My 1st Broody!

[mangled]

She's been sitting on eggs since we got back from the hospital with my boy, so technically, we could be on day 18 or 19 with them.

She's been in with the general population, insanely guarding her eggs, and generally unbothered... but I've noticed her egg pile was growing daily, and today, I had to intervene, LOL.

I set up the former rabbit hutch with a couple pads of hay, a feeder, and a waterer, then shooed the hens out of the main coop, and headed in the my thick garden gloves and my candling flashlight.

The poor girl was sitting on 31 eggs.

Every single one was perfectly warm, too. Of the 31, there were 10 eggs that were completely dark, with a well defined air cell, those are the ones she's sitting on now. I had a few with the nicest early veining, and sadly, had to remove those. We're 15 days out of my boy's surgery. It's just cutting it too close.

So, she's all snug on her eggs in her new broody box, and extremely p.o.'ed at me. I have 2 areas of broken skin and three bruises from her pecking me.

Such a good Momma she's being.

I know for sure now that one of the pullets are laying. I found the tiniest little pullet egg in the pile.

I'll try to snap a pic of her tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed!!
Em

 

[WriterofWords]

Congrats!! I know I was so excited when I found my son's chicken Charlotte's hidden nest. She had wayyyyy too many so I took some in to the bator and she sat the rest.

 

[Anne]

Dang, 31 eggs?!?!?!? That's gotta be one big chicken! My hens can hardly handle ten.

 

[mangled]

Dang, 31 eggs?!?!?!? That's gotta be one big chicken! My hens can hardly handle ten.

She's a good-sized black australorpe. She was covering them with her wings as well. Everytime I saw her, she had her wings laid out at her sides, and I thought it was a defensive pose. She was spreading out to cover her eggs.

She's still got her 10 under her. Wish I knew when to expect them.

Em​

 

[steffpeck]

My 1st broody just hatched out her 7 little babies over the weekend, and it was the funnest thing to see!!! I had a very good broody, we could pick her up, anything, she never pecked at me once. She would ruffle up her feathers and growl a little, but that was it. She is also such a good mom. It is beyond awesome to see her with the chicks. I think I like hatching eggs with a broody much more than in an incubator!! Way funner to see the momma with the babies!!

Good Luck!!!