My First Broody!

[Redhead Rae]

My 2 stopped being momma to the lone chick they hatched 2 weeks ago (at 3 weeks old). I moved the chick in with my batch of chicks the same age, and they didn't even notice it was gone.

A week and a half later, what happens? They go broody again!

Fortunately, I'm still hatching out eggs, so I just let them sit on falsies and give them babies.

 

[The Farmers' Daughter]

Fortunately, I'm still hatching out eggs, so I just let them sit on falsies and give them babies.

I've given them some eggs to sit on. I've only got one chantecler chick this year, so they're going to help me try to get more

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

The chicks are now 3 weeks old!
Not sure which chick this one is but I’m pretty sure it’s a cockerel

Silkie x Easter Egger thinking this one is a pullet

Silkie x Novagen thinking this one is a cockerel. The brown is more red in real life.

Thinking this is a Silkie x Easter Egger pullet

Charlotte very unhappy that I picked up her chicks as they were chirping bloody murder

Silkie x Novagen I’m thinking this one is a pullet as it’s breast is salmon colored.

Silkie x Silver Laced Wyandotte I’m thinking this one is a cockerel

 

[Harmony Fowl]

I'm inclined to agree on your cockerel/pullet assessment. Not 100% sure on the one whose breast color you commented on, but the rest I think you're exactly right.

Helen totally abandoned her chicks at 25 days old and has gone back to laying. Two boys and a girl are four weeks old today. They all have feathered legs like their father. It's so funny, I have only two feather-legged chickens. One is a young pullet, not yet laying, and the other is our primary rooster. I guess we will have a few more in the future, lol. Prudence is still looking after her chicks. They wander pretty far from her, but that seems to be their choice, not hers. Helen's chicks sometimes follow her but more often are found on their own but together. One of Prudence's chicks (three weeks today) is a boy, the others are still too hard to determine.

I have a couple more hens, Snowflake and Marshmallow, acting broody but not sitting reliably yet. I know it means egg production might go down a little, but it's also awfully fun.

 

[Harmony Fowl]

Oh my gosh! Marshmallow is indeed broody, and MEAN! She's bitten me many times and yesterday when I put them up for the night, she got hold of our half grown tom turkey and gave him hell. Yikes!

 

[KikiLeigh02]

The chicks are so cute! You're lucky NJ is so far away or Charlotte might go missing

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

The chicks are so cute! You're lucky NJ is so far away or Charlotte might go missing

She would give you a run for your money if you messed with her chicks. Last week all but one of the chicks was in the henhouse with her so I picked up the last one was putting it in the henhouse when it started whining and Charlotte came out and pecked my nostril so hard! It hurt so bad!

 

[KikiLeigh02]

I'm sorry about your nose, but.... that is too funny!

She would give you a run for your money if you messed with her chicks. Last week all but one of the chicks was in the henhouse with her so I picked up the last one was putting it in the henhouse when it started whining and Charlotte came out and pecked my nostril so hard! It hurt so bad!

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

I'm sorry about your nose, but.... that is too funny!

Yeah it’s all good. My nose is fine and so are the chicks.

 

[KikiLeigh02]

She's a good Momma hen. My friend has an OEGB that goes broody all the time and she is mean as sin when she does. Seems to be a good trait for a broody though, as far as chick survival at least.