Natural breeding thread

[Perris]

I gave her a piece of melon and checked on her a few hours later and she eaten a bit of it and then tried to tuck it underneath her

that's not good; I'd try to remove it asap. The moisture could compromise the bloom on one or more of the eggs.

In general it is not wise to feed a broody on the nest. She will get off to eat when she is hungry. Just make sure there is good food available for her when she does. And clean water. And a dustbath.

 

[hammyanne]

that's not good; I'd try to remove it asap. The moisture could compromise the bloom on one or more of the eggs.

In general it is not wise to feed a broody on the nest. She will get off to eat when she is hungry. Just make sure there is good food available for her when she does. And clean water. And a dustbath.

Melon was removed asap! Thanks for the reassurance that she’s eating—I’ll keep her rations outside of the nest.

 

[BDutch]

The only advice I'd offer (based on my first brood) is to keep treating the area for mites .

Please check if the treatment you use is okay for chicks too.

Since I haven’t actually seen her in the yard, should I worry that she’s not taking her self-care trips? It’s possible that she’s just taking her breaks in the run and then heading straight back to her nest, but I hope the poor girl is taking care of herself!

If you don’t monitor constantly, she’s probably of the nest when you are not looking. Most hens go off the nest to eat , drink, poop and dustbath for 10 - 30 minutes. You might have missed it.

 

[hammyanne]

Sweet girl is still being a good broody!

 

[Pigeony]

I'm very grateful to have a trio of Ayam Cemani/Polish cross sisters who are my amazing broodies. All 3 of them sometimes participate in the raising if one has chicks, and they often start a domino effect of going broody once one is. I've had them raise about 25 chicks altogether at this point, and they're younger birds so I'm sure they'll have plenty more. They've accepted every baby I ever gave them except one that I tried to sneak in late (that's on me, shouldn't have done that) and they didn't even hurt the baby, just shooed it away and rejected it. I'm hoping to try to let them hatch their own eggs this spring. View attachment 4057070

Well, 2 out of the 3 are broody and on eggs right now! I'm letting them keep their eggs and if the timing works out, I might try to sneak some incubator hatchlings under them as well. I also have two of their "daughters" (not actually related, but raised by them) who are also broody and I am considering letting them have a shot with a chick or two, but not trusting them with too much because they're youngsters who've never gone broody before.

 

[hammyanne]

Spotted: mama on her union-sanctioned 10-minute self care break

She’s been doing so well!

 

[Perris]

I managed to get a series of shots this morning of a broody getting her chicks out of the coop for the first time, which I thought might be useful for those who don't know what to expect: feel free to ask questions if you have any.

and then they were off to forage in the hedge base behind.

 

[fluffycrow]

Spotted: mama on her union-sanctioned 10-minute self care break

She’s been doing so well!

Glad to read! How long does she have left?

 

[hammyanne]

Glad to read! How long does she have left?

11 days left! Fingers crossed nothing disastrous happens between now and then

 

[OzarkNana]

I managed to get a series of shots this morning of a broody getting her chicks out of the coop for the first time, which I thought might be useful for those who don't know what to expect: feel free to ask questions if you have any.
and then they were off to forage in the hedge base behind.

Thanks for sharing!
A couple questions... How old are the chicks? How long did they stay out?
I have a protective new momma with 2.5 week old chicks and they haven't ventured out yet, but I'm really looking forward to seeing them out & about!