Diary of a Broody, the journey begins.

[turtleshell]

After a week of asking a hundred questions I am finally taking the plunge with my first broody. My fertile eggs will be here on Tuesday. I ordered Plymouth Rock, only 6 because I had no idea how many to put under her and thought less for our first time would be better for her and me. I moved her from her nesting box where she was with the other chickens today and have made her, her own quiet little area with a new nesting box in the kids cubby house. Poor kids, they have been banned from their cubby for the next three weeks. She was not impressed when I moved her, she was running up and down the mesh door and squarking the whole neighbourhood down. I had waited until dusk but after her reaction decided to put her back where she was happy until later. Once they had all settled for the night and it had been dark for a few hours I went down and moved her again. I can't hear any squarking, so here's hoping. I have a long day away at work tomorrow so I hope she settles into her new nest tonight. My husband will be home but he's a little forgetful at times and will probably forget to check on her. God love him though, he has been busy for nearly two weeks now building a bigger and better chicken pen to house my growing flock. I hope he is finished by the time the babies come, I thought I would use the old, smaller pen for the new mama and her babies.

How long should I keep her and her babies separate from the rest of the flock? Should I change her feed now that she is not laying? She is currently on coarse laying mash.

Thanks, chicken novice, Michelle

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

Congrats on your broody. I have a broody Serama who is SHE-DEVIL at me when I try to reach for her eggs LOL She is under a lb but scary enough to scare a grown man away for sure

I don't change their food (keep them on layer) I never found a reason to change it so I just didn't put her through that change while broody. I can tell you this...after my D'uccle and my Silkie hatched out two babies each they STILL have not began to lay afterwords. It's been over two months. Wondering how long THAT takes lol
As for removing them...depends on how long you want her to raise them up. She can be returned as soon as you take the babies away (not a happy thing to watch BTW) but watch the others for overpecking her...my hen was fine when I returned her because she was normally the boss of the crew so she went right back to being the boss...either that or she was just super PI**** cuz I took her babies

Whatever you do, I would not add the babies in with the big hens until they are the same size (that will still be hard enough for them). They can be horrible to those babies and quite possibly kill/eat them. Mine have done it...I had to learn the hard way. I had several ppl tell me it would be ok that the mother would protect them but she could not protect all of them

 

[turtleshell]

Thanks for the input. Aside from raising her feathers and squarking at me Cleopatra has let me take the eggs from under. Bet she hasn't been impressed but. She will be happy when I give her 6 on Tuesday and she gets to keep them. I was going to keep her in her own little pen with her chicks until they were 8 weeks old and then move her back with her flock. I had been wondering whether to then keep the chicks separate until about 16 weeks or attempt to put them in with the flock.

 

[turtleshell]

Day Two. She escaped... My husband thought he would do the right thing and open one of the windows in the cubby house today. He found her later in her old nest. Back she went, locked in this time. She is resigned back to her nest. Eggs arrive tomorrow.

 

[City Gardener]

So exciting! We had a broody hen in November and couldn't manage chicks for the winter... but if she goes broody again, we'll be doing the same thing. Good luck!

 

[Happy Chooks]

How exciting! I haven't had a broody yet.

 

[turtleshell]

Day 3

Yes it is VERY exciting!! The eggs arrived today.

I decided not to put them under her tonight, even though I am dying to. I put her out for a poop thisafternoon while I was tending the others and after her loopy lap of the yard

she headed straight for her old pen. She ate and ate and drank and drank (there is food and water in with the new nest I have made her but I don't think she is touching it, obiously after the way she ate and drank) and then proceeded to nestle into her old nest. Back we went again to the new nest. She settled straight into it when she was put in there so that is something I guess. Anyway, thought I would give her another day to settle in. Tomorrow night is the night. Can't wait to start the count down. My first chicks. The eggs are huge, glad I didn't get too many as she is not a very big hen.

 

[write2caroline]

I know my girls are partial to their nest boxes because even when I change out the hay they still only lay in 2 of the 4 boxes even though all 4 are the same. Keep us posted.

Caroline

 

[turtleshell]

Yes I know what you mean. My DH is in the process of building me a bigger pen but in the meantime they are all cramped into a tiny pen with only two nesting boxes. Those that lay always go for the same one and they even fight for sleeping rights rather than roosting.

Michelle

 

[turtleshell]

Day 4

YIPPEE

Put the fertile eggs under my broody today. Here goes, crossing fingers for success now, and pullets!! Can't wait.