Ever have a broody hen go balistic when chicks start to hatch?

[Cynthia12]

I had a broody hen, did what I thought would be best and fun for her, and me...ordered some fertilized eggs, put some under her, and the rest in a bator. She did well..until they pipped, she could hear them under her. She would leave the next at times when I would open the coop, then back to her eggs and nestle down, but on the day that they were ready to hatch, she flew the coop! I mean she just flew up and out that door, and did not want to go back in. Well, watched a bit, then decided I best get those babies in my bator. Glad I had it..all but one of hers hatched. That was so strange. She was so broody and happy until they started to come. One of my friends said it I guess....maybe the mama hen didn't think being a mama hen was all it was cracked up to be.

I had heard this could happen, but my goodness...she's a beautiful Blue Lace Red Wyondotte. Anyone else have a similar story?
Cynthia

 

[little_grey_bantam]

My hen pooed ALL over her expensive eggs I gave her... *face plant* a week maybe a week and a half in.
Decided she was fed up!

HOWEVER, she went into the coop and is fighting the other 5 broody hens for eggs... the mutt ones *face plant*

 

[Southernbelle]

My first ever broodies were two little Silkie hens and I seperated them from the flock; I put both their nests in my old brooder box. They kept to their seperate nests until the babies hatched...the blue Silkie seemed to be nervous about this whole motherhood thing. Next time I went down there, she had moved into the white Silkie's nest along with all her babies and had tucked herself under the white Silkie's wing.

They went on to raise all 7 babies together and continued to sleep in the same nest box (until they ran out of room

)


Cynthia, It sounds like your girl's hormones began to wane and she decided she was done being broody. It's unusual for her to give up when she can hear the babies! Glad you had the incubator back-up.


LGB: I've had broodies poop on their eggs before and they went on to have a great hatch and she was a great mother. Don't park the food too close to the nest; they often poop when they're eating, so if you leave the food too close to the nest, they'll poop right in it.

 

[Chicken Chat]

A few years back I had a cochin bantam, Gertie, that went broody, so I let her keep her one egg she was sitting on just to see what would happen. She was a great momma hen until it was ready to hatch. When she heard the peeping she got off the nest and refused to go back. She acted like it scared her. I didn't have an bator then, so I put her in a small nest, caged her in and hoped she would have to sit on it. I had to leave for work and when I came back, she was sitting as far away from that egg as she could get. The egg was cold and when I opened it, the chick had died.

 

[little_grey_bantam]

No, that's just my luck on eggs

What am I goiing to do with 9 broody hens?
2 are sorta iffy, but wow... 6 mama hens on babies? Going to just purchase a buttload o' chicks!

They keep stealing eggs from each other!!