Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Faraday40]

So here's a situational ?....

A woman I know has a big, broody orpington. I gave her some fertile eggs in early Feb. Some were not fertile due to my cold lazy roosters having low fertility in the middle of winter. (It's a diff story now with the snow melting and days getting longer.) Some of the eggs developed but got squished, cracked, and/or eaten during the 1st 2 weeks with the hen.

I had 2 developing eggs in the incubator, so the woman kept her hen broody by allowing her to sit on one remaining, infertile egg. My 2 chicks hatched this morning and she picked them up this afternoon. However, the woman noticed her hen was off the nest this morning - and hasn't gone back. The hen didn't want the chicks.

The only thing I could think of is putting the hen in the nestbox tonight, and under the cloak of darkness, slipping the chicks beneath her. Are there other things that can be done to persuade the hen to adopt them? Is it too risky to try putting them under her?

Opinions please.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

So here's a situational ?....

A woman I know has a big, broody orpington. I gave her some fertile eggs in early Feb. Some were not fertile due to my cold lazy roosters having low fertility in the middle of winter. (It's a diff story now with the snow melting and days getting longer.) Some of the eggs developed but got squished, cracked, and/or eaten during the 1st 2 weeks with the hen.

I had 2 developing eggs in the incubator, so the woman kept her hen broody by allowing her to sit on one remaining, infertile egg. My 2 chicks hatched this morning and she picked them up this afternoon. However, the woman noticed her hen was off the nest this morning - and hasn't gone back. The hen didn't want the chicks.

The only thing I could think of is putting the hen in the nestbox tonight, and under the cloak of darkness, slipping the chicks beneath her. Are there other things that can be done to persuade the hen to adopt them? Is it too risky to try putting them under her?

Opinions please.

If she abandoned chicks that hatched under her I wouldn't risk trying to make her take them. Some hens will attack them when they're unwanted. I would take it as a success that she just walked away so you can raise them in a brooder.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

So here's a situational ?....

A woman I know has a big, broody orpington. I gave her some fertile eggs in early Feb. Some were not fertile due to my cold lazy roosters having low fertility in the middle of winter. (It's a diff story now with the snow melting and days getting longer.) Some of the eggs developed but got squished, cracked, and/or eaten during the 1st 2 weeks with the hen.

I had 2 developing eggs in the incubator, so the woman kept her hen broody by allowing her to sit on one remaining, infertile egg. My 2 chicks hatched this morning and she picked them up this afternoon. However, the woman noticed her hen was off the nest this morning - and hasn't gone back. The hen didn't want the chicks.

The only thing I could think of is putting the hen in the nestbox tonight, and under the cloak of darkness, slipping the chicks beneath her. Are there other things that can be done to persuade the hen to adopt them? Is it too risky to try putting them under her?

Opinions please.

Oh I read this wrong. If she's no longer broody it also wouldn't be a good idea though.

 

[Cinnamon Roll]

If she goes back to the nest, I would definitely try again. Since she didn’t harm the chicks last time, I don’t think she would if they were under her again.

When I tried fostering chicks (unsuccessfully) last summer, my broody just ran away from the chicks, she didn’t harm any of them.

 

[Faraday40]

Well, the lady put a brooder lamp in the area with the broody hen & chicks. That night the 2 chicks ended up under the heat lamp instead of the hen. The hen just ignored them. The woman decided to keep the chicks, even though the mama didn't adopt. She partitioned off the corner for a brooder and allowed the other 2 hens back in. The broody and one hen simply ignore the chicks and continue to do their regular chicken activities. The 3rd hen seems intrigued and sits next to their brooder most of the day.

 

[Faraday40]

With great sadness I must announce that my dear sweet bantam Orpington hen, Cookie, passed away on Sunday. She was the queen of all broody hens and mother to most of my flock.

For the 1st few years of her life, Cookie was my only bantam. She hatched along with full-sized orps and could hold her own. She knew how to use her size and speed to dash in & under the others to steal all the best treats. Cookie earned the nickname, "the bantam menace," because of her stealthy actions (and our Star Wars theme).

Cookie was an adorable ball of feathers and looked like a mini hot air balloon when broody. She could also pancake herself to accommodate up to 8-9 large fowl eggs. We called her "Cookie Monster" when broody. Because our roos were always large English Orpingtons, Cookie never had any biological offspring, but that never seemed to bother her. Going broody early & often was her mode of operandi . Her motto was, "If it peeps, it's MINE!" She never seemed to quit. She could scream like a banshee but was never "pecky" toward my fingers.

Cookie earned the title of Queen Broody not because of her large spread or hatching ability but for her multiple adoptions. She raised bantams, large fowl chicks, ducklings, turkeys, and quail. If it peeped, Cookie would care for it. Because she was small, it was easier for us to add Cookie to the big brooder and just let her adopt all the chicks. Her record was over 3 dozen! She happened to go broody about 3-4 days before a big hatch was due. I pulled one egg out at lockdown and slipped it under her..... then added the incubator chicks a few at a time as they hatched. She must have thought she was "SuperHen." She sat on ONE egg for 3 days and hatched over 3 dozen chicks! Thankfully Cookie couldn't count, so as some chicks were sold, more were added the following week. She could easily handle chicks of different ages and species. (I certainly wouldn't try that with any other hen.) To Cookie, learning how to scratch was the most important lesson for her chicks. It didn't matter if there was a full bowl of chick feed. Cookie would tidbit to her babies and go into a scratching frenzy - spreading food everywhere and sometimes even sending an unlucky chick flying across the brooder. LOL

Last summer Cookie started laying soft shelled eggs. Extra calcium didn't help. I felt relieved when she was broody because it paused her egg production. She never really laid another normal egg and I knew she had some type of reproduction disorder. About 2 months ago, Cookie started slowing down and losing weight. A lump under her vent began to grow. She ate and drank and hung out with my laced orps, but she no longer "ran around" like she used to. She would come when called - but at a walking pace. Like a true orpington, she never lost her desire to eat. After she passed, I did a necropsy and found a large lash egg. (Salpingitis) My only good news is that she is no longer in pain.

RIP My Sweet Little Cookie
April 22, 2013 - March 28, 2021
This is how I will always remember her:

Inflation

Hot chicks in cars. (My daughter actually played with Cookie like a baby doll, so seeing her driving around the bedroom with Barbie wasn't unusual.)

Cookie asking herself, "Why did I want to go broody again?"

Below: The only picture I have where Cookie's feet can be seen.

"No Cookie! Stop trying to incubate that!"

A rare sight - Cookie without chicks

Spring 2020 hatch (Yes, most are turkey poults)

Cookie and her baby turkeys

Don't you just love a good broody scowl?!

Forgive me for being long, but many people know of my beloved Cookie. She will be forever remembered as a wonderful chicken, mother, special pet, and family member.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

With great sadness I must announce that my dear sweet bantam Orpington hen, Cookie, passed away on Sunday. She was the queen of all broody hens and mother to most of my flock.

For the 1st few years of her life, Cookie was my only bantam. She hatched along with full-sized orps and could hold her own. She knew how to use her size and speed to dash in & under the others to steal all the best treats. Cookie earned the nickname, "the bantam menace," because of her stealthy actions (and our Star Wars theme).

Cookie was an adorable ball of feathers and looked like a mini hot air balloon when broody. She could also pancake herself to accommodate up to 8-9 large fowl eggs. We called her "Cookie Monster" when broody. Because our roos were always large English Orpingtons, Cookie never had any biological offspring, but that never seemed to bother her. Going broody early & often was her mode of operandi . Her motto was, "If it peeps, it's MINE!" She never seemed to quit. She could scream like a banshee but was never "pecky" toward my fingers.

Cookie earned the title of Queen Broody not because of her large spread or hatching ability but for her multiple adoptions. She raised bantams, large fowl chicks, ducklings, turkeys, and quail. If it peeped, Cookie would care for it. Because she was small, it was easier for us to add Cookie to the big brooder and just let her adopt all the chicks. Her record was over 3 dozen! She happened to go broody about 3-4 days before a big hatch was due. I pulled one egg out at lockdown and slipped it under her..... then added the incubator chicks a few at a time as they hatched. She must have thought she was "SuperHen." She sat on ONE egg for 3 days and hatched over 3 dozen chicks! Thankfully Cookie couldn't count, so as some chicks were sold, more were added the following week. She could easily handle chicks of different ages and species. (I certainly wouldn't try that with any other hen.) To Cookie, learning how to scratch was the most important lesson for her chicks. It didn't matter if there was a full bowl of chick feed. Cookie would tidbit to her babies and go into a scratching frenzy - spreading food everywhere and sometimes even sending an unlucky chick flying across the brooder. LOL

Last summer Cookie started laying soft shelled eggs. Extra calcium didn't help. I felt relieved when she was broody because it paused her egg production. She never really laid another normal egg and I knew she had some type of reproduction disorder. About 2 months ago, Cookie started slowing down and losing weight. A lump under her vent began to grow. She ate and drank and hung out with my laced orps, but she no longer "ran around" like she used to. She would come when called - but at a walking pace. Like a true orpington, she never lost her desire to eat. After she passed, I did a necropsy and found a large lash egg. (Salpingitis) My only good news is that she is no longer in pain.

RIP My Sweet Little Cookie
April 22, 2013 - March 28, 2021
This is how I will always remember her:

Inflation

Hot chicks in cars. (My daughter actually played with Cookie like a baby doll, so seeing her driving around the bedroom with Barbie wasn't unusual.)

Cookie asking herself, "Why did I want to go broody again?"

Below: The only picture I have where Cookie's feet can be seen.

"No Cookie! Stop trying to incubate that!"

A rare sight - Cookie without chicks

Spring 2020 hatch (Yes, most are turkey poults)

Cookie and her baby turkeys

Don't you just love a good broody scowl?!

Forgive me for being long, but many people know of my beloved Cookie. She will be forever remembered as a wonderful chicken, mother, special pet, and family member.

I am so so sorry for your loss. What a wonderful story about your hen! I can only hope to have a broody as amazing as her one day!

 

[fisherlady]

With great sadness I must announce that my dear sweet bantam Orpington hen, Cookie, passed away on Sunday. She was the queen of all broody hens and mother to most of my flock.

For the 1st few years of her life, Cookie was my only bantam. She hatched along with full-sized orps and could hold her own. She knew how to use her size and speed to dash in & under the others to steal all the best treats. Cookie earned the nickname, "the bantam menace," because of her stealthy actions (and our Star Wars theme).

Cookie was an adorable ball of feathers and looked like a mini hot air balloon when broody. She could also pancake herself to accommodate up to 8-9 large fowl eggs. We called her "Cookie Monster" when broody. Because our roos were always large English Orpingtons, Cookie never had any biological offspring, but that never seemed to bother her. Going broody early & often was her mode of operandi . Her motto was, "If it peeps, it's MINE!" She never seemed to quit. She could scream like a banshee but was never "pecky" toward my fingers.

Cookie earned the title of Queen Broody not because of her large spread or hatching ability but for her multiple adoptions. She raised bantams, large fowl chicks, ducklings, turkeys, and quail. If it peeped, Cookie would care for it. Because she was small, it was easier for us to add Cookie to the big brooder and just let her adopt all the chicks. Her record was over 3 dozen! She happened to go broody about 3-4 days before a big hatch was due. I pulled one egg out at lockdown and slipped it under her..... then added the incubator chicks a few at a time as they hatched. She must have thought she was "SuperHen." She sat on ONE egg for 3 days and hatched over 3 dozen chicks! Thankfully Cookie couldn't count, so as some chicks were sold, more were added the following week. She could easily handle chicks of different ages and species. (I certainly wouldn't try that with any other hen.) To Cookie, learning how to scratch was the most important lesson for her chicks. It didn't matter if there was a full bowl of chick feed. Cookie would tidbit to her babies and go into a scratching frenzy - spreading food everywhere and sometimes even sending an unlucky chick flying across the brooder. LOL

Last summer Cookie started laying soft shelled eggs. Extra calcium didn't help. I felt relieved when she was broody because it paused her egg production. She never really laid another normal egg and I knew she had some type of reproduction disorder. About 2 months ago, Cookie started slowing down and losing weight. A lump under her vent began to grow. She ate and drank and hung out with my laced orps, but she no longer "ran around" like she used to. She would come when called - but at a walking pace. Like a true orpington, she never lost her desire to eat. After she passed, I did a necropsy and found a large lash egg. (Salpingitis) My only good news is that she is no longer in pain.

RIP My Sweet Little Cookie
April 22, 2013 - March 28, 2021
This is how I will always remember her:

Inflation

Hot chicks in cars. (My daughter actually played with Cookie like a baby doll, so seeing her driving around the bedroom with Barbie wasn't unusual.)

Cookie asking herself, "Why did I want to go broody again?"

Below: The only picture I have where Cookie's feet can be seen.

"No Cookie! Stop trying to incubate that!"

A rare sight - Cookie without chicks

Spring 2020 hatch (Yes, most are turkey poults)

Cookie and her baby turkeys

Don't you just love a good broody scowl?!

Forgive me for being long, but many people know of my beloved Cookie. She will be forever remembered as a wonderful chicken, mother, special pet, and family member.

Oh, Faraday, I am so sorry. She was indeed a wonderful hen who we all loved and enjoyed for years through your posts. Your post is a wonderful eulogy to her and well deserved for her contribution to your family and her coop. I remember her antics so well, especially her "Cookie Monster" title.
You provided her as perfect a life as any broody could ever hope for and what wonderful pictures to remember her by!

Thank you for sharing her with us over the years. Her stories, told through you, helped educate so many... and that is a wonderful legacy for an awesome broody.

 

[BullChick]

@AmesHillFarm this thread is active. Post any questions, and you’ll have an answer pretty quickly.

 

[AmesHillFarm]

@AmesHillFarm this thread is active. Post any questions, and you’ll have an answer pretty quickly.

@BullChick Thank you!!