Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Johnn]

Both girls are deffo broody!:

 

[chickydee64]

Bunny sat for over 42 days and Smokey did too. She probably will sit it out.

HI,
I have a broody also that just will not quit.................
Her first eggs did not hatch?????????? and I did every thing I could think of to get her out of the mood.
She stole eggs and hid them . Now setting 6 eggs for a second round. It worries me but I just keep checking her
and making sure she is eating...............maybe it is the grapes I take her everyday that is keeping her setting.................

 

[lawatt]

johnn, so funny that you and i both have broodies AGAIN at the same time, although mine is not a repeat (one of my two cuckoo marans is sitting) -- having eggs sent for her to sit on, and trying to decide whether to leave her in the laying box she's currently in, or move her to a pen of her own NOW, when she's just getting started...?

 

[Johnn]

johnn, so funny that you and i both have broodies AGAIN at the same time, although mine is not a repeat (one of my two cuckoo marans is sitting) -- having eggs sent for her to sit on, and trying to decide whether to leave her in the laying box she's currently in, or move her to a pen of her own NOW, when she's just getting started...?

If she is happy in the laying box and isn't getting kicked off, i would leave her be. One of mine is a repeat and the other is her sister and its her first time, i hope she is good!

 

[bumpercarr]

I guess I get to join the repeat broody club. Winnie just went broody again, so I had some eggs delivered today for her to hatch (Brahmas). As soon as I gave her the eggs, she tucked them all neatly up under her. Also have a barred rock that is a first time broody. She immediately stole the nest with the bought eggs as soon as Winnie went for her daily constitutional. I've let the barred rock (Juliet) keep two eggs, so Winnie went and sat on those for now. I don't trust the barred rock to hatch these eggs out and to raise the chicks properly. Juliet has already been broody for about 3 weeks, I have a feeling that she will give up soon so I'd rather she sat on the eggs that I am not too worried about whether they hatch or not. Anyway, just a little frustrated right now....but I will wait to see if Winnie takes her nest back as soon as Juliet gets up. It really is hilarious watching these girls and wondering what is going through their minds!

 

[CarolinaHen]

How old we're her chicks before she went broody again? I caught Agnes with her two chicks sitting on a nest today

 

[bumpercarr]

How old we're her chicks before she went broody again? I caught Agnes with her two chicks sitting on a nest today

Her chicks are 11 weeks old yesterday. She pushed them away at about 6 weeks, has hung out with the flock for the past 5 weeks and now is sitting tight on the nest. She's a silkie mix, so I expect she will be broody often. This is her first year being broody, second time. She was a great mom though, so I don't mind her raising a clutch. It looks like another one besides Juliet is going broody as well, she's not sitting tight yet, but she's sitting on an egg. I won't have any egg layers if this keeps up! I thought RIRs and BRs didn't go broody!

 

[bumpercarr]

Her chicks are 11 weeks old yesterday. She pushed them away at about 6 weeks, has hung out with the flock for the past 5 weeks and now is sitting tight on the nest. She's a silkie mix, so I expect she will be broody often. This is her first year being broody, second time. She was a great mom though, so I don't mind her raising a clutch. It looks like another one besides Juliet is going broody as well, she's not sitting tight yet, but she's sitting on an egg. I won't have any egg layers if this keeps up! I thought RIRs and BRs didn't go broody!

So that would give me a total of 3 broody hens. Guess they all want babies.

 

[CarolinaHen]

Her chicks are 11 weeks old yesterday. She pushed them away at about 6 weeks, has hung out with the flock for the past 5 weeks and now is sitting tight on the nest. She's a silkie mix, so I expect she will be broody often. This is her first year being broody, second time. She was a great mom though, so I don't mind her raising a clutch. It looks like another one besides Juliet is going broody as well, she's not sitting tight yet, but she's sitting on an egg. I won't have any egg layers if this keeps up! I thought RIRs and BRs didn't go broody!

Agnes is less than a year old. She laid her first egg on Mother's Day of this year, and has already hatched two chicks. She's on overdrive! She and the chicks were in the brooding box all day today. The chicks are only 8 days old!

 

[Jude Turkman]

Quote:

-John, FLock Master

Hi John,

well, for my experience, I got 2 sis American Game. They went to the same spot in laying and then brooding eggs. When they hatched, they brood their chicks together. and that makes them hard to be peck by any other chickens because one can look ahead, the other on the rear, to the right, to the left....and so everything goes...but I appreciate you separating the two because their is a high risk for the health of the hens and the chicks. we cant deny the pecking order. even if those two mamas are siblings still one must have dominated, pecking the other leaving her malnourished because it's her instinct to brood her chicks and she cant leave them, even she is beaten up. and for the chicks their is a low rate for them to go adult because they are more prone to disease, if one gets sick, more likely it will be picked by the other and soon...so it is good that ur putting an effort to separate them...A for effort!