Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Faraday40]

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I decided to take advantage of the sunshine and take some
chick pics today. My gardens are a mess but pretty much the only place where I could find a bit of green for the pics.

The odd family (MaiMai, silkie mama, her 5.5 week old orp chick, and 4.5 month old adopted serama pullet, named Solo)

and my loving little Solo, who still likes to run up to my shoulder/neck to snuggle.

Xansie, the silkie mama, and her 4 week old serama - still looks like a girl.

Sesame, the mama serama, and her 9 day old orpington chicks.
The black looks girl-ish and the lav gives me male vibes.... so far all have been female, so it's about time I get a male. I won't really know gender for another 3-4 weeks.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

To all my equally chronic broody hen hatchers (@Faraday40 @fisherlady and those I can't think of call name)....

I've been quiet on the thread but busy hatching. After 10 years of mostly happy brooding, I have a semi-big problem.

I've got a new broody hen (a coveted F1 Cream Legbar-Barnvelder) who is almost violent in protecting her nest.

She insisted in brooding in the main coop (which I've had very successful hatches in...I've got one mom with 2 new hatchlings and 1 more almost hatching), but my goodness, trying to investigate the eggs she stole so she only has her marked set amount is putting my knuckles at severe risk (yes, gloves is the partial answer there)....but she will go full Mexican standoff mode.

I of course already have my side coop filled with a broody and 5 newly hatched chicks who doesn't share well (this hen got pushed off her nest easily), so I don't see moving this gal to that side coop as an answer.

How have you ever helped calm your overly excited broodies?

I'm totally used to a cranky peck or two, but this gal goes into full combat mode. (The good news is NOBODY is going to mess with her nest in that main coop).

Since my knuckles are going to have to endure this for another week or so, until the first hatched chicks in the side coop are old enough that I can move this Rambo hen into that one....any suggestions other than let her sit on all eggs and clear out in a week or so when I move her to final lock down? She is upsetting the apple cart!

Thanks
Sore-Knuckled LofMc

 

[Perris]

any suggestions other than let her sit on all eggs and clear out in a week or so when I move her to final lock down?

I had one like this. I waited till she went to eat, poop, bathe each day and dashed in then. Of course that only works if you can hang about watching out for her around the time of day she normally leaves the nest...

 

[BullChick]

It’s funny, I thought about this thread just yesterday. Fisherlady’s birds are born broody, and if you get one of her birds, you’d better be prepared. I opted to nip this broody though.

 

[BullChick]

@Lady of McCamley as for your situation, either do as @Perris said, or put up a fence around the box. I’ve had a few evil broodies, and I find that putting up a divider with food and water for Mom works when she keeps ending up with extra eggs.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I had one like this. I waited till she went to eat, poop, bathe each day and dashed in then. Of course that only works if you can hang about watching out for her around the time of day she normally leaves the nest...

Unfortunately I can't time my outings with hers. So I have to tend the box at lock up at nights.

@Lady of McCamley as for your situation, either do as @Perris said, or put up a fence around the box. I’ve had a few evil broodies, and I find that putting up a divider with food and water for Mom works when she keeps ending up with extra eggs.

Sadly she chose the smaller side box with no room for food and water, and I can't let her out regularly during the day when she needs to. I'm not yet willing to pick her up to let her out... I try not to over handle my broodies.

Any other thoughts to handling evil broodies. Do Rambo types ever chill a bit with handling? Or does it just get worse? Eventually, I hope to be able to move her to her own quiet corner of the world in that side coop...but timid is there now with 5 very coveted hatchlings for my breeding program.

Sigh.

Thanks for the input.
LofMc

 

[nchls school]

Another possible way is to check her after dark; for some hens this works, but not all. You might find her protective behavior less when she can't see.

 

[AllenK RGV]

To all my equally chronic broody hen hatchers (@Faraday40 @fisherlady and those I can't think of call name)....

I've been quiet on the thread but busy hatching. After 10 years of mostly happy brooding, I have a semi-big problem.

I've got a new broody hen (a coveted F1 Cream Legbar-Barnvelder) who is almost violent in protecting her nest.

She insisted in brooding in the main coop (which I've had very successful hatches in...I've got one mom with 2 new hatchlings and 1 more almost hatching), but my goodness, trying to investigate the eggs she stole so she only has her marked set amount is putting my knuckles at severe risk (yes, gloves is the partial answer there)....but she will go full Mexican standoff mode.

I of course already have my side coop filled with a broody and 5 newly hatched chicks who doesn't share well (this hen got pushed off her nest easily), so I don't see moving this gal to that side coop as an answer.

How have you ever helped calm your overly excited broodies?

I'm totally used to a cranky peck or two, but this gal goes into full combat mode. (The good news is NOBODY is going to mess with her nest in that main coop).

Since my knuckles are going to have to endure this for another week or so, until the first hatched chicks in the side coop are old enough that I can move this Rambo hen into that one....any suggestions other than let her sit on all eggs and clear out in a week or so when I move her to final lock down? She is upsetting the apple cart!

Thanks
Sore-Knuckled LofMc

Here's my broodzilla(I caught her while launching at my face) and an easy solution with these HD gloves(Florist Pro brand $17~). I expect her attacks and also take her barehanded as I know what is coming. She now has two 3 day old chicks under her. Just 2 from 5eggs as tug of war with another broody claimed 1, and I probably did the last two in by an emergency de-miting of all bedding due to an infestation. I had to move the last 4 eggs to the incubator(day20-21) for 4 hours to apply permethrin. You can't really see it from the photo but yep she is still biting me in the picture.

 

[fisherlady]

@Lady of McCamley
Only thing I may add to above is to try placing a towel over her for the few moments it takes to check her.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Here's my broodzilla(I caught her while launching at my face) and an easy solution with these HD gloves(Florist Pro brand $17~). I expect her attacks and also take her barehanded as I know what is coming. She now has two 3 day old chicks under her. Just 2 from 5eggs as tug of war with another broody claimed 1, and I probably did the last two in by an emergency de-miting of all bedding due to an infestation. I had to move the last 4 eggs to the incubator for 4 hours to apply permethrin.
View attachment 2107759

Lol, I've heard of grumpy broody hens but I've never actually had an aggressive broody. This year I have had the least "tolerant" broody hen I've even had though. She gets really upset when I go in the coop and the other broody hens don't seem to even care when I tuck them under my arm to check the eggs underneath.