Do I have a Broody??? More questions please help..

[patandchickens]

Once you decide she is broody enough (including being on the nest all night), and you want to "go for it", I would suggest REMOVING whatever eggs she is on at the time, and REPLACING them with a set of all-new eggs. That way the hatch will be pretty well synchronized. I've lost eggs/chicks by not doing this, don't learn the hard way like I did

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[mags2009]

Well, my eggs should be hatching altogether, they were in the incubator, on day 7. I don't have a rooster, so these are the only fertile eggs I have. I gave her 2 last night, and 4 more this morning, (as you never know hatch rate of shipped eggs) but she is very broody, is on the nest all night, and I even hand fed her this morning. Just wondered if I should put the other 6 under her that I have in the bator. Also, will the other hens accept the chicks?

 

[Happy Chooks]

A BR should be able to cover all the eggs if you want her to.

As for the other chickens bothering her and the chicks, I don't know. Some people separate the broody, some don't. I suppose you won't know until they hatch.

 

[mags2009]

ok, I have established that she definately is broody, and now have 6 eggs under her, and I left 6 in the incubator. I fed her some food today, and a few sips of water, but don't think she has gotten up at all. Should I take her off the nest so she gets a little exercise? Also, she will turn them right? Another ?, why doesn't she lay an egg while she is broody? Wouldn't her body still make eggs? Thanks.

 

[PortageGirl]

She'll get up herself when it's very quiet and she feels very safe... which means you WON'T see her

Just put some food and water within sight of the nest so she can eat and keep an eye on it. She'll handle it.

 

[BLaBauve]

Hi Mags. I have my first broody too! I put 12 ameraucana eggs under her 4 nights ago. She is a Buff Brahma. I'm not sure she'll be the best mother though; sometimes she takes 2-3 hours breaks from her eggs, and when I put her back in the box she stares at the eggs like she's saying, "Oh yeah, I forgot about you guys!". The other girls sit on the eggs while she dust bathes during her long breaks. But today she actually didn't get off the eggs once, not that I saw anyways. If she does manage to hatch any I plan on letting her raise them around the other chickens. If I see that the other hens are picking on the babies I will remove them. I hate reintroducing hens to my flock, so I'd rather her stay with the flock if possible.

They do not lay eggs while they are broody, I'm assuming it has something to do with the clutch of eggs and making sure they all hatch. If they kept laying they would have a staggered hatch... which isn't possible for a hen that gets up 24 hours after her chicks hatch.

Let me know how things go! I hope that my girl will be able to hatch a few out.

 

[mags2009]

BlaBauve!
We meet again...remember we hatched together a month or so ago!!! Well, I wouldn't even HAVE any eggs for her to hatch except for the fact that my last order of shipped eggs, two of the chicks turned out to be a mystery breed, so the breeder sent me 12 more eggs. 6 Welsummers, and 6 Black Copper Marans! I don't have a rooster, so she would be sitting on eggs that would never hatch!!! Well, lets keep in touch with this go around and see what happens!! I am on Day 7 of incubating, so she should hatch something in two weeks!

 

[BLaBauve]

Mags, I do remember, that's why I commented! It's funny we both have broodies now. I had put by incubator away for the season.... And then I had a broody! I couldn't just let her sit on nothing! Luckily a friend gave me a dozen fertile eggs to put under her. I'm shocked you have a barred rock broody. I didn't think they were a broody breed.

 

[mags2009]

You know what? I didn't think she was broody either, just for that same reason, that I didn't think a barred rock really got broody. That's kind of why I picked the breeds that I did, because I knew I wouldn't have a roo, and would never have fertile eggs for a broody. It just started to hit me the other day because every time I went out to the coop, (which is a LOT) she was in there. At first, I thought she might be having problems laying, but then it hit me after I would go to pet her, and she would puff up like a balloon, and make a funny growling noise, that she must be broody! She even sat there for 2 days with NOTHING under her!! Just tonight, I picked her up, and she did finally eat something, and got some water, had a BIG poop, walked around for a minute or two, but went right back up to the nest of eggs! I hope they are viable, and not duds! This girl wants some chicks!!

I will have to take some pics of her maybe Friday when I am off work!! Talk to ya soon

Kerry

 

[BLaBauve]

Yeah, I guess she really does want some chicks. My Brahma was off and on the nest the first day... here she is:

Then, she got broody:

Quite a transformation! She's still very sweet to me, and I can get to any eggs I want.