Hatching with 2 broodies

[lizgarf]

I don't know why Britney didn't, being a bantam Leghorn; maybe she took her lead from Cilla and Dusty. Cilla and Dusty both have feathered feet and I think this is a handicap with regards flight?

Frida has lightly feathered feet, and she's my best flier of all! She does these wide, sweeping arcs to get to whatever part of the yard she's aiming for. It's a site to behold. My brahma has absurdly feathered feet, but she still manages to launch herself. One of the funniest things I've seen my chickens do is when Bettina found herself alone, way up above on the hill, and decided to fly straight down to catch up with the others rather than follow the path - maybe a drop of about 30 feet? She landed hard, but just brushed it all off and waddled on back to the coop. I feel safer with the predators knowing they can fly. Stella was not as strong as a flier, and Grace and Frida had flown quickly to safety the day that dog ran into the yard.

PM, I'm glad to hear Lola has it covered! Co-parenting wins again!

Welcome, Texasgardengal! (good on you for picking a good name right off the bat. I wanted to switch to "Oakland Hillbilly," when I realized names should be fun, but BYC wouldn't let me change my profile.) I guess keep trying to get the eggs and hope Molly gets over it. I don't think she'd hurt the eggs, but I can't really say. Frida was a pretty gentle pecker when I interfered. Cold may be your biggest issue. Is there a warm place you can move her and the eggs, like a garage? Then you won't have to worry about collecting other eggs. Teila's hatch is proof that you don't need to interfere much - but, I can see how you're going to need to remove eggs regularly with the two roosters around. How's your one other hen going to do with two roosters claiming all her attention? I wish I could keep a rooster. Don't think for a minute that the obsessing process only lasts 3 weeks! Look at us, still at it 6 weeks later! If I spent half of the time I spend thinking about my chickens on my work, I'd actually make a decent living!

Beautiful day here in California. Looking forward to spending some time in the sun, staring at the flock!

 

[tommysgirl]

Hi ladies!! I just have to say you guys are an inspiration. I am so very new to this and when my hen became broody, and I'm so lacking in knowledge and experience I thought she was dead, or very sick. I asked my hubby to go in and get her out; he found out she was fine when she almost pecked a hole in his hand.
Doing my research I joined BYC to get advice and ask questions. (I had been reading...looking around for months now but never joined in) Anyway, I came upon ya'lls thread and spent last night reading. Ya'll did a great job of not only taking care of your girls, but also making it very educational. I actually think I may be able to do this now!!!
My Molly has been on her eggs 4 days now. She is one MAD momma and wont let me check the eggs, count, remove any new ones. I only have 2 hens and 2 roosters so I dont have a large number of eggs to remove but I have to get a plan as this is going to be a daily chore. Not sure what to do. I asked on my "introduction" thread and am waiting for advice. I tried last night to mark, count the eggs but she got so upset I was afraid she would hurt the eggs. I dont want to bother her but dang it, I gotta get Sassy's new eggs out! and I will have to check the eggs at times. Last night it wasnt quite dark so i guess I will try tonight when it is very dark? I put a red heat lamp in the coop because it is getting down in the 20's and she is all alone in her nesting box. The others can snuggle up together and I was afraid she would get too cold all by herself so the light might be keeping her up. Im so confused and worried. How do you guys do this for 3 weeks.

I am so glad our little thread helped you. I hope other people who are looking for a supportive, positive broody hatching thread find us too. I posted several times on the big broody hatching thread and no one EVER responded.

I have mentally appointed Liz out Sgt at Arms because she politely reminded a "my way or the highway" poster that this is a sweet thread. That person never posted here again.

So, to your question: When I was home I tried to catch a peek and do what I needed to do during my mamas off the nest periods. It varies from hen to hen but usually they get off a couple of times a day to eat drink and poo. When that wasn't possible I just lifted her out set her in another nestbox with a golf ball and did what I needed to do really quickly. My girl was so obsessed with setting she settled right down on the golf ball and tucked it under her so she only complained for a couple of seconds.

You don't HAVE to get the other egg out every day as long as the original eggs are marked. If you cant get it when she is off on her own I would wait til the next day and try again but if you have to lift her off of the nest then, yes doing it when it is quite dark is usually helpful. Best of Luck! I have another who is making broody attempts so I am going to give her some eggs if I can't discourage her. We may have a hatch along

 

[texgardengal]

Ha Ha. go Liz. Yes, it is a very special thread. And it is VERY helpful. Knowing it can be done; even by us newbies, without an incubator, and without years of experience; just letting the momma hens do their thing made me feel so much better. I wont worry so much about getting the eggs out daily. That's good. I do need to get the eggs marked though so I know what eggs to worry about lol. I'll keep an eye out for her daily outing. Otherwise. Ill try again tonight to set her on some other eggs...good idea. Ill make a little temporary nest for the minute or two...just long enough for me to mark them. Good luch with your broody?? momma. A cold winter hatch along

 

[tommysgirl]

Babies have been out ranging with Beakface all day...they stay pretty much under the orange tree and hedge but one was buried in the jasmine plan all you could see was little feet scratching and dirt flying. She is teaching them to be good foragers!

 

[Pooman]

Hey tex,

Yes definately mark the new ones you put in, set the clutch of eggs you want, and do the nest raiding at night when they are sleeping, its much easier. If she is kept in a common area you might get other eggs in there which need to be removed, like you already know. Unless she is not accepting new eggs after your give her a heap and is good at defending the nest, but she'll probabily continue to recieve them lol for a few days

Some photos, fluffy butts included

First off furry

 

[lizgarf]

Pretty funny, TG. However, Reggie objects, and insists that she's the sergeant of arms in this household.


Now, here's an interesting update. I was showing the chicks to my neighbor, and out of the blue, he offered that if one turns out to be a rooster and causes a bunch of racket, it wouldn't bother him at all. Of course, he is only one neighbor of many, but he's the better half of potentially the most problematic neighbors, so maybe there is a glimmer of hope that little Daisy and Ida can stay here, regardless of whether their names suit them in the long run.

Cute pictures, PM. Your Lola looks a bit like a fluffy version of my Grace.

 

[texgardengal]

I decided to leave her alone today and try and catch her outside for a few seconds but it didnt work. I would like to just put her in my barn like Liz suggested. It would be a lot less worry. She seems fine, it's me thats a mess. Besides not being able to mark the eggs and the other hen sitting on her head there is no other problems. (of course she is nesting in the favorite laying spot!) If I'm not successful at marking the eggs tonight that is going to be my plan. The cold is a worry. I may put her in the barn either way when we closer to "the day" so I can keep them at a more controlled temp. I'm not too worried about my roosters. I have a very friendly flock and they seem to get along very well. Very seldom to I see any aggression and when I do it's only the bossy rooster keeping the other one in his place. I love the pictures. such cute babies!!!!

 

[texgardengal]

Woo hoo!!!! I have 7 eggs, marked and counted! I realize some are recent but since I have no idea which she is sitting on all of them. I waited and watched and caught her off the nest a few minutes ago. So day 5 and we have 7 potential babies. I'm so excited. I cant wait!!!!!....seems like forever away but I guess that will give me time to make her the perfect little nursery for our new additions.

I'm glad hear Daisy and Ida may be able to stay! I love my roosters and for the first 4 months that was all I had...lol. My pet roosters . They are brothers and got along fine but I finally realized they needed some girlies. I guess it has been 3 months since the ladies moved in.
Reggie is so cute! What a sweet face.....Definately looks like she is the boss.

 

[lizgarf]

Nice work, TexGG! If you are able to set up a cozy place for her away from the flock, where she can still take breaks, it might be for the best. I opted not to do that for various reasons, but I did have two eggs get cracked/crushed, likely by the other hens coming into the nest. I started leaving an egg in a cat carrier in the coop, and the other hens started using that, and I wish I had thought of that sooner. Anyway, it's something to think about. If you're planning on moving her eventually, you might want to do it early on, when there's less risk to the eggs if the move doesn't take and she abandons them.

I love that you had pet roosters before getting hens. Too cute! I still don't know if I have pullets or cockerels, and how long I can get away with keeping the latter, if that's what they are, but it is nice to hear it may be a possibility.
And, Reggie thanks you for the compliment. She's like having a little henchman sometimes - a very adorable henchman.

 

[Teila]

Howdy n’ Hugs Team Broody!

Gees, I am away for a couple of days and now I have some catching up to do, Team Broody has been busy!

Had a bit of an emergency health issue with hubby but all good now; false alarm. While very scary and traumatic; all good and in the past.

Welcome back Pooman, nice to know you had a safe trip. I hope you waved on your way past! Lol
Snakes are scary critters and I hope I don’t run into one in my yard and I know we shouldn’t but if had a spade when I did .. the ending would be similar to your story. Good news with Lola; while far from what you would have planned or liked to happen, I think you are pretty lucky that she stepped up; she is a good girl! Luv the pictures and she looks so at home with her adopted little ones. I notice my bubbies have grown during the 8 hours or so I am gone for work; can’t imagine how much difference there would be if I was away for a couple of days!

Howdy Texgardengal, lovely to meet you and welcome to Team Broody .. Excellent! More bubbies on the way for the Team!
“he found out she was fine when she almost pecked a hole in his hand. “ lol, poor hubby .. lesson learnt!
I am sure you can do it Texgardengal, it’s easy, no stressing in Team Broody .. ooops, that’s right, you mentioned you read the thread. Hhhhmm, OK, lol, maybe there was some stressing, fretting and increased anxiety levels but it was so totally worth it and I am looking forward to going through it all again some time in the future. In the meantime, we get to share your experience and look forward to more successful Team bubbies!

Molly sounds like she is a handful. Sorry if I ask questions or give matching comments to others but I am typing this in Word and flicking back to the thread so I can keep track of where I am up to .. looks like another novella on the go!
What breed are your boys and girls?
OK so I just cut a whole heap of stuff I had typed about marking eggs and sharing nesting boxes etc .. with further reading it appears you have that all sorted; well done! Not sure what your plans are for down the track but you may have read that Cilla and Dusty shared the nesting box quite happily for the 3 weeks with me just taking Dusty’s eggs away; but chaos reigned when the chicks were born and Dusty wanted to use the nesting box with Cilla and chicks in it; lots of screeching and bubby pecking requiring a quick purchase of alternative arrangements for Cilla & Co. Do you have a Plan B, just in case? They are all back together now and it's working out not too bad. Poor Dusty is now known as Scary Aunty Dusty and the chicks give her a very wide berth but I am hoping things will improve as they get older and that she will mellow a little. If she gets broody we have decided that we will get her some fertile eggs also and give her a chance at motherhood but I am thinking there may be some holes-in-hands at our place also!

“Im so confused and worried. How do you guys do this for 3 weeks.” No idea! Lol
I noticed Liz mentioned “Teila's hatch is proof that you don't need to interfere much - but, I can see how you're going to need to remove eggs regularly with the two roosters around”. That is so true but as I mentioned, I was able to retrieve new eggs. I am not sure how I would have managed if not.
With Cilla not leaving the nest much and not getting her dust baths we did have a mite problem but fixed that up pretty smart with some powder.

Living in Australia, we don’t really have to deal with the cold temperatures and I will leave that one up to those with more experience.

Liz, or should I say ‘Sgt Liz’? tee hee. You have some great stories; forget the camera, you should carry a video camera .. I want to see them! Lol. My girls can run fast and flap their wings! I wonder why they don’t fly; ah well, probably a good thing because the yard is not that big and they would probably be visiting the neighbours more often than being at home! My neighbours are pretty good also and early risers. I was chatting to David next door the other day and apologised if Cilla gets a little roudy (she loves to sing) and he was fine with it. He mentioned it reminded him of being a young boy on the farm. He always asks how the chicks are doing
That would be so good if you got to keep your bubbies even if they turn out to be boys. I have read a few tips and tricks for keeping a rooster quiet in the morning but it involves locking him up in the dark and not letting him out until well after sun-up. Sadly, no boys allowed here.

“Don't think for a minute that the obsessing process only lasts 3 weeks! Look at us, still at it 6 weeks later!” Lol Liz, yep, again you hit the nail on the head! Are they getting enough to eat? Should I switch them to pullet grower soon? Are they boys or girls? Why is that one quieter than the others; is it sick? How am I going to find the boys good homes? Blah, blah, yaaada, yaaada lol.
But, worth every grey hair and stress line!
What did we do with our time before chickens?

Hello TG, nice to catch up with you again! “My girl was so obsessed with setting she settled right down on the golf ball and tucked it under her so she only complained for a couple of seconds. “ Once more you have come through with some good advice and I have learnt something new reading your post, thank you. “I have another who is making broody attempts so I am going to give her some eggs if I can't discourage her. We may have a hatch along “ Woo hoo TG; I reckon we should start a running tally on how many Team Broody bubbies we have.
“Babies have been out ranging with Beakface all day...they stay pretty much under the orange tree and hedge but one was buried in the jasmine plan all you could see was little feet scratching and dirt flying. She is teaching them to be good foragers!” Aaaw, that sounds so cute. Mr Crow is still hanging around and even though he would probably have trouble lifting my overgrown pom poms off the ground, I am going to leave it until this weekend to let them out for a supervised free range. I bought this cool collapsible dog play pen that I am going to put on the grass for them and pop them into it for a while. I will get some pictures. Meanwhile, each evening, I sit with them and feed them grass I have plucked from the garden. They have lots of dirt in the run to dig and bath in but no grass.

I think I'm caught up now! lol

Cilla is back to laying every day or two but Dusty has stopped laying, 3 or 4 days now. She is not showing signs of being broody or any sickness and I am a little concerned that she may be going down the same path as Britney; I so hope not I am hoping she is just adjusting to all the changes, including to her diet. The pullet grower I ordered should arrive this week so I will hopefully be able to gradually introduce that with the chick-start. Otherwise, everyone appears happy and healthy. Cilla and Dusty are now best mates again and it is so beautiful to see them scratching around in the garden together. They still go their separate ways at bed time but with the introduction of pullet grower, I am hoping to stop all separation and let them reorganise sleeping arrangements.

I know I have rattled on and you are all probably yawning but I have to share this one. Dusty does not like the doves getting into her seed and chases them off. She cornered one the other day under the chateau and proceeded to beat the living daylights out of the poor thing. I manged to intervene but when the dove took off it did so with probably two remaining tail feathers! I have been keeping an eye out for it as it would be easy to pick but so far, all doves have full tails .. might not see that one again! lol

Hugs all round for Team Broody .. you rock!