First time going broody

[sgtmom52]

I had an 11 month old broody Buff Orp. She was broody for 2 weeks before she had any eggs to sit on. I got her 12 fertile eggs and she sat on them for 20 days before hatching. She only got off of the nest about once every 4 to 5 days (judged by the "broody poops") I did hand feed and water her every day to make sure she ate.
She ended up hatching out 6 little chipmunk looking chicks (EE/Russian Orloff mix). She lost a fertile egg at day 9 to a crack and 5 were infertile. I didn't get to watch the eggs daily in an incubator and watch the hatch, but this is much more interesting to me.
She is a wonderful mother and it is amazing to watch her teaching the little one to eat, drink and scratch.

 

[GoodEgg]

Quote:
When mine go broody, I usually just take all the eggs and try to gently get them to go off the nest. I don't leave golf balls or anything else there either. If the nest is outside the coop, I usually "disturb" it ... I do the same thing to try to discourage laying outside the coop. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't (I STILL get a half dozen a day from the Pampass grass in the back corner).

They eventually give up and get on with their lives, and go back to laying, eating, drinking, etc.

If you wanted one to set on eggs or raise babies for you, you can let her do that.

Hope that helps!

trish

 

[GoodEgg]

Love the pics of the Orp and babies!

Chickens make such good mothers. I love to watch them with biddies. One of these days I will have to let some of mine raise some.

I am thinking my light brahmas might be roos (I just hope ONE of them is a pullet!

), so maybe next year. (Right now all my roos are banties, and only one of them may be fertilizing SOME of the eggs ... they miss most of the time ... and besides, I don't want standard/banty crosses.)

But I love pics of mamas with biddies!

trish