If they want to be Mothers... UPDATE! I HAVE CHICKS! NOW WITH PICS!

[bigdaddyabc]

So I have this hen, this poor little hen that I rescued from a guy who put 6 of them on Craiglsit for free (I took all 6). She is a purebred mutt from the word go. Has some polish or something because she has a horrible hairdo, so we named her Keilbasa after the sausage (lots of different ingredients, get it?). They had all been fed nothing but scratch since birth, and kept in a small coop never getting into a run or outside at all. They were all undersized and it was sad. I have had them for about 4 months. They are all doing great. They have put on weight, they lay regularly, and LOVE being in the run or out in the yard.

Anyway this particular little hen went broody right after I first got her. She was so upset that I kept collecting the eggs. (I was not ready to be a chicken Grandpa, and my rooster mix wasn't what I wanted). Anyway, TODAY IS HER DAY. I got everything ready over the last couple of weeks, and wanted to do some New Years chicks and so 8 of todays eggs are under her and 8 more are under another girl. They took right to the nests, pushed eggs around, got extra leaves to go in the wood chips, and are stuck right to it, even with the rest of the flock out in the yard. I was wondering which of my girls would go broody as none of them had been acting like it for a few weeks but she started in again a few days ago. She is the happiest chicken you ever saw! Homely as the day is long, and moulting, bless her heart, but right on those eggs and cackling like she has lost her mind. It is pretty funny if I do say so myself. I will keep you all pposted as to how it turns out.

Happy New Year!

 

[Cynthia12]

That is so cute. You made that chicken mama really happy, and now, you will have some cute little chicks before you know it.
This is exactly how I got started with incubating..had a hen go broody, I don't have a roo, so ordered some eggs, put some under her, some in a bator that I bought, and whoala....hooked on baby chicks.
I am being good right now, no bators going right now..too cold here, will only be 6 degrees here in Utah tonight! I have a light in my coop for my girls. I only turn it on for these cold spells, then off when it is back up close to 30. They are laying like crazy, even though the lamp only helps a bit with this weather this cold!

I have a Favorelle..a mix of Wyondotte/Ameraucana, a White Ameraucana, a another Ameraucana, and an Australorp that just started to lay. I love the color of eggs!
Have fun watching your happy hen.

 

[bigdaddyabc]

My Dad grew up in Hyrum, so I know the Utah cold. He says they just put a 60 watt bulb on in the barn and called it good. I did hatch a bator run earlier this year and that was cool. This way just seems easier, at least for me!

It has been down to 15 here in SC, but my flock seems no worse for wear. I will post some pics as we move along with my first "natural hatch".

 

[darkmatter]

 

[silkieroo]

Thats hilarious!!

 

[kristim23]

I love it!!

To the OP- I haven't done anything like this(yet!), but it seems SO much easier to let the girls do their thing

Also, I love the pic with the captions! Chickens with thought bubbles is great!!

 

[NottinghamChicks]

Big Daddy, love your story! Can't wait to hear the sequel

 

[bigdaddyabc]

I went out to check on things a couple hours ago, and the girls were off the eggs! All that griping and they left the nests. UGH! So I did my thing for a couple of hours, and went back out, they STILL were out in the yard eating and playing and such. I am half tempted to collect the whole bunch and make a frittatta since they apparently weren't as excited as they acted. I won't be hasty. I will let the eggs sit in the nest or a couple of days (not like they are gonna go bad). Hopefully, they will really snap in to broodiness and get with the program. Dark matter, you seem to have experience here, any suggestions?

 

[serendipityfarm]

Me, too! Just gave up & gave 6 eggs to the broody bantam cochin I've been fighting with for weeks now. I am sure fertility isn't great but am hoping at least 1 or 2 will hatch for her. She was Soooooo happy when she hopped up in the nest (after I put her out for some scratch) and there were eggs there. She immediately started clucking and rolling them under her. I do love a happy mom-to-be!
Good Luck with your hatch!
~Terry

 

[darkmatter]

Quote:
I just let nature take its course. Sometimes you win, Sometimes you lose, Sometimes it's a compromise. I once had a broody hen real determined, I slipped a couple eggs a day under her (back when I had only a few chickens and not many surplus eggs) then started pulling the chicks as they hatched----that hen hatched 27 chicks over a 2 week period, I raised them in a brooder. I also have a incubator and will hatch a batch a year----if I'm ordering chicks from a hatchery, I also incubate to have some of my mutts to raise with the mailorder arrivals. This usually works well as my home hatched chicks show the mail ordered ones what to eat and how to drink. I have Guineas and they seem incapable of raising their own keets, so I have to incubate or slip their eggs under a hen. Every situation is a little different, if at first you don't succeed, try something else. If you have broody hens during the spring feed store chick season, buy some "magic chicks" to slip under the hen at night, just before dawn.