Could she be broody?

[rancher hicks]

I have a Dominique 1yr next mo. She's been in the nest off and on and I 've chased her out a couple of times. The last time I caught her in the nest I left her for the night and she was off the next morning when I bring them breakfast. I took the cold eggs from the night before. Well she's there again this afternoon and I left her there. Tonight she's still there and when I reached under her to take the eggs I'm sure are there she pecked my hand pretty determined. I left her alone. I'm all for broody hens and I don't mind cause I'm not big on incus. I have some eggs in one now and I don't like the stress.
1. Well could she be broody in this cold weather? It would be her first time.

I had a BO who I thought was broody but moved and she relented. She even was bald on her belly.
2. Do they go broody in the winter?
I wouldn't hatch their eggs but I would some CM's I have.

I also think early spring chicks mean early summer laying.
I'm planning on setting up a broody coop system.

3. Is there anyone who practices broody hatching as a rule?
I had two cochin bantam go broody and hatch eggs at less than a year old.

 

[Southernbelle]

1. Yes. At one point I had 10 Silkie hens and I ALWAYS had at least one broody hen, even in the dead of winter. Mine always got off the nests whenever I went down there to feed them because they wanted the treats I'd bring. The best test for me was to go down at night and see if they were sleeping in the nest box. Only my broodies slept on the nest, everyone else would be roosting.

2. Yes. She'll do fine. They keep the eggs plenty warm and the babies plenty warm, once they hatch. Keep her in a draft free place.

3. Yes. The whole reason I kept Silkie hens for for the express purpose of brooding for me and I didn't own an incubator for the longest time, I used 100% broody power. I always had at least one broody at any time all year. (My record was 8 of the 10 broody at once.) I got my chick fix year round and I never had to worry about temp spikes, humidity levels, power outages or deal with the mess and stress of brooding the hatched chicks in the house. I LOVE broody hens!

 

[lauralou]

I completely agree with Southernbelle.

1. Yes. I just tossed a Buff Orpington hen off the nest today. She is clearly contemplating broodiness.

2. Yes. I don't know where you are, but here in VA, it will be spring before we know it. I tossed that hen off the nest because I don't have any fertile eggs for her to hatch at the moment. Not because I thought she couldn't hatch eggs and raise chicks successfully.

3. Yes. I've never owned an incubator. I don't even want one. I leave the hatching of eggs and rearing of chicks to the professionals: my army of broody hens.

 

[rancher hicks]

I'm in Syracuse, NY and it's going into the teens. But for the last two broody tiime it's was summer and fall. I moved them into a room with a heater though it still was cold. Oh yeah I put a red heat light aimed at the nest. The chicks pretty much stayed in the nest and in momma. She's was a frizzle and they would get in her curls.
I would most likely do the same w/ the Dominique. If she is broody she's definitely a keeper though I don't have a Dominique roo. I would most likely switch in some Delaware and CM eggs and maybe a couple of bantam frizzles.
I usually make a kazillion trips to the coop during the day to see who's doing what. So I can be sure whose eggs I'm collecting.
Thanks for the advice.

 

[rancher hicks]

Well she's was still on the nest this morning and afternoon. How long should I wait before moving her? Cuz I don't want to wait to long. I would be putting a couple of new eggs under her. What if she sat on unfertilized eggs for the 21 days?
Also in this cold what are the chances for eggs that have sat all day? Just how cold can they get before they're no good to hatch?
I could make multiple trips out to the coop tomorrow and collect the eggs I want as they are laid and hold them till I move her. Should I do that? I would probbalby select Del pure and CM's. The CM's are easy enough cause they're dark.

 

[rancher hicks]

Well she was still on the nest tonight so it's going on 24 hrs. I bought a new heat lamp to set her up like I did the other hen who went broody in the fall. I suppose I have nothing to lose right?

 

[lauralou]

Whenever I have a broody hen, I move her into a broody house so she can have privacy. What I do is move her and lock her into the broody house for a few days, until I'm sure that she has accepted that nest as her own. Then I give her eggs to sit on.

I'm really not sure how long an egg can sit in this kind of weather. Maybe move the hen and get her settled, and then over the weekend you can check on eggs every couple of hours or so. Collect them and bring them into the house to keep them at a "normal" temperature so they won't freeze. Then when you have enough eggs collected, give them all to her at the same time.

I'm sure it's way colder up north than it is here, but by the time the eggs hatch, it will be end of February, with spring right around the corner. Your broody setup sounds nice and cozy, so hopefully everything will work out just fine.

Good luck!

 

[rancher hicks]

I'll keep you posted.