First brood!

[Bcpayne]

My favorite hen, Peach (1 year old), has just gone broody for the first time! Turns out the key to her heart was dispatching our pesky, crooked rooster Here's to hoping I can stuff a bunch of blue, copper, and green eggs under her big, Brahma butt! I've successfully gifted her 4 out of 21 eggs I've had in the bator for 6 days. She snatched them up under her with surprising speed and dexterity for a creature with no hands meanwhile her girl gang of hens are moodily skulking around the yard, upset that she had abandoned them just as they've become single ladies. Anyone else have good luck with Brahmas on their first brood? Picture attached of my big girl begging for treats.

 

[Perris]

good luck with your first broody hatch! I imagine she could cover a lot of eggs with that butt

 

[Bcpayne]

good luck with your first broody hatch! I imagine she could cover a lot of eggs with that butt

So far so good! She has 19 under there now and is a very dedicated Momma. Turns out she had stolen one of her sister's eggs so I just let her keep it too. We're about to be covered up in chickens! I'm now incubating 19 turkey eggs for a friend too (first time for turkeys here). Her neighbor started up his tractor and didn't know a hen was brooding under there... unfortunately the hen was killed but I candled the eggs last night and all 19 have little movers and shakers in there, seem to be about 14ish days along

 

[Bcpayne]

Update! The little peepers have started hatching. Three are out, 9 pipped, 6 I can hear in shell. Had to do an emergency recon on the coop she is in because the Diatomaceous Earth I had dusted with was not strong enough for the mites. Anyway disposed of all hay and scoured her entire coop☺ hopefully we have 20 healthy babies in the morning. Realistically, it will probably be approx 15 or 16. With all that being said, I'm super glad I have a great relationship with my chickens, otherwise, she would have pecked my eyeballs out and clawed me like a wildcat.