I think i have a broody!!!

[nuttyredhead]

I went out today and my little Silkie was in the nest. I went out 4 hours later she is still there...not happy when i looked under her. There are 2 eggs under her. I thought maybe she was just going to bed early, I have a few that sleep in the nests every now and then. But i saw her pushing the eggs under her, and when i took her off the nest, she went right back on them!!! Im not sure if I should let her try to hatch them, or take them from under her. It is so cold here, and I dont have a brooder set up! Any thoughts???

Oh here she is!!!!

 

[Judy]

She sure looks broody, all flattened out like that. I'd give her a couple of days to be sure she stays there 24/7. Meanwhile, collect the eggs you want her to hatch on your kitchen counter for about a week, and mark them with a Sharpie. Maybe you have some scrap framing and wood to knock together a broody cage, or you can chance it and let her set in the nest she is in. If you move her, do it at night and wait another day before setting eggs under her. Most of mine hatched and grew up in the coop with the flock, not the safest way to do it, but it usually worked for me. Check under her once a day to remove eggs another hen has laid there, or she has stolen from another nest. Only problem was when the broody herself killed her chicks. A good mama protects her chicks from the other hens (my roos either ignore chicks or stand guard.) And they say dilkies make great mamas. She will keep them warm, and they will feather a lot faster this way, and be out and about when it's so cold it will surprise you.

Good luck!

 

[nuttyredhead]

Thanks ddawn for your response! So I can still put eggs under her, even though she is sitting on 2 right now? She is only on day 2 with those eggs. So its not like she will just get up on day 21, she will sit till they hatch?... I so need to read up on broodies !!!!!

 

[Judy]

Quote:
Here you go, a great article on them, I don't know why I didn't link this the first time:

http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Broody-Hens-1.html

Occasionally they will abandon the nest before the eggs hatch -- in trying to breed out broodiness, all sorts of things happen. Generally if they stay put for 2 or 3 days and nights, they will stay broody til the chicks hatch, then mother the chicks for a few weeks. They don't know when 21 days is, they just know when the eggs become wiggly critters. You can take those eggs away from her if you want, (I would as there are only 2) and save up for several days and then put a nice clutch, like 8 or 10, under her. But don't add any now as she will stop setting on them about 24 hours after the first one hatches. That's why it's good to collect them in the house then put them under her all at once. In nature, a good broody will collect several eggs over several days before starting to set on the nest.

I once had a broody stay broody for 4 months! I cured her by breaking down and ordering fertile eggs. She hatched and raised those chicks.

 

[Chicken.Lytle]

I had a Buff Orpington go broody on me. She had a grand time of it. It took more than a week to break her. Then she molted.

She is only now getting back in the production cycle. She still insists on dropping the occasional shell-less egg from the roost despite oyster shell and calcium treats. I guess it is OK because I am swimming in eggs now.