Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[bobbieschicks]

 Quote:
Does she get bullied less when she has chicks??

Oh yes. She hardly gets touched when she has chicks around. It's after she abandons them and tries to usurp all the other pullets to be head hen that she has problems. She doesn't want to be low girl in the order so she bullies others. She gets away with it mostly. Except this time the roo damaged her back and the other pullet noticed it and tried to use it to hurt Topsy back into her lower spot. She will benefit from time in the broody pen area. Who knows she may even go broody again if I put some false eggs under her, knowing Topsy.

 

[Johnn]

Oh yes. She hardly gets touched when she has chicks around. It's after she abandons them and tries to usurp all the other pullets to be head hen that she has problems. She doesn't want to be low girl in the order so she bullies others. She gets away with it mostly. Except this time the roo damaged her back and the other pullet noticed it and tried to use it to hurt Topsy back into her lower spot. She will benefit from time in the broody pen area. Who knows she may even go broody again if I put some false eggs under her, knowing Topsy.

I wouldn't be shocked if she did either, she always seems to be broody!

 

[Phoenix Farms]

Well she got off this morning but I came home and she was back on the nest.

 

[Chicks Galore3]

I am going to slowly but surely make my way through the WHOLE thread...that is going to take a lot of reading!!!!!

 

[bobbieschicks]

I wouldn't be shocked if she did either, she always seems to be broody!

Haha! I think you're right. She only laid about 10 eggs and then went broody her first time. I'd love to put one of her young silky chicks in there with her to keep her company, but I'm not sure that would be wise until her wound closes up. It scares me to see a gap in her skin.

 

[LolaBlue]

Just had to post some cuteness!

 

[bobbieschicks]

Well she got off this morning but I came home and she was back on the nest.

As long as she doesn't leave them for too long it's fine if she's getting on and off the nest. Is it warm where you are located? I know when my broodies hatched over the summer they hovered over the eggs rather then sit on them. And they would take bunches of breaks off them. Still the babies hatched earlier than expected. If its cold and she's getting off them a bunch expect them to take longer to hatch.

 

[bobbieschicks]

Just had to post some cuteness!

Aaawwwwhhhh! So cute!

 

[Leahs Mom]

Well that did not work..I think it is too cold..it is supposed to be warmer tomorrow. I tented it a bit with weather plastic to try to contain more heat. It is going to drop to -10 tonight. I even added a heat lamp. I know I am never going to do this again..I am not going to sleep worrying about it going out. I have it zip tied and rope tied. and I put a metal pan on top of it to protect the bulb.

I've been thinking..... and I'm thinking I won't do such an early winter broody in the future. I did it this time because I wanted them to come into lay earlier in the summer and I was intending on brooding some whether I had a broody or not. This is because I have so few chickens that I wanted more eggs earlier in the season.

In the future I think I'll wait till at least March before I'd consider a broody - or perhaps late February. I like that yours hatched quite a bit later than mine and it won't be long till things will be warmer more consistently! When mine were that little they all fit and it worked quite well with mom keeping them warm.

Mine are now 5 weeks old - only 4 of them - but one thing I didn't take into consideration is their size at this age and still need to get under mom because of the colder temps at night. It's getting quite hard to accomplish that. Not a problem, really, because they're pretty well acclimated and are pretty much out all day long now. But if there was a really cold snap like you're having they'd still need under her better than they can fit (LOL). [It's really quite comical watching them all try to get under there. The ones with the longer tail feathers always are sticking out...they're a couple of pretty big kids compared to the other 2.]

And all this time I've had in the back of my mind that if she is ready to quit being a mom I always have the heat lamp as a backup but she has been very faithful!

I think she began roost training this week. I've found her and at least one of them up on the high roost during the day and the others working at getting up there.

 

[delisha]

Quote:

Well that did not work..I think it is too cold..it is supposed to be warmer tomorrow. I tented it a bit with weather plastic to try to contain more heat. It is going to drop to -10 tonight. I even added a heat lamp. I know I am never going to do this again..I am not going to sleep worrying about it going out. I have it zip tied and rope tied. and I put a metal pan on top of it to protect the bulb.

I've been thinking..... and I'm thinking I won't do such an early winter broody in the future. I did it this time because I wanted them to come into lay earlier in the summer and I was intending on brooding some whether I had a broody or not. This is because I have so few chickens that I wanted more eggs earlier in the season.

In the future I think I'll wait till at least March before I'd consider a broody - or perhaps late February. I like that yours hatched quite a bit later than mine and it won't be long till things will be warmer more consistently! When mine were that little they all fit and it worked quite well with mom keeping them warm.

Mine are now 5 weeks old - only 4 of them - but one thing I didn't take into consideration is their size at this age and still need to get under mom because of the colder temps at night. It's getting quite hard to accomplish that. Not a problem, really, because they're pretty well acclimated and are pretty much out all day long now. But if there was a really cold snap like you're having they'd still need under her better than they can fit (LOL). [It's really quite comical watching them all try to get under there. The ones with the longer tail feathers always are sticking out...they're a couple of pretty big kids compared to the other 2.]

And all this time I've had in the back of my mind that if she is ready to quit being a mom I always have the heat lamp as a backup but she has been very faithful!

I think she began roost training this week. I've found her and at least one of them up on the high roost during the day and the others working at getting up there.

That is so cute..I am going to wait at least until March next time..this is rediculas all of this stress.

I need to see some new pics of your babys