Managing/Encouraging broody hens with a "Broody Box" ***Hatching Pics!

[tracyork]

Our broody session has been having its ups and downs as well. As Dan had warned, everyone else now seems to think it is fun to lay their eggs in the nest with the broody. Most of the time she doesn't seem to mind or try to do anything to prevent it, I just keep having to fish new, unmarked eggs out from underneath her. Less than optimal! This morning I found two hens in the nest, the broody plus her sister. I tried shooing the other one off, but she wouldn't go. I think I'm going to have to move her, but I am petrified of breaking her 9 days in... any suggestions?

I also am going to have to start hand feeding her, because I haven't seen her off the nest in days. Who can blame her with the vultures waiting to descend? The last time I saw her off the nest was last Thursday, when I actually found her on the wrong nest. HEART ATTACK! After doing some research on here, I have decided to hope for the best and not freak out about a little time off of the eggs. I am going to candle the eggs again soon, to see if they are continuing to develop. At the time, I figured she had just gotten confused and gone back to the wrong nest (there were 2 newly laid eggs in it) after a potty break, but I now suspect she got booted by one of the larger hens. That is probably why she won't leave it now, even when they come to lay right on top of her. Ugh, what a mess.

 

[Winsor Woods]

Hey Tracy,

Sorry to hear about your difficulties. Just make sure if you do move your hen, do it after it's been dark for a few hours. Make sure the new location is set up and ready to go. If you have a helper, one can hold the hen, and the other can move the eggs to the new nest. Then gently place the hen on the new nest and close up the broody-box/crate/kennel/etc. She may or may not freak out in the morning. Doing this, I don't think you'll break her of broodiness, but she might break some eggs.

Alternately, you could just fence off the portion of the coop where your broody is with some chicken wire so the other hens can't get to her nest. Not sure what your setup is like so this may be possible or perhaps even easier.

Dan

 

[Winsor Woods]

I'm getting ready to do a final candling of the eggs and put them and Dottie under lock-down. Day 21 Will be Sunday So I'm hoping for some action this weekend. With any luck, I'll have a better result than I did with Donner's clutch. Fingers Crossed!

Dan

 

[Winsor Woods]

Final Candling revealed just one bad egg (the one previously marked as bad from Day 7) So I have 10 developed eggs and tomorrow is day 20 So I'm excited for this weekend!

One question? Is "lockdown" the same kinda deal with a broody hen as it is with an incubator, ie can I gently lift up the broody hen to peek and see if any eggs are pipped/peeping? Or is it just sit by the broody box and wait until the hen get off and take a peek?

How do you all check on the eggs near the hatch day with a broody? I didn't hatch any eggs with my last broody so I just want to make sure I do this right.

Dan

 

[Chickie'sMoma]

Quote:
i've actually been using broodies since January to hatch out eggs for me. i sold off the hovabator back in March since i gave up trying to figure out what i was doing wrong with it. i had much better hatch rates with moma than the bator! i also have not had any issues moving moma and her eggs at any time of the day. if she is really dedicated and you move the eggs to the new location and then move moma to it she will see the eggs and know she is safe with them! i have been using the extra large dog crates to move them into during their last week of broodiness (lock down!). it keeps the other hens from laying in the nest and protects the eggs from being crushed by inexperienced pullets/hens.

and, yes, lock down is pretty much the same for a hen. she will not leave the nest the last few days! she will get extremely feisty (more than she has for over 2 weeks) with anything that comes near and WILL NOT leave those eggs for even food! i usually keep small amounts of food nearby and plenty of water. just make sure when the chicks have started hatching that before you give her lots of food that she has completely hatched all eggs! some hens will abandon the late hatching eggs to focus on the new brood of chicks to teach them where the food and water is at.

 

[flakey chick]

A dog crate in the chicken run didn't work out so well. A raccoon got into the pen and pulled the mama out by bits. The baby escaped an dis traumatized. My only other chicken is not being so nice to her.

Anyone want to add a game hen and bantam D`Anver chick to their flock?

 

[Winsor Woods]

Thanks Chickie. I'll be sitting on my hands and listening for peeps throughout the weekend.

Flakey - So sorry to hear about your disaster. That's a shame. I hope you find a good home for your birdies.

Dan

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Hi!

I have a Grey American Game hen that went broody a few days ago. She started a clutch awhile back but I didn't gather the eggs so she started setting on them. This is her third time to be broody that I know of. When I got her she was rasing Guinea Keets she'd hatched out but something kept killing them one by one so the man that had her gave her to me. A few months ago she went broody and hatched out 6 babies 3 of those died, but I still have 3 of them. She is a Very wild chicken, so I think I'm just gonna let her raise them because she is mean and wild and will kill you if you come near her! lol

She has gone broody twice in the same spot, she goes broody in an old room in our barn it's all dark and cold in there and I guess she likes it in there.

As far as I can tell she is setting on a clutch of 10 eggs, she only had nine yesterday, but I guess she layed another one.
I think broodies like places that they feel secure and safe in. I have a few broodies that'll go broody in the middle of the floor and be as happy as ever. But most of them like to find a dark, secret places to hatch biddies!

 

[Winsor Woods]

I just checked in on Dottie and held the waterer for her and she took a few sips. I thought I had heard a bit of faint peeping and I just could not contain myself. I wasn't sure if it was coming from outside the coop or from under Dottie. I gently placed a hand just under her breast bone and put a bit of slight upward pressure on her and she stood up a tad. I was able to peer in there and saw that ONE OF THE EGGS HAS PIPPED!

So now I might bring a chair into the coop by the broody box and

Dan

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Quote:
That's AWESOME!

Keep us updated!