I think I have a broody!

[ackie]

The broodies I've had were pretty calm(after my efforts to acclimate them to my attentions) while setting.....but ....the BroodyFierce sure came out big time after the chicks hatched.

she had roughly 0 human interaction the entire broody period. I saw her out and about I think 2-3 times and that's it. I found what I assume was the nest after poking around where I first saw her and the babies. but when I do interact with broodies, I tend to do it at night with a towel over them and it works out well enough. or I send SO who has thicker skin. jk that was my first couple broodies but I'm fearless now.

 

[ackie]

I get mom and babies locked up by literally just picking off chicks and putting them in a bucket because she cant actually keep track of or defend individual ones at one day, and they are clueless so they just kinda scatter. And then she wont walk away from the bucket because the chicks are in it and shes too puffed up and disgruntled to fight and I just grab her and then they all go somewhere safe and predator proof where babies cant drown in puddles.
one of her babies had already stopped following her and was just standing there, not moving or cheeping, doing nothing to figure out where mom was, at the feet of a horse.
so I got him first of course
(or her. straight run babies)

 

[ackie]

@aart

Tonight the babies were in (let's call it) pen A where they slept last night. B is a closed pen with peachicks. C & D are combined atm and its where anyone who wants to sleep inside sleeps (and I close after dark). Momma hen is up on a roost in pen C. Babies are cheeping, mom is making her momma noise. They are both the same depth into the set of pens and (surprise surprise) the babies are trying to walk straight towards her because they dont understand walls. So I have 5 babies cheeping at a wall.

all is well as I grabbed mom and brought her to the babies, who were between a chest and the wall which is space enough for her to walk through but not to fluff out in (and in my sudden hindsight, might also contain rat poison) but of course she hoes to then anyway and I couldnt get her back out so I stole a chick and used the chick distress noise to get her to come out and then the other chicks came out too and now they are all in exactly the same spot they were last night, but with waaaaay more steps.

 

[ackie]

Broody girls are quite challenging, like us they are moody and determined. I had one this year and she stuck with it till the chicks were 3 weeks and she was done. When they couldn't follower her back into coop she left them . So keep and eye on the babys..
Good Luck...

she has had... what 3 days not being locked up with them and I already found her on a roost with them far away ^see above

so good call

 

[ackie]

today we learn the ever important life skill of drinking from dirty puddles!

 

[DuckDude II]

Soooooo exciting!!! Congrats! Keep us posted!!!!

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

Lol, that is chickens for ya. Why drink out of a clean dish when ther are lots of muddy puddles around.

 

[ackie]

Lol, that is chickens for ya. Why drink out of a clean dish when ther are lots of muddy puddles around.

it's like eating dirt as a kid right? builds a strong constitution? lol

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

it's like eating dirt as a kid right? builds a strong constitution? lol

Something like that

 

[ackie]

So momma hen tried to roost with 4 babies last night - she has 5. looks like she can cover 5 on the ground but only 4 on a branch. the 5th one was hiding where they usually nest which may have been okay idk. but I moved all of them to a milk crate / nesting box that no one is using for the night. cant imagine what shed have done with 13 haha. though that may have prompted her to stay on the ground longer, idk.


I might have another broody

she was on it, got off it and is back on it again