Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

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bobbieschicks said:
Smokey is acting weird again. Oh please don't be dying or worse yet, broody!
She had laid her eggs for the past several days in the alfalfa hay I have in the back of the coop. I went to clean up the coop after being gone all weekend and found her sitting on the empty nest she created. She ran off quickly when she saw me.
That was this morning. A few minutes ago I went to gather eggs. Found a lav orp sitting on a nest of two blue eggs. She ran if when I opened the door. No smokey anywhere to be found.
We hunted the yard and found her crouched by the fence and all puffed out. I'm worried about her now.
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Oh I hope she is okay,
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So one of my Marans in my laying flock has gone broody. So she probably couldn't resist the pile of eggs that stack up during the day, since my flock seems to all lay in one nest. (These are all infertile). I do however have a number of fertile Basque, Legbar and marans eggs that I have collected from my breeding cages. Is it too late to start brooding now? I'm in North Carolina and the temps are getting below freezing at night. Anyone have eggs under a broody hen this late in the season and is it a good idea?
 
Bresseman said:
So one of my Marans in my laying flock has gone broody.   So she probably couldn't resist the pile of eggs that stack up during the day, since my flock seems to all lay in one nest.  (These are all infertile). I do however have a number of fertile Basque, Legbar and marans eggs that I have collected from my breeding cages.  Is it too late to start brooding now?  I'm in North Carolina and the temps are getting below freezing at night.  Anyone have eggs under a broody hen this late in the season and is it a good idea?
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Smokey hatched her first brood ever in spring time weather about the same as we are having now, 50Fs day/30Fs night. She did fine in an unheated coop. I wouldn't give her a massive amount of eggs though just in case. Some alternatives are to let her sit on fakes (golfball or ping pong balls) while you put the fertile eggs into a bator to hatch and then give her the chicks to raise. Or give her the 16 day old eggs that are about to hatch to finish the job. Or just let her have four or five eggs to hatch depending on her size and the size of the eggs and not worry about the outcome.
 
bobbieschicks said:
Thank you both. She was in the coop earlier than everyone else tonight. I saw her sitting on the roost in the top hen spot. Not sure what is going on with her. But she was up on the roost when I put everyone to bed so maybe she will be fine.
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They can sure worry us. Hope she is doing all things normal this morning.
 

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