Consolidated Kansas

[Dani4Hedgies]

So the great move of broody is completed and boy did I get a shock. See I had noticed that Maple a Patridge Brahma has been hanging out with Limpy and Rockie but today I discovered she isn't just hanging around with them she is broody too. Sooo I created 3 broody containment pens today with fresh new nest boxes which I added Lavender and Marigolds too help keep them calm and happy in their new boxes. So I opened up two hothands pads and placed them into the new boxes and went to my incubator list on my computer while they warm up. Going through the list and picking out the best eggs (3 of them being actually Rockie's eggs) to pick out which would be going under each one. So DH and I quickly gathered the planned eggs out of the incubator and placed them into each new box and out to the pitch dark coop we went. Now as much as my DH enjoys my chickens they are my chickens so while I know my coop as well as the back of my hand he didn't so he just handed me the box and closed the door. Now since Limpy is Midget White Turkey Hen she was the first choice since she is easy to tell. So I put down her new nest box in its new spot Not on top of a table as she had chosen since there would be no safe way for the chicks to get back up onto the table and I didn't feel like chancing them getting hurt. So I pick up Limpy and place her into the new nest box which she quickly tells me isn't going to fly with her. But since I didn't want to chance the other eggs getting cooled if the Hothands cooled down so I left her in the cage and quickly moved Rockie into her new nest box and her new cage on top of the warmed eggs minus of course the hothands pad and quickly fluffed out and purring to the eggs moved then to those perfect spots under her. Then back to grab Maple and the eggs that everyone has been sharing and quickly moved her into her new nest and cage which she happily moved everyone around under her and there is more then the 6 X eggs under her but I figure I will get them out from under her tomorrow not going to add to her stress tonight. So quickly back to Limpy with the now empty nest box that she had fallen in love with so I tried to quickly switch out the nest boxes and of course with my bare hand I find where she had just dropped a big o'nasty broody poo clearly showing her contempt at my attempt to change out her nest box. And I swear she was laughing as I swore and tried to move her eggs back into her preferred nest box without getting any poo on them. Once that was done she happily ran over and got back into her roomier nest box and moved "Her" eggs under her purring the entire time. So yea I'm tired after having tore apart a desk and rebuilt it into a brooder containment pen and moved the other pen around ugh I'm glad that's done cause boy my knees and hands are screaming. Will post pictures tomorrow but hope everyone had a good weekend.

 

[Dani4Hedgies]

Grrr went to let everyone out and Limpie and Rockie had abandoned their new nest and were sitting on top if each other on the table no eggs no straw nothing under them. Their eggs were cold but I rushed them into the house and put them in the incubator I don't know that any of those will survive but figure that's the best I can do Maple wasn't in her nest either and while her eggs were warm I went ahead and took them as well and stuck them in the incubator heres keeping my fingers crossed that some make it. Have no idea what to do with the 3 broody now though sad.png

 

[chicken danz]

Grrr went to let everyone out and Limpie and Rockie had abandoned their new nest and were sitting on top if each other on the table no eggs no straw nothing under them. Their eggs were cold but I rushed them into the house and put them in the incubator I don't know that any of those will survive but figure that's the best I can do Maple wasn't in her nest either and while her eggs were warm I went ahead and took them as well and stuck them in the incubator heres keeping my fingers crossed that some make it. Have no idea what to do with the 3 broody now though sad.png

Yep that's a chance you always take when moving broodies. And also why I suggested leaving Limpie where she was. Turkeys are much harder to convince to move. You could have left her on the table because the chicks would drop to the floor and she would take over mothering them there if that was the case. I've had lots of chicks hatched in raised nest boxes and they will jump out surprisingly well. I've also put the chicks down after they hatched if they didn't move within 24 hours or so. Other than getting a hand pecked the mother's will take over the chicks. The other option would be to build a box of sorts that sits on top of the table for a nest. Just using 1 X 4s or something to create a short barrier.
I'm guessing the broodies will pick back up and steal more eggs and start sitting again.
I have one of my youngest turkeys who now has 8 eggs under her. There were 6 the day before. Awfully early in the year to go broody especially since these girls just started laying.
Got my Buff Orps picked up yesterday and then drove to Iola with a goose. A couple days shut up with her new mate and she will be allowed to go to the pond. She is going to be so happy to have a pond. They are also shut back up in the barn each night so she should still be safe.

 

[Dani4Hedgies]

Yep that's a chance you always take when moving broodies. And also why I suggested leaving Limpie where she was. Turkeys are much harder to convince to move. You could have left her on the table because the chicks would drop to the floor and she would take over mothering them there if that was the case. I've had lots of chicks hatched in raised nest boxes and they will jump out surprisingly well. I've also put the chicks down after they hatched if they didn't move within 24 hours or so. Other than getting a hand pecked the mother's will take over the chicks. The other option would be to build a box of sorts that sits on top of the table for a nest. Just using  1 X 4s or something to create a short barrier.
I'm guessing the broodies will pick back up and steal more eggs and start sitting again.

Well I will be going back out and moving their nest back up onto the table and put the pen back around it and will fill it with plastic eggs. Now should I switch out the eggs with hatched chicks or repepper the nest with eggs night 17? And how do I keep the two girls separate so that they wont fight over the chicks?

 

[Dani4Hedgies]

Has anyone tried bringing a broody chicken and her eggs inside at like night 17? Thinking I could do that with Rockie since while she didn't stay in her new nest box once Limpie was out and returned to her old one but maybe if she is inside then it will take and she will stay on her eggs? If nothing else this would keep the eggs from getting cold since the house is at 70 and if it did take then I could foster the rest of the incubator chicks to her as well. What does everyone think? Has anyone ever done this? Did it work?

 

[Dani4Hedgies]

Good news when I went back out to the coop with plastic eggs and moved their favorite nest back and peppered it with the plastic eggs and thought I would try to move Maple back to her new nest since her eggs were still warm this morning. Happily she took her plastic eggs and her new nest book keeping fingers crossed that she is still on them when we get home. Am thinking to move Rockie into the house the night before lock down and stuff eggs under her that are ready to hatch since she actually took to her new nest box last night.

 

[rlh1]

I just had to move my broody Maran hens nest. She had made one in our raised laying boxes and I was worried about the babies getting hurt getting out. So I moved her into a box on the floor of the coop. She refused it. So, I put her back in it and attached a piece of hardware cloth onto the front and kept her in it for a few days. She has accepted the nest and goes back to it.
While I was out there this weekend I decided I needed to count the eggs under Opal because my daughter thought she saw one of the other Marans coming from the area of her nest singing an egg song. I gave her 13 eggs when she went broody. So, when we got her off her nest, I count 20 eggs! And that's after my broody silkie, pinky, stole 2-3 from her nest. Apparently my daughter was right. SO, Opal has 17 now and Pinky has 10. All of which she has stolen.
Bloom has turned into a very attentive mom. She hatched her four eggs with no issues. We did loose one baby on day two. We don't know why. She seemed to be doing fine, my daughter went to check one morning and found her laying in the middle of their area. But the other three are doing fine.

So, I have a question. Having one hen with babies and two hens sitting, can I put all of them into the same Nursery area safely? Or do they each need their own area?
I will set it up so that they can get in and out, so they can go outside if they want to but also have their own area to get away from the rest of the flock. Any ideas will be much appreciate!

Thank you

 

[chicken danz]

I just had to move my broody Maran hens nest. She had made one in our raised laying boxes and I was worried about the babies getting hurt getting out. So I moved her into a box on the floor of the coop. She refused it. So, I put her back in it and attached a piece of hardware cloth onto the front and kept her in it for a few days. She has accepted the nest and goes back to it.
While I was out there this weekend I decided I needed to count the eggs under Opal because my daughter thought she saw one of the other Marans coming from the area of her nest singing an egg song. I gave her 13 eggs when she went broody. So, when we got her off her nest, I count 20 eggs! And that's after my broody silkie, pinky, stole 2-3 from her nest. Apparently my daughter was right. SO, Opal has 17 now and Pinky has 10. All of which she has stolen.
Bloom has turned into a very attentive mom. She hatched her four eggs with no issues. We did loose one baby on day two. We don't know why. She seemed to be doing fine, my daughter went to check one morning and found her laying in the middle of their area. But the other three are doing fine.

So, I have a question. Having one hen with babies and two hens sitting, can I put all of them into the same Nursery area safely? Or do they each need their own area?
I will set it up so that they can get in and out, so they can go outside if they want to but also have their own area to get away from the rest of the flock. Any ideas will be much appreciate!

Thank you

You can put them in the same area but there is a always a chance that one of the hens will peck the other hens babies. Sometimes they will kill another hens babies, sometimes they'll leave them alone, and other times they'll fight the other hen to take her babies. It's always a guess.

 

[Plinky]

I just had to move my broody Maran hens nest. She had made one in our raised laying boxes and I was worried about the babies getting hurt getting out. So I moved her into a box on the floor of the coop. She refused it. So, I put her back in it and attached a piece of hardware cloth onto the front and kept her in it for a few days. She has accepted the nest and goes back to it.
While I was out there this weekend I decided I needed to count the eggs under Opal because my daughter thought she saw one of the other Marans coming from the area of her nest singing an egg song. I gave her 13 eggs when she went broody. So, when we got her off her nest, I count 20 eggs! And that's after my broody silkie, pinky, stole 2-3 from her nest. Apparently my daughter was right. SO, Opal has 17 now and Pinky has 10. All of which she has stolen.
Bloom has turned into a very attentive mom. She hatched her four eggs with no issues. We did loose one baby on day two. We don't know why. She seemed to be doing fine, my daughter went to check one morning and found her laying in the middle of their area. But the other three are doing fine.

So, I have a question. Having one hen with babies and two hens sitting, can I put all of them into the same Nursery area safely? Or do they each need their own area?
I will set it up so that they can get in and out, so they can go outside if they want to but also have their own area to get away from the rest of the flock. Any ideas will be much appreciate!

Thank you

I wonder how many people have chickens named PINKY! that's the name of our Leghorn! The others are Winky, Blinky (my daughter started with the inspiration of "winken, blinken and ...") and Plinky.

 

[rlh1]

LOL! My 4 yr old nephew named her. I'm not sure why he chose Pinky, but there you go. When I named my Maran hen that is sitting on eggs Opal, it just came to me. So I figured I would go with it.