Hen leaves nest on last day??!

[franklinstreetwest]

Has anyone else observed their broodies behavior on the last day of hatch? I have a showgirl that has been broody forever. I finally took pitty on her and secured some fertile eggs. I checked on them today because I expect them to hatch tomorrow. Low and behold 2 have pipped and all three are peeping. I made certain to check them when she was out for her morning feeding...part of her normal routine. But she has not returned to the nest all day (4 hours now). She shows no inclination towards going into the nest box either. Is this behavior that anyone else has observed? I also noticed a good quantity of feather loss in the pen. Could she be going into molt and loosing interest?

Hope there's someone out there that has some input!

 

[kidcody]

try putting her and the eggs in a dog crate, eggs can not go to long with out warmth, hope there OK

 

[franklinstreetwest]

I scrubbed and fired up the incubator for back-up.... I still hear peeping coming from the nesting box.

I stuck a young unfamiliar roo in with her, he chased her around not really sure what to do with her. She got annoyed and finally went in the box and cackled at him from in there. That freaked him out and he went into one of his wry-neck nervous glitches. So I took him back out, and so far she remians in the box again. Peeping is louder now. I'll keep the incubator on just in case. I wonder if she's just an idiot, or if was an instinct to retard the hatching process?

At least she's back on the nest now! Dinka's gonna be a momma if everything goes well!! There should be 3 new peepers tomorrow. Wish her luck...

 

[zookeeper15133]

I don't know. I have one hen that keeps going broody. Both clutches she has sat, on about day 17 or 18, she breaks an egg open and kills the chick. Fortunately I have been out there both times and gave her eggs to another broody to finish. My problem is too many broodies and they keep stealing each others eggs and breaking them in the process.

 

[GrannysRoost]

If she doesn't keep her arse parked on them in close quarters, I would take the eggs and consider lockdown....oops you said pipped, have the humidity up when you put then in and maybe dab the pip hole with warm water and a Q-tip before putting in....

 

[pontoosuc]

I'm waiting on my 4,5 & 6 hatch this summer (all in 3 weeks)

In the last 48 hours waiting on a broody, I've put a small welded wire "cover" for lack of a better name, over the nesting box where the broody is.

I let them hatch out in the nest boxes where they have laid eggs and move them after all eggs have hatched.
If I had a better set up, I'd move them as soon as they are sitting.

I love broodys, love the hatch, but it is a lot of extra work! (but for a short time!)

 

[skillswife]

My hen Millie is on her 2nd set of eggs. I was gone when one pipped and apparently she escaped the 1/4 of the coop I have set up for a brooder. I don't know if the pipped chick freaked her out enough to fly over the top through the small space to escape or what. But that hatch of eggs was lost because dh didn't find out until she had been off the next a while. She is due again soon and I have made it so she can't escape the nest box and I have been letting her out every morning but here in a day or so she will go into lockdown with food and water, but she is going to stay on those eggs darn it! So I guess my point is you never know what broody hens are thinking!

 

[mstricer]

My BCM won't let me move her. I tried giving her, her own house with food and water and a nice nesting box. I shut the doors and the little turd squeezed through a 5 inch circular window and ran back to the coop and her old nesting box. Then I took a extra large dog crate put nice fresh straw food water cardboard around inside so chicks won't get out, nope even though it was dark she freaked out almost mashing her eggs, let her out and she went back to her nesting box, and there is where she will hatch her babies, I hope she protects them from the six others in the coop.
Michele

 

[franklinstreetwest]

Thank you everyone for the wide variety of experiences! I will keep a watchful eye on her and the little brood. If she's getting weird at this late hour in the game perhaps that's a warning sign that she's not cut out to be a momma.

Humidity is high in general right now, lots of heat and rain... The incubator is still on standby with humidity amped up also!

THANKS AGAIN!!

 

[franklinstreetwest]

3 PERFECT little silkie hatchlings and one not so stupid momma are happy and healthy this morning!! She didn't even come out of her box this morning like she usually does. And I am pleasantly surprised to find three different colors of chicks. HAPPY DAY!