Lets talk about our current broodies :) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[FreeChicken!]

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Oh yeah! Chickens really are smart enough to get, like, litterbox-trained and housebroken and stuff like that.

My Pippy has learned that it's not good to poop on the living room carpet. So instead, when he needs to relieve himself, he "goes" on the wooden kitchen floor.

Nearly all of my chickens have done something to prove their intelligence and my dad still thinks that they are the stupidest animals to walk the earth.

 

[aghiowa]

I've got 5 eggs under my broody cochin/am mix. We're on day 16 - the suspense is killing me! I started with 7 eggs, candled at day 11 and found 2 infertile. Candled again last night and we have nice air cells, blood supply, dark blobs moving in all 5...think we're OK!!

Our eggs are: BO, 2 silkies, cochin, and BCM.

So, do I need to do anything around hatch time, or will Mabel (my broody) take care of it all? I am planning on moving her nest box to a large cardboard box with a wire cover to keep the other girls out of her way. Do I need a heat lamp on that box, or will the ambient temp of the coop (we live in Iowa, so it's still pretty cold at night, but I have a heat lamp in there) be sufficient and Mabel will keep them warm enough? When should I move her to the broody box? How long should they stay in there? Questions, questions...

Angela

 

[FreeChicken!]

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Well, good luck with your hen and chicks!

Yes, it's best to keep Mabel and her eggs away from the rest of chickens or at least in a place where they can't bug her or crack her eggs and, later, chicks. I learned to keep broodies away from the other chickens the hard way. Poor chicks. Those would be Simone's first six.

 

[TinyLittleFarm]

Hi! I posted this question over in the Raising Baby Chicks section, but then I saw this thread and realized it is a much better place.

I have my first broody--a Silkie named Megan. She is sitting on 6 Silkie eggs, and I have no idea if our roo has mated with the silkies or not, so who knows if anything will hatch. She is hunkered down in a corner of the coop, not in a nest box. I'm not even sure how long she has been sitting, but it is at least 5 days. Maybe a week.

Does she need to be separated? From what I read, it seems like many people leave the broodies in the coop, but I'm nervous about the other chickens being nasty to the babies. It's still cold here and they probably won't be outside all day the way they will in the summer. I'm afraid the close quarters will be a bad thing for babies.

Advice? Thanks.

 

[chicks4kids]

Well, here it is...the hatch that lasted 4 days. It started with 1 hatching Friday night, 2 on Saturday, 2 on Sunday, and finally the last one on Monday evening. One of the six chicks died shortly after it hatched and was all yellow. But 5 made it! I ended up seperating the babies from the mama on Sunday (pretty early) to keep her from abandoning the final egg. Once "cupid" (the Valentine's day chick) hatched, I brought the other 4 back to the mama. I have never had a hatch take longer than 24 hours from beginning to end so I was a nervous wreck!!

 

[chicks4kids]

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You really want to seperate her from the rest. You don't want any other hens getting in there when she gets up to eat, drink, or poo and laying an egg. You can candle those eggs easily...there's a really nice thread (and sticky) called Chicks are here that is very helpful in the candling process. Your hen could sit in a cardboard box for 21 days...she really doesn't care, just as long as she has her eggs. Mine usually sit in a 2.5 x 2.5 box while they're setting...then after the hatch they go to a larger "brooder" where the mama can have room to move and walk a bit more with the babies. Usually about a week after they hatch, I put them out in an isolated area in the coop until I feel comfortable enough moving them into population...that usually doesnt' take too long. Hope that helps alittle

 

[TinyLittleFarm]

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You really want to seperate her from the rest. You don't want any other hens getting in there when she gets up to eat, drink, or poo and laying an egg. You can candle those eggs easily...there's a really nice thread (and sticky) called Chicks are here that is very helpful in the candling process. Your hen could sit in a cardboard box for 21 days...she really doesn't care, just as long as she has her eggs. Mine usually sit in a 2.5 x 2.5 box while they're setting...then after the hatch they go to a larger "brooder" where the mama can have room to move and walk a bit more with the babies. Usually about a week after they hatch, I put them out in an isolated area in the coop until I feel comfortable enough moving them into population...that usually doesnt' take too long. Hope that helps alittle

Helps a ton! Should her little box be in the coop with the others? Or should I put her in the garage or something?

 

[chicks4kids]

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You really want to seperate her from the rest. You don't want any other hens getting in there when she gets up to eat, drink, or poo and laying an egg. You can candle those eggs easily...there's a really nice thread (and sticky) called Chicks are here that is very helpful in the candling process. Your hen could sit in a cardboard box for 21 days...she really doesn't care, just as long as she has her eggs. Mine usually sit in a 2.5 x 2.5 box while they're setting...then after the hatch they go to a larger "brooder" where the mama can have room to move and walk a bit more with the babies. Usually about a week after they hatch, I put them out in an isolated area in the coop until I feel comfortable enough moving them into population...that usually doesnt' take too long. Hope that helps alittle

Helps a ton! Should her little box be in the coop with the others? Or should I put her in the garage or something?

I always put mine in the garage...but that's my preference. I like the solitude for them. And personally, I take mine off of the nest once a day (same time everyday) to let her stretch her legs, scratch around, and most importantly poo. I don't want broody poo in the garage

Once she poos, snatch her up and put her back. After a few days of doing this, your broody will know exactly what you want her to do and will be relieved (literally

)!

 

[KirkKoop]

I had no intentions on getting chicks this early in the year, but my white leghorn "Flash" went broody last Friday (2/11/11) so I decided to let mother nature take over and see what happened. I have put a few eggs from three other hens under her as well, (9 standard and 2 banty). She has been a consistent "sitter", but this morning she must have gotten up to eat/drink/poo and another hen got in her box to lay, which caused her to sit in the box next to her. When I went into the coop I found the initial clutch cool to the touch - I am uncertain how long they were left uncovered, possibly 2-3 hours. I moved the eggs back under her hoping their fates weren't already sealed

Since then, I have isolated her and her eggs to a large dog crate with a smaller nest box inside and feed and water as well. I am so uncertain as to whether any eggs will hatch at all, but I suppose I've done all I can for now.

A question I have is: "If any chicks hatch at all, would I be successful at sneaking in a few chicks from the local feed store supply? Will a typical hen adopt them or reject them." Anyone had success doing this?

 

[chicks4kids]

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I'm sure they'll hatch! And yes, you can sneak some local chicks in-but you need to do it shortly after or during her hatch and just watch her with them...she'll either tuck them in under her or peck them away!!