My first attempt...

[TMNfarm]

I may be crazy, but I have a broody hen right now, so I'm going to try to let her hatch out some chicks!

I live in Northern MN, so it's going to start getting real cold, real soon, but my coop is nice and warm, and one of my BO's has been broody for about 3-4 weeks now. I decided to let her have a few eggs to see what happens, so yesterday morning she was sitting on 1 egg, two other hens were sitting on 2 eggs each, and there was one egg in the 4th box with no hen. I took her egg and the two from each of the other hens and numbered them and put them under her. She seemed almost giddy as she tucked them all underneath her! The 6th egg I took to the house. It was cold, so I fgured it was too late to put that one underneath her. Last night, she was still sitting happily on 5 warm eggs. This morning, I added one more egg that was under another hen, so she's got an even 1/2 dozen under her.

If it starts getting too cold in the coop, I can always move her to my heated kennel building by herself. This is my first attempt to hatch chicks, and I have only had chickens since I got the 12 hens I have now as chicks early this past spring, so any words of advice or encouragement or your own experiences would be appreciated!

Wish me luck!! I'll update this thread as the days go by... I ordered an egg candler so my kids and I can watch the progress.

 

[Mr MKK FARMS]

Wow, it must be exciting for you because its your first hatch! I hope you have a good hatch! Keep me posted!
Good Luck!

 

[sumi]

How exiting! I love it when my hens go broody. You won't have to do anything for her except make sure she stays warm and dry and has something to eat and drink when she gets up. Fingers crossed she'll hatch all her eggs for you!

 

[TMNfarm]

Ok... I have a wierd situation happening. Prim is my broody hen that is sitting on the eggs. She has 6 under her and I labeled them with a Sharpie marker 1-6. This morning when I went out, eggs 3 & 6 were under Butterscotch in the nest box! My kids had done chores last night, so I asked my daughter if they gave some of Prim's eggs to Butterscotch, and she told me that eggs 2 & 6 were under Butterscotch. I believe they left them there last night. I took them away from Butterscotch this morning and gave them back to Prim. When I went out an hour later, eggs 1 & 4 were under Butterscotch!! She's stealing Prim's eggs!!

3 questions...

1) Is that a normal behavior if Butterscotch went broody for her to steal eggs from the other hen??

2) How is she doing it?? It's not like she can just pick them up and move them! The two nest boxes are adjacent to each other and share a wall. This wall does not go all the way to the back of the nest box, there is about an inch clearance at the back. There is also a ledge in front of the boxes about 3 inches wide. Is she rolling the eggs from one box to the other??

3) Should I give her her own clutch of eggs to lay on? Do I need to move Prim even if I do? Prim has been broody for about a month, but I had no idea Butterscotch was until really this morning when the kids told me she had Prim's eggs last night...

 

[kizanne]

Ok... I have a wierd situation happening. Prim is my broody hen that is sitting on the eggs. She has 6 under her and I labeled them with a Sharpie marker 1-6. This morning when I went out, eggs 3 & 6 were under Butterscotch in the nest box! My kids had done chores last night, so I asked my daughter if they gave some of Prim's eggs to Butterscotch, and she told me that eggs 2 & 6 were under Butterscotch. I believe they left them there last night. I took them away from Butterscotch this morning and gave them back to Prim. When I went out an hour later, eggs 1 & 4 were under Butterscotch!! She's stealing Prim's eggs!!

3 questions...

1) Is that a normal behavior if Butterscotch went broody for her to steal eggs from the other hen??
As far as I've read yes. If the other hen stands up a broody might take any unattended eggs

2) How is she doing it?? It's not like she can just pick them up and move them! The two nest boxes are adjacent to each other and share a wall. This wall does not go all the way to the back of the nest box, there is about an inch clearance at the back. There is also a ledge in front of the boxes about 3 inches wide. Is she rolling the eggs from one box to the other??

As far as I've read they tuck them under their chin

3) Should I give her her own clutch of eggs to lay on? Do I need to move Prim even if I do? Prim has been broody for about a month, but I had no idea Butterscotch was until really this morning when the kids told me she had Prim's eggs last night...
Depends on how many chicks you want. And realizing that broody hens don't lay.


Also I haven't heard mention of a rooster. Do you have a rooster? (not trying to be condecending just checking)

 

[TMNfarm]

Yeah... I have a rooster...

 

[jwilson48]

lol that would be hilarious to see a chicken carrying an egg by its chin into another nest box! you can always get rid of chickens on craigslist. let both of them have 6 or so eggs and maybe she will quit stealing them!

 

[TMNfarm]

I gave her 6 eggs yesterday. Last night she was sitting happily on her nest of 6 eggs and Prim was sitting happily on hers.

So that means I have eggs at day 4, 3, & 2... Can't wait for the candler I ordered to get here!!!

 

[sumi]

Good luck with both hatches! And keep us posted.

 

[TMNfarm]

I'm a bit frustrated, but not with the chickens, with my kids... I'm about ready to ban them from the coop, but this will be such a good learning experience for them...

I worked all day yesterday, so my kids did the morning chores. I had to stay late at work, so they started evening chores for me as well. I got home to find my daughter nearly in tears. She had dropped one of Butterscotch's eggs and cracked it. She said, "I killed a baby chick!" My son was in the coop, so I went in to check. He had already given her another egg and marked it with a 3. But when I checked them all out, her #2 egg was missing too... I can't seem to squeeze a confession out of my son, but I have a sneaking suspicion he may have dropped that one too... Grrrr

So she now has two new fresh under her that will be 24 hours behind the others...

My egg candler should be here on Monday. I was hoping they would all be ready to be candled by then... At this rate, I'll be hatching in January!