NY chicken lover!!!!

[stonykill]

While the topic of broodies is in the table.............................. Do you guys feed anything special to your broodies so they don't lose so much weight ? I have a bantam cochin who is broody, tonight I'm putting eggs under her & letting her do her thing

Sould I add scratch or possibly some protien of some kind ?? She's an excellent Momma and last year she got very thin while she was brooding.


Thanks for any info

nope.I don't. Nothing special. When she gets up she eats.

 

[Cass]

While the topic of broodies is in the table.............................. Do you guys feed anything special to your broodies so they don't lose so much weight ? I have a bantam cochin who is broody, tonight I'm putting eggs under her & letting her do her thing

Sould I add scratch or possibly some protien of some kind ?? She's an excellent Momma and last year she got very thin while she was brooding.


Thanks for any info

You've gotta see the guys JUMP on this one: I put a small cup (those tiny tupperware ones that I have no kids to use anymore) of food and one of water IN THE NEST BOX the last week. Mostly she ignores it, but I have seen her drink upon occation. But yes, Broody hens do lose a LOT of weight....my silkie is just skin and bones when hers finally hatch and she can just walk around and eat again. But she MUST be eating, based on the amount of poo that comes out when she does get off the nest each day to do so. She recovers just enough to do it again. I only give her eggs every other time she goes broody...partially for her health and a LOT so I am not hip deep in chicks. LOL

I do think that when they decide to go broody they start their fast and if we choose to wait a couple of day or weeks (or months for this silkie) they start losing from the moment they decide to go broody and sit until the chicks hatch. For the hen's health we should give them eggs the minute we notice they are broody. For our own mental health, we aren't going to do that, are we?

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Bawk.

 

[ChickPrincess]

Don't forget about trigger locks! Cheap, and another safety step if you want it.

Still at 6/6 eggs developing (we think, the green ones are hard to see through).

When is our due date???

various sized coon tracks around several of my coops. Time to bring the 5 traps into the shop and make sure they are thawed out and functioning properly. Time to kill some raccoon's

Same here this morning! Only one set of tracks, though I'm quite sure it was a raccoon. I heard the roos at around 4 am, shined the spotlight but saw nothing. Sure enough, when I went to let them out this morning there were tracks all around and going UNDER the coop (note to DH to block that up tomorrow). DH will get the traps out tomorrow, too. I blockaded pretty well for tonight.

The cheeps missed their school lunches! First day back today and they feasted on BBQ turkey, baked beans and pears. They were some happy campers. I have 2 one-gallon buckets, and they are typically 75% full. I try to pull out the white bread. It has cut down somewhat on the feed I have to buy.

 

[rancher hicks]

nope.I don't. Nothing special. When she gets up she eats.

Same here but I did have Dominique who I hand fed while she was broody. Perhaps that's why her eggs hatched even though it was freezing out.

Though now that I think of it I haven't seen the RIR hen off her nest and she has no eggs. I'll have to watch for her in the morning.

 

[stonykill]

Same here but I did have Dominique who I hand fed while she was broody. Perhaps that's why her eggs hatched even though it was freezing out.

Though now that I think of it I haven't seen the RIR hen off her nest and she has no eggs. I'll have to watch for her in the morning.

no special treatment from me for my winter hatches either. My motto is that chickens survived thousands of years without human help and all that humans have done is weaken them as a species. So unless I see it absolutely necesary, like killing predators I really don't get involved much. Food, water, shelter. The basics.

 

[cracrzy4chicks]

Same here but I did have Dominique who I hand fed while she was broody. Perhaps that's why her eggs hatched even though it was freezing out.

Though now that I think of it I haven't seen the RIR hen off her nest and she has no eggs. I'll have to watch for her in the morning.

I don't think I'll be hand feeding

no special treatment from me for my winter hatches either. My motto is that chickens survived thousands of years without human help and all that humans have done is weaken them as a species. So unless I see it absolutely necesary, like killing predators I really don't get involved much. Food, water, shelter. The basics.

Ok, I get the picture..................... " let nature takes it's course" Thanks

 

[cracrzy4chicks]

You've gotta see the guys JUMP on this one: I put a small cup (those tiny tupperware ones that I have no kids to use anymore) of food and one of water IN THE NEST BOX the last week. Mostly she ignores it, but I have seen her drink upon occation. But yes, Broody hens do lose a LOT of weight....my silkie is just skin and bones when hers finally hatch and she can just walk around and eat again. But she MUST be eating, based on the amount of poo that comes out when she does get off the nest each day to do so. She recovers just enough to do it again. I only give her eggs every other time she goes broody...partially for her health and a LOT so I am not hip deep in chicks. LOL

I do think that when they decide to go broody they start their fast and if we choose to wait a couple of day or weeks (or months for this silkie) they start losing from the moment they decide to go broody and sit until the chicks hatch. For the hen's health we should give them eggs the minute we notice they are broody. For our own mental health, we aren't going to do that, are we?

My mental health starts to deteriorate the minute I put eggs in the bator or under the Momma

ANTICIPATION..................................... I DON"T wait very well

 

[mderby48]

                My mental health starts to deteriorate the minute I put eggs in the bator or under the Momma    


 ANTICIPATION..................................... I DON"T wait very well  

I agree! I'm on day 4 of incubation on my second hatch ( the first was 100% unsuccessful) I'm going crazy!

 

[mderby48]

Out of 22 chicks I have managed to find a favorite!

This is Oppie, my black orp. I got from Rancher Hicks. My pretty sure he is a roo tho I could be wrong.