Dixie Chicks

[minihorse927]

My bantam sat 40 some days. I brought the food to her, and water. She ate when I did that... There was no breaking her she was very stubborn, the instant one chick finally popped out she was off the nest...

The chocolate, even with chicks, won't hardly move. She starts moving only when the chicks run out from under her and start to investigate things.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
Did she poop in the nest while sitting? If she didn't she was getting off on her own. I was on the broody hatch along for at least a couple of years... listening and observing. I have had broodies of my own before I knew much about the process. They would go broody in the bushes or in the dog house.... usually with what looked like A Thousand eggs...

When I realized other hens were adding to the pile I made a broody partition in my teeny six by six coop, out of chicken wire. Just to keep the other hens out. That momma hatched six out of about thirty eggs. I just put food and water in the enclosure for her... I didnt really do anything more.

All my broody hens were bantams a barnyard mix.... I found one in a scrape they had been using as a dustbath. Under the rosemary... I only found her because when I walked by the Rosemary GROWLED at me... I froze and looked down to see a black beeedy eye glaring at up at me. I left her a lone but because she was in a bowl of sorts all the eggs she had hatched.... She must have had at least twenty little peepers.

They were all gone by the time I joined BYC back when I was ready to start again. I was thrilled to realize I was doing stuff right... just out of instinct. Wrong in some ways in that I didnt know the broody raised chicks needed other food besides what momma hen gave them.
My chickens were healthy lively good foragers and a hoot to have around.

deb

 

[minihorse927]

Did she poop in the nest while sitting?  If she didn't she was getting off on her own.    I was on the broody hatch along for at least a couple of years...  listening and observing.  I have had broodies of my own before I knew much about the process.  They would go broody in the bushes or in the dog house....  usually with what looked like A Thousand eggs...   When I realized other hens were adding to the pile I made a broody partition in my teeny six by six coop, out of chicken wire.  Just to keep the other hens out.   That momma hatched six out of about thirty eggs.  I just put food and water in the enclosure for her...  I didnt really do anything more. 

All my broody hens were bantams a barnyard mix....  I found one in a scrape they had been using as a dustbath.  Under the rosemary...  I only found her because when I walked by the Rosemary GROWLED at me...  I froze and looked down to see a black beeedy eye glaring at up at me.  I left her a lone but because she was in a bowl of sorts all the eggs she had hatched....  She must have had at least twenty little peepers.

They were all gone by the time I joined BYC back when I was ready to start again.  I was thrilled to realize I was doing stuff right...  just out of instinct.  Wrong in some ways in that I didnt know the broody raised chicks needed other food besides what momma hen gave them.
My chickens were healthy lively good foragers and a hoot to have around.

deb

the first week and a half or so with her everything went fine. Then one day she did poop in the nest and I thought, eh just a accident. Then it was daily. That's when I started throwing her off the nest. It got worse once the chick starts to peep and scratch in the eggs. I had to clean the nest everyday and force her to eat and drink. Bleh

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Felix...I'm so sorry about Virpi.

That's a tough one. The humbleness that comes with chickening is endless. Sometimes things are out of your control though. and That is at least something to hang a hat on.

Why she chose not to eat/drink as much is a little choice in her head you'll never know. I will let you know that I had my Silkie broody for two weeks before I got eggs under her--messing around trying to get ebay eggs and eggs from a breeder-- then tack on the 21 days. I think now that I'm quite lucky that she knew enough to get up and eat, drink, poo a couple times a day. These birds have a variety in their instincts and not all of them make sense.

I know it may not make you feel any better, but I hope it helps ease a bit with time too.

 

[vehve]

She did eat every day, but by the time she got the eggs, she had been broody a good 3-4 weeks. And before that, she had only been laying for three weeks since her previous broodyness. She just exhausted herself. She did a good job though.

Now I'm hoping for another broody. We're going to have to hatch out some more chicks to get a decent egg production going in summer again. I'd prefer the natural route, I'm not too enthusiastic about incubating.

Thanks for the condolences everyone.

 

[Outpost JWB]

There is another way with broodies. take em off the nest once per day. they will run out dust bathe Do a HUGE broody poop and pound down groceries... They will stay off only long enough to do this and hop back on. The eggs will cool a bit but that is the way they were designed to be hatched in the wild.

deb

That is what we do with our broody hen. If she has not got back on the nest within 15minutes, we put her back. Little girl put a small food dish in the corner of the nest box last year which turned out good. She was such a broodzilla that no other chicken would come near it.

@vehve , So sorry. So often chickens are so strong that we never realize anything is wrong until it's too late.

 

[vehve]

Yeah, most animals try to hide that they're sick, you can't show weakness in the wild. I was mistaking her passivity as her being overly concerned with the chicks, so it went unnoticed for some time. Next time I'll be sure to keep a closer eye on them, and maybe feel for weight loss.

In sprouting news, it's crazy what 12 hours will do.

Morning:

Evening:

 

[Amberjem]

first set of wheels loosely put on...ment to get the baby chicks in there but these guys decided they wanted to explore so I went with it...wheeled over to a nice spot to enjoy

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Vehve another thing that's came to mind --and not to expound or beat you up about it because believe me whe I say we're all learning no matter how long we've had chickens!--One other thing to maybe suggest on brooding is the time of year in a northern climate. So much energy is used for keeping warm that if the bird is burning more calories for warmth and not eating AS much food that's a double stressor there. Naturally ducks/geese in the wild are brooding in the spring.

 

[hennible]

That's a good point bog, maybe that's why my bantam didn't do too badly, she was indoors when she had her long brood... Because it was late in the year and it was cold.