grannys gone and done it

[campingshaws]

Wow, that's scary. I just don't know if I can wait for another hatch. I figured I would either try the lock down eggs, or slip some chicks under her in the night.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

If she sticks with it through Thursday, maybe I'll give her a few lockdown eggs? This is a first time for both of us. I have some mixed breed eggs (some are hers) that I'm not depending on.

Does that sound ok?

The trick is to time the cycle. They start the broody cycle by laying about 10-12 eggs over a week and a half, but don't sit on them. Once the clutch is big enough, they start broody sitting for the 21 days. Whether they need to sit all that time or if the presence of chicks peeping will get them up and around after one week of sitting, I don't know. I think there's less chance of her rejecting the chicks if they hatch under her. I'd try it! Mamas a chicks are so wonderful together, and she will handle the integration when they are ready.

 

[campingshaws]

The trick is to time the cycle.  They start the broody cycle by laying about 10-12 eggs over a week and a half, but don't sit on them.  Once the clutch is big enough, they start broody sitting for the 21 days.  Whether they need to sit all that time or if the presence of chicks peeping will get them up and around after one week of sitting, I don't know.  I think there's less chance of her rejecting the chicks if they hatch under her.  I'd try it!  Mamas a chicks are so wonderful together, and she will handle the integration when they are ready. 

You know, after I started really thinking about it, the signs have been there for a while. For at least a week she's been stalking the nest boxes; if someone was laying, she dug out a nest in the coop floor and just STARED at them. Every single time. She's been screaming at me for a few days. So I think she's really ready. I guess I could go ahead and give her a few eggs tonight. Maybe I'll wait til tomorrow. That would have her setting for almost a week.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Sounds good!

 

[Granny Hatchet]

I candled my serama eggs tonight. one dead, 4 good . they look like 15 day chicks except for one seems a couple days ahead. They have made it further then any so far except for the one that lived about 3 days or so. Im not holding my breath til they are a week old and eating on their own.

 

[enola]

The real test to see if a hen will stay broody is to move her nest to another place, if she stays broody, she is probably good to go.

 

[campingshaws]

The real test to see if a hen will stay broody is to move her nest to another place, if she stays broody, she is probably good to go.

So setting up the dog kennel and fixing her nest inside it would count, right? Maybe I'll go ahead and fix the roost, too. She was still on the nest when I closed up the coop, and it's totally empty because I took the eggs earlier and haven't replaced them with anything. She's such a goofy girl. Honestly, if you had asked me to look at my flock and pick a potential broody, she would've been low on the list. Maybe one step above the hen everyone thinks is a rooster.

 

[campingshaws]

She did lay today, but maybe that was her "last" egg. If she lays tomorrow I'll get the nest set up but wait for eggs. If she doesn't lay, then I'll give her eggs tomorrow night.

How's that?

 

[enola]

She did lay today, but maybe that was her "last" egg. If she lays tomorrow I'll get the nest set up but wait for eggs. If she doesn't lay, then I'll give her eggs tomorrow night.

How's that?

Crossing fingers!

We want to see a picture of the hen everyboby thinks is a hen....

 

[campingshaws]

She's in the foreground. It's obvious to us chicken folk that she's a hen, but visitors always assume she's a rooster. I call her my tomboy hen because she's loud and flappy, and a total a-hole. She lays very small eggs, out of spite I think.

And here's an update on the babies.