My hen is REALLY broody

[ChickensRDinos]

I've read that the water and food should be near, but not so near the nest that she will dececate in it while she is eating. Good luck. Seems like an odd time of year to go broody, but then I am new new at breeding.

x2 The hen will come down when she needs food and water and to poo. It might not happen everyday but she knows what she is doing and you can just let her be. If you want you can put some food and water near her but it would be out of the nest so that she has to walk to it, otherwise she will poo in the nest.

 

[bucky52]

I had one go broody the first of september.i don't have roosters.i got three eggs from my dh nephew.she hatched out one itty bitty chick.(my little broody was six months old) she is a wonderful mom.but than reality hit.its the wrong time of the year to be hatching peeps.now i worry about the cold nights we are having.little itty bitty is growing and doing fine.if i had to do it over i would not have obtained fertilized eggs.i live in central va.and we are having cold nights and cool days.

 

[ChickensRDinos]

I keep looking for info on this idea of broodiness being a cycle they pass through...in the absence of eggs will the 21+/- day cycle still be in force? I keep reading that they have to be put in a wire cage, no nest materials ro break them. Our girl seems unhappy and we won't want her to lose weight this time of year. She will stay in the nestbox or go up on the roost if we let her.
Thoughts on or experience with "passing through" a broody cycle would be so appreicated.

I have a bantum frizzle cochin who is broody often. I have no rooster.

The wire cage is to hopefully get them to stop the behavior and the idea is the make it impossible for them to nest so that they will give up. I have never done this.

I live in LA so weather isn't really a factor for me because seasons here are a joke. But, I just let her brood it out because it's her nature and I figure I will just let her be. She will stay in the nest for about 3 weeks. She looses weight and the feathers on her belly and gets very grumpy. I just give her a fake stone egg that I happen to have - there are also wooden ones or golf balls would work. My other hens all lay in her box and she will gather all the eggs but I collect them every night. She comes down to eat, drink and poo as needed (which is not often). She usually starts laying about about a week or two after she is done.

Of course now that I have decided I want to hatch some eggs she won't go broody after being broody over and over again before....go figure.

 

[iluvpeeps]

What should I do with the chicks when they hatch? Today we just got our first winter rain here and I want the chicks to be warm enough when they hatch. I think I have about 3 weeks to go before they hatch but I want to be prepared for the winter.

 

[mustangsaguaro]

What should I do with the chicks when they hatch? Today we just got our first winter rain here and I want the chicks to be warm enough when they hatch. I think I have about 3 weeks to go before they hatch but I want to be prepared for the winter.

Momma will keep the chicks warm. She know what to do and so do the chicks. If the chicks get cold they will crawl under her for warmth. So don't worry.

I have 3 broodies right now too. 2 had chicks hatch earlier this week and one is still sitting on eggs. Day 21 is tomorrow.

 

[iluvpeeps]

Ok thanks for the info. I hope you get some more chicks tomorrow

 

[iluvpeeps]

Eleven days until I get some chicks. It's in a while but what should I do if I hear them chirping from inside of the eggs? I know that they are supposed to hatch themselves but the shell on my eggs are kind of hard so when I hear them should I help them hatch so that they don't die from exhaustion?

 

[NovaAman]

What should I do with the chicks when they hatch? Today we just got our first winter rain here and I want the chicks to be warm enough when they hatch. I think I have about 3 weeks to go before they hatch but I want to be prepared for the winter.

I had one go broody the first of september.i don't have roosters.i got three eggs from my dh nephew.she hatched out one itty bitty chick.(my little broody was six months old) she is a wonderful mom.but than reality hit.its the wrong time of the year to be hatching peeps.now i worry about the cold nights we are having.little itty bitty is growing and doing fine.if i had to do it over i would not have obtained fertilized eggs.i live in central va.and we are having cold nights and cool days.

Not a problem hatching chicks right now if there is a mom to take care of them. She'll keep them warm. Just be sure that none of the other hens can get near her once the hens eggs start hatching..

 

[n8ivetxn]

Eleven days until I get some chicks. It's in a while but what should I do if I hear them chirping from inside of the eggs? I know that they are supposed to hatch themselves but the shell on my eggs are kind of hard so when I hear them should I help them hatch so that they don't die from exhaustion?

My French Marans are the broodiest things! They sat 2x this year, first hatch was in June, the second in late September. The chicks are doing fine!

They lay really hard eggs. I was concerned too... but the truth is, if the chick can't make it out on it's own, it won't thrive as it's supposed to....there's something about the struggle to get out of the shell that increases the likely-hood of survival and thriftiness in a chick. If you try to "help" you could be doing more harm than good. Plus, you perpetuate that genetic weakness in your flock when you raise chicks that can't hatch on their own... I know it sounds awful, but don't help them. The struggle to get out encourages adrenaline and endorphins in the chick, they shouldn't die of exhaustion.

 

[iluvpeeps]

Ok thanks guys. When I start to hear peeping I'll block off the space where they're hatching with wood or something. I'm making a new coop soon and I'm going to have a small space only for chicks and their mothers kind of like a nursery.