Hatching with 2 broodies

[tommysgirl]

Hey broodies! I have a question for those experienced with broody hens.

One of my LF black copper Marans has just gone broody, she's just 7 months old and has been laying for 2 months. She's the largest of all the girls, fluffiest butt, but probably not completely full grown yet.... How many eggs can she sit on? is 12 ok or should I do less, like 8? Can take a photo of her if necessary, although she'll look huge and poofed out now!

Welcome and Congratulations! I would go with 6-8. And I would go with eggs that are not expensive. You don't know yet how she will be as a sitter and as a mother. If you don't have fertiles look on craigslist for someone close by!

Good Luck!

 

[16 paws]

Hi Farmer Viola,
I put 13 under a bantie and she covered them just fine. She is down to 8 and is supposed to hatch tomorrow. I would think 12 is fine for your BCM.
Good luck and keep us posted on how she does.

Marie

 

[Farmer Viola]

Thanks all!
I put 12 face ceramic under eggs for the time being. I wanted to make sure she was really really serious before giving her real eggs. I am going to give her about half a dozen eggs from a breeder friend tomorrow, and around 2-6 of our own

she has stayed on faithfully for 2 days now, so I think she's for real. It being her first clutch I have paranoias of her killing the chicks when they hatch.... I guess there's only one way to find out?!

 

[missnu01]

Chickens rarely kill their chick's when they hatch. Some just sort of wander away and ignore the chicks...which kills them just the same.

 

[ItalyChickie]

@tommysgirl Yes, I have heard about moving stress causing illness to surface too, but I imagine it would have to be there to surface in the first place... So either I'm very unlucky or people selling at this monthly fair are less than honest and choose weaker ones, I don't know. (This is the 3rd time it happens with a hen bought there.)

You're lucky to have the breeder near by! I guess I'll have to stick to hatching my own, and shipped eggs for hard to find breeds.

I am sorry to hear about all the drama! Glad that Gracie Belle will still have babies, the poor thing went through all that trouble for nothing last time! It seems to be the bad communication vibe is in the air... I haven't heard back from my potential egg source either and getting antsy.

Yay for the chick ( or is it chicks plural by now?) and congratulations to Theresa!

@Mistymountain Phew, so relieved to hear Chica is all better, have been keeping my fingers crossed!

@Teila

I would be okay with blurry Blondie pics if that's all you can get!

Did you mean my blue-red pretty boy? That's the one I had no doubts on since hatch. His crest base was bright yellow the day he hatched, and the behavior has always been rooish, more and more so as he grew... And of course with that bright red comb, there can be no doubts now. It's the white ones I was uncertain on, there are three, all very similar, one a bit bigger with a brighter comb.... ETA - just realized my earlier hoping for a hen comment was confusing, I meant the white one on the right side of the photo... No illusions on the pretty boy!

But I said was for a reason - yesterday I saw the bigger one try (very clumsily) to do the deed with both of the smaller white ones... (Not at the same time, lol!) So unless they are confused about their identity, that gives us one more roo and two more hens. As soon as Ombretta is done been a mom, I'll have to rehome... Too many Roos, considering I want to keep some from the new hatch. ( though I might keep the blue-red boy, too pretty, and love the potential of the silkie Cochin combo)

And yeah I really did all I could with Isabel, but sometimes not knowing exact causes it might be worse to do something than do nothing... I just don't know. All I know is no more grown hens bought at the fair for me! But glad that Pallina at least is ok... Which I guess proves it wasn't anything contagious, but on digestive level... Sigh.

I loved that cartoon!!!

@Farmer Viola hi, welcome to the team! I think that you should be able to see whether your hen can cover 12 eggs comfortably - I.e. If none are sticking out and she isn't adjusting things constantly, you are good to go. 12 sounds reasonable to me, but it always depends on the hen. Great idea to test with fake ones first!

I very much doubt she would kill the chicks... I know there are things you can read about that sort of thing, but I honestly think that's 0.01% of all broodies that might do that. The broody instinct is usually to protect them, even if they had never done it before. Did you see my Bonnie a few posts back with 13 chicks? She is a first time broody too, and those didn't even hatch under her, but in the bator, yet she took them all under her wing.

If you are really worried, try to time it so you can be around on the day they hatch and watch/listen for anything unusual... But I really doubt you have anything to worry about, those that go broody so early are generally great moms! In any case, best of luck and keep us posted!

 

[Teila]

Hello again

Tee hee 16 paws, I thought it was an appropriate cartoon.

Hello and welcome Farmer Viola
I agree with everyone else and would probably not go with more than 12. Good luck with your hatch; it is a wonderful thing to experience (if not sometimes a little stressful

)

Sorry IC, I may have read that wrong; I thought you were wondering because he was getting prettier but then I reread and realized you meant the white one

My turn to apologize for lots of pictures but we had a wonderful day in the garden and I so wanted to share it with you guys.

First up, I thought I would start with the garden:



All my little garden helpers:



Now they are helping me eat lunch; all that work in the garden built up their appetite:



For the Bondie fans (non blurry

):





Mother & Daughter:



A kiss for Mum:



Best buds:



Poor ole Dusty; I struggle to get a good picture of her:



Tina:



LuLu:



The whole family in their favourite spot in the garden:

 

[tommysgirl]

@tommysgirl Yes, I have heard about moving stress causing illness to surface too, but I imagine it would have to be there to surface in the first place... So either I'm very unlucky or people selling at this monthly fair are less than honest and choose weaker ones, I don't know. (This is the 3rd time it happens with a hen bought there.)

You're lucky to have the breeder near by! I guess I'll have to stick to hatching my own, and shipped eggs for hard to find breeds.

I am sorry to hear about all the drama! Glad that Gracie Belle will still have babies, the poor thing went through all that trouble for nothing last time! It seems to be the bad communication vibe is in the air... I haven't heard back from my potential egg source either and getting antsy.

Yay for the chick ( or is it chicks plural by now?) and congratulations to Theresa!

I totally agree the disease was there to begin with. I am so sorry about your luck with girls from the fair also about your egg seller going to radio silence. Mine finally got in touch and other than the fact that she shipped them on a Saturday...Who does that??? All is well they are going to BYCer ronott1 who lives about an hour and 45 minutes from me. I will be able to pick them up when they hatch. Thanks for remembering and sympathizing with Gracie's last broody experience. Poor little thing but now she is doing great. I love watching them tuck the egs under themselves and settle themselves on top

Also I forgot to comment on the pic of all 13 babies with mama...AMAZING! I hope you have a frizzle...it sounds like you might!

Theresa has 3 chicks and one egg that T is still bent on sitting on. It has no pips or anything but I did stick one in a full day after i set the rest so we are leaving it for now. There are two red chicks and one yellow. The yellow is I think a New Hampshire Dorking cross but it is possible that its daddy is Ozzie the Delaware. The red ones are 1/4 Cream Legbar, 1/4 Crele Penedesenca from my Olive egger, Willa and half New Hampshire.

Teila I am happy for the lack of drama round your parts and I love love love the pics. Blondie really is a looker! Your garden is lovely. It's nice that you have no drama. I think I am in a little over my head sometimes but things work out.

My drama has currently abated and things are stable: We have
Beakface sitting on 5 Blue Black Slplash AM/EE eggs
Gracie Belle sitting on 6 home grown eggs
Theresa Mid hatch 3 for sures 1 maybe
Jamie Lee Curtis with her 4 Delawares and 1 Red Star...I was wrong when I said the are 5 weeks. They are 4 and at this point I think all 4 Dels are boys... They slept on the roost the last two nights so it is getting close to weaning time

I will end up keeping
The Red Star girl,
A Blue and a Splash girl if I get them...A Black girl if I don't
A Girl from Theresa if there is one
A girl or two from Gracie if there is one...

However..lest things get dull and because I miss having chicks love me... I am going to be brooding a bunch o chicks in the house for about a week at the end of June/first part of July. This is what I am getting:

Whatever hatches from the eggs that were supposed to go to Gracie and Julie but are now being hatched in an incubator
5 straight run Silver Penciled Plymouth Rocks....dream bird for sure
5-6 Straight Run Birchen Marans dark brown eggs

Also we named the Bantam Pair...They are Cosmo and Stella. Now lets hope that they truly are a cockerel and a pullet!

From this batch I am only keeping 6 or so because later in the summer I am also getting show quality New Hamshires

2 Pullets and a Roo. I have no intention to show but I am wanting to try to sell hatching eggs.

I will be overrun with chickens for a time for sure but it will work out...remember when DH said "As long as there is enough room for them all to be happy do what you want." those may be famous last words.

Norma started laying again...but I have a feeling the summer egg drought is about to begin. We are in a hot spell and between the broodies and the heat I haven't been able to supply my customers with eggs.

I will keep you all posted on Theresa and her brood. I feel like she must know that egg is still viable.

I will try to get pics later today.

Happy Hatching and enjoy what's on chick TV!!!

Enjoy you day!

 

[tommysgirl]

Thanks all!
I put 12 face ceramic under eggs for the time being. I wanted to make sure she was really really serious before giving her real eggs. I am going to give her about half a dozen eggs from a breeder friend tomorrow, and around 2-6 of our own

she has stayed on faithfully for 2 days now, so I think she's for real. It being her first clutch I have paranoias of her killing the chicks when they hatch.... I guess there's only one way to find out?!

Good call, if any stick out then you will know she has too many. what sort of chickens does your breeder friend raise? We love hearing about what breeds people have! I have heard of homicidal broodies but I do think it is rare too. Usually the bad moms are the inattentive ones. I have had 6 Broodies so far this year and of the ones that have hatched and raised them so far, the mamas were all very nurturing.

Keep us posted!

 

[tommysgirl]

Pictures...I do not have the lovely backyard setting that a lot of you have. drought year #2 here in Northern California but here are pics from this morning


Del Chick from Mothers Day hatch with Stella from Easter Hatch



Cosmo and Stella...their crests are hidden

It is hard to see her but the red star girl, Astrid, is in the middle and this Del Chick I think may be a girl b/c she is always hanging with mama and Astrid


New Yellow Baby ...Dorking Cross




Yellow Baby again

Red Baby #1 has smudgy black markings OE cross baby



Red Baby OE cross #2 with more distinct head markings

Egg #4 was stinky so it got tossed and it popped and black nastiness came out...ick

 

[missnu01]

Woo hoo saw my woods broody today. Wasn't sure she was still out there. I have got to just convince 2 of my other hens to stop laying their eggs in the same place mama hen is laying hers. If only I knew where!!! I've looked and looked. I've Silently stalked her but she just disappears. Ghost chicken