweeties and with these real animated little personalities that always keep us laughing.

The girl didn't "hiss" really but really just suddenly had an "evil eye" & even then it was more like that "zen look" described elswhere. At the start Ithought I'd annoyed her by desturbing her eggs laying.

I think I might try just letting her have a clutch, she's got to be as reliable as me with a heated foam box right?

Yes, the BOs are such nice, friendly birds. I haven't spent as much time with them this winter, but last summer they were becoming lap chickens. They were on my lap, shoulders, and head every chance they could get.

I can tell them apart by differences in feather color, combs, and one even has "shooting star" butt fluff. (I don't what the technical term for it is, but it reminds me of guys who should trim their ear hair.

)

My little broody only hissed at me when I got really close. I don't have a roo, so I was taking all the eggs from under her. She had them tucked up under her wings and everything. I had to touch her pretty thoroughly, and still, she never pecked me.

If you can have more chicks, it might be fun to give her a chance to try motherhood. I can't do that where I live.

If you do that, I know there are threads on here that explain what you have to do to protect mom and chicks through the incubation and early weeks.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I strongly agree to let mama do it. There is a great chance she will do better than an incubator, especially if you are not an old experienced hand with incubators. I think the Broody Hen site gives great basics. That's why I recommend it.

I know there are several people on this site that will strongly disagree with me, but I do not consider it absolutely necessary to keep a broody hen separated from the flock while she is brooding her eggs. When I grew up on the farm many years ago, I was the oldest boy and feeding the chickens, gathering eggs, and taking care of the broody hens were some of my chores.

We never isolated a broody hen unless we wanted to break her from being broody. If we wanted a hen to hatch eggs, I'd take 12 to 15 eggs from the egg bucket under the sink, mark them with a soft-leaded pencil, and place them under the hen. She stayed on the nest she started on. Every day about 5:00 p.m., I'd gather the eggs. When I got to the broody hen, I'd toss her out the hen house door and take any unmarked eggs in her nest. And I would often find a few unmarked eggs in the nest. We'd usually let four hens hatch eggs in a year. That's a lot of Sunday dinners. We never isolated a hen and her chicks from the flock. Mama took care of introducing them to the flock and protecting them from the flock.

We normally had good success with the hatches. I never had a hen that I put eggs under quit until she hatched them. We hardly ever found a broken egg under a broody, but I would occasionally find a broken egg in a nest without a broody. Stuff happens. I'm sure you will find people on here that will tell you about disasters they have experienced, and I do believe them. But I think the chances of that happening is pretty low based on my experience and our set-up.

These were truly free range chickens. The door to the hen house was never closed. Mama had plenty of room to keep her chicks separated from the others if she wished. If we had them in a small coop and run, I'm sure my story would be different.

As with everything else on here, I suggest you look at the posts, try to make sense of them, and choose which ones best fit your situation. We all have different experiences and we all have different set-ups. A lot of the times, we have different answers. I'm not saying mine are right for you.

Now for my suggestion. If you are going to move the broody to a different nest, do it soon so you can be sure she is still broody. Get some eggs under her, fake eggs work fine. Then when your eggs come in Friday, put some under the broody and put some in your incubator. Start them at the same time. Then, in 21 days when they hatch, put about six more baby chicks than you think the broody can handle under her. Do it at night. I think you will be very pleased with the results.

 

[cmom]

I had some young girls that I thought were going broody but in the end they just wanted to lay in the nest boxes and poop.

 

[Mom2Cool]

Quote:
Are the Orpingtons too cute or what? I always feel bad because they're 6 months old now & I still can't tell 1 littl girl from the next except they are all just adorable, sweeties and with these real animated little personalities that always keep us laughing.

The girl didn't "hiss" really but really just suddenly had an "evil eye" & even then it was more like that "zen look" described elswhere. At the start Ithought I'd annoyed her by desturbing her eggs laying.

I think I might try just letting her have a clutch, she's got to be as reliable as me with a heated foam box right?

Yes, the BOs are such nice, friendly birds. I haven't spent as much time with them this winter, but last summer they were becoming lap chickens. They were on my lap, shoulders, and head every chance they could get.

I can tell them apart by differences in feather color, combs, and one even has "shooting star" butt fluff. (I don't what the technical term for it is, but it reminds me of guys who should trim their ear hair.

)

My little broody only hissed at me when I got really close. I don't have a roo, so I was taking all the eggs from under her. She had them tucked up under her wings and everything. I had to touch her pretty thoroughly, and still, she never pecked me.

If you can have more chicks, it might be fun to give her a chance to try motherhood. I can't do that where I live.

If you do that, I know there are threads on here that explain what you have to do to protect mom and chicks through the incubation and early weeks.

Well actually they were kind of young last summer & I think that was part of the problem in that I hadn't spent enough time with them etc. I can't believe some times when I look at them now how they've really grown so. With the warm snap we'd just had the chickens had all been up here on the deck the past couple of weeks, (well up untill the other day) & yes I'd actually started to notice differences in them with a slight difference in color shade etc. I know it's just a matter of spending time with them & as soon as it starts to warm up again (hopefully this wknd) I'll be putzing around outside & will get to start to spend some time with them. I haven't really come up with any real names for the BO's except for the Roo "Mr. Standoffish"

but they are truly dolls
& some of the antics are too much. They just LOVE shiney stuff & I seem to recall one pullet staring at my face one day when I realized I was wearing my *metal frame glasses* & you know they like to poke at shiney things... LOL I took them off real quick but they really are very curious & yes too sweet & very quick to want to "perch on people".

Anyway I will be checking here on the BYC for all the tips etc not to worry. The advice I've gotten here tonight has just been a wealth of information & I love the experience that everyone brings to the table. You know it's really something being able to to get this level of advice where once I guess a person was just reading a book/magazine & going on the advice of a couple peers etc & then just winging it. I love BYC

 

[Mom2Cool]

Quote:
Now that is funny! LOL The rest don't seem to give 2 hoots when I'm there with the corn muffins in the morning. LOL Of course it's been so cold here who could blame the little thing for wanting to get snuggled down ? we'll see what the next day or 2 brings with a little warmth.

 

[Mom2Cool]

Quote:
Ridgerunner, I had wanted originally to try it by just leaving the hen where she is because she is in a box on her own but the coop is kind of small & the rest of the flock would be right there during a hatch & so no "introduction" by a mama would be necessary.

But you know it's weird because the article you'd recommended earlier had actually contradicted itself & I think that is one of the things that had me coming here & the fact that the I was uncertain of the age this can start at.

But anyway at the start she says that her chicks are with the flock from day one of hatching & then later she says she separates the broody hen.

As I'd read it & then read it again tonight to hubby so he'd understand what is needed we both just figured we could put her in the smaller coop which is really just a double rabbit coop with the front closed in with a plexiglass. So we do kind of have a place for her to go to but I really don't want her to think I'm trying to break up her being "broody". When I go to move her I'd just figured I'd move the eggs she on with her & then keep her inside the coop and hope that she gets we're just separating her from the rest etc. But I also know that then there's the "reintroduction" of not just the other chickens but the hen that was separated too. and if I really have tohave them "away from the other adults" as in to keep them from getting ill that means we have to really change out the area of the yard she's in. I dunno I might have to move them into a garage if I have to separate because I don't know if the small coop is predator proof enough for the fox we've had outside either. I don't know I'll have to take stock tomorrow of the out door set up & see what's up with this chicken. Maybe I'll actually see if she'll let me slip a hand under her to see if she's already on eggs whichI've a feeling she is. Hubby & I had planned on moving those with her at first & then switching & putting an entire new hatch under her when eggs come on Friday.

You say I can put between 12 to 15 under her? And how long do I let them "rest" when they get here before putting them under the hen? I know I'll do a lot of reading tomorrow & the rest of the week so I've got it down. Thanks for all of your experience that you've shared it really is appreciated & you know it's funny because as I see us all here on the BYC & I watch all the little things we do & how we all hover & obcess over minute details I tend to think that at one time on the farms of days of old they must have hatched out some how & I don't think they'd spend the same kind of time on this stuff & the hen houses I imagine to be small ones too. And thinking of hen houses when it has that label does that mean the roos are kept in a separate place? And are/were they tolerant of the chicks?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Quote:
I hope I am not seen as trying to set myself up as rivals or critics of the author of the broody article. The Ussery's are well-know experts in homestead lifestyle and contribute articles to several magazines. They do an outstanding job of explaining why they do things the way they do and they are successful using their methods. Their basics and understanding are very good. I'm just saying that different people have different goals, different set-ups and different scales. I greatly admire them and recommend their articles.

 

[Indiana hens]

Buff Orpingtons are some of the BEST brooders ever! Nothing better than a Buff hen walking to the garden and a string of chicks behind her!