My first broody

[NellaBean]

One of my barred cochins just went broody......I finally was able to lift her up a bit and found out she was sitting on a whopping ONE egg. Plus a wooden egg.

Apparently she laid her egg that day and then just decided to stay in there and brood. What a goob. I swapped the wooden egg for some other eggs I would rather see hatch, giving her a nice batch of about 10 eggs. She is usually a very sweet chicken and was going for blood when I was reaching in there. How funny.

It's a little chilly out these days (supposed to be in the teens) but I will let her try to brood if she wants to. Plus I'm really curious what will hatch out. I have Andalusian, Cochin and Buttercup eggs in there......and have a Jersey Giant Roo, RIR roo and blue Andalusian roo. Should be some interesting chicks!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Might I suggest you check out this link, especialy the part about marking the eggs. You may already know all this, but just in case.

Isolate a Broody? Thread
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=213218

 

[NellaBean]

Thanks for the link! I have not marked any eggs yet as I honestly have been gone until after dark every day and can't find a flashlight that works. I kid you not. I am so serious. It's all I can do to lock the chickens up at night

She is still sitting faithfully, pretty much takes up the entire nest box with her big fluffy booty, and is facing the back instead of the front. Kind of funny. Its her first time, so I figured I would let her go for it and see what happens. She is about 8-9 months old now and has been laying about a month?

All of my juvenile cockerels (12 weeks old) are getting sold off tomorrow, so I will clean out the 'brooder shed' and have it ready to go just in case. It is a 5 foot tall, 4 foot deep and 6 foot wide wooden shed inside the garage, draft free and has a light or heat lamp available. I would really prefer to let her brood in the nesting box with the rest of the flock, but will move her if need be.

The picture below is from when I first converted from a tack shed to a brooder shed. I now have a light/heatlamp hanging inside in the upper left (behind the solid door that is open for the picture) and have added a few more roosts up high and removed the lower ones. It is AWESOME for raising chicks up to about 8 weeks.

 

[NellaBean]

She is still sitting but has gotten a bit confused a few times and sat on the wrong eggs. i removed the wooden eggs from all of the low nest boxes, but some of the girls still want to use their "favorite" box in the back corner. The other eggs were cold yesterday when i caught her on the wrong ones, but not ice cold, so I just moved her back. We'll see what happens.....if she gets some babies, great. If not, that is okay too. She really is trying hard though. She was so angry when I moved her, until she noticed all of the other eggs, and then climbed right on

I have an injured chicken in the brooder shed, and really hate to pull her from the flock anyways, so am just letting her be. I might steal an egg and candle it this weekend, just to see what is going on in there.

 

[NellaBean]

Well, my broody gave up on day 19. ARGH

 

[justmeandtheflock]

Urgh, I am so sorry

I have one that has one egg left due in 2 days and I found the nest knocked over and the egg cold a few hours ago.

 

[technodoll]

Oh no! I am so sorry

Any way to save the eggs so they hatch??