Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[BarnGoddess01]

Cooper's hawk was by for a visit today. Found the intruder in amongst the spruce trees my pullets usually congregate under for safety. THAT was disconcerting! Must have been trying for a meal. I was working in the horse barn with the doors open when a few of the pullets got my attention as they hightailed it back to the coop without a hen at their heels. Bold as brass bugger actually came by for a second look with me standing right there. Thankfully, no feathers flew. Broody mom was locked up safely with the 2 week old kids - which may have actually attracted the attention of the hawk in the first place as mom had them out for a scratch in the manure pile a bit earlier. (Their human overly protective mom won't let the young brood out free-ranging yet without a human guard.)

I don't normally let the roos out until the afternoon so the girls get some peace (some of my older hens are NOT keen on teenage roos whereas the teenage roos seem TERRIBLY keen on them

) but today, the boys got released early!!

 

[Fuffy]

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Wow! Barngoddess!!!!

Good job you were there to sort out that nasty predator!!!!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Boy that was close, I love to see a hawk but not so much around the house.

 

[lizrndiver]

I need support from other broody hatchers.

I have 6 broodies right now, so when I set my last batch of eggs in the incubator, I let my 3 calmest, friendliest broodies have some eggs for themselves.

Each got 2 eggs and were separated from the flock. I candled them when I put my eggs in lock down and only had to pull 1 that didn't develop.

Well hen 1 quit setting the next day. I stuck her eggs under the other 2 hens.

My incubated eggs all hatched yesterday and today. So I went out this morning to see how things were going with the broodies.

I heard peeping so I was very excited

.

When I came back with the chick feeders and waterers, I found that one broody had killed her chick. I was all fluffed up and everything. I found it about 2 inches away from her. She was still sitting on one egg. Which I took away and put in my incubator. I guess she maybe was defending that egg from the chick, but it seems awful. It was a little blue chick that seemed well developed.

The other broody had a some blood on her, so I picked her up and found 2 eggs fully zipped, but crushed and bloody with dead chicks inside.

I took her last egg too. It is in the incubator and has pipped.

I so wanted them to get to be mommas. I like the idea of them hatching the eggs. I was hoping to place some of the incubated chicks under them too.

Now I am just too afraid to put any other chicks at risk. Last spring I was successful in putting some chicks under a different broody and those chicks integrated very well with the main flock.

Any thoughts........ I feel so frustrated and disappointed right now.

Liz

 

[babigyrl22]

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Blueberry is GORGEOUS and looks like a lovely nest too!! Good luck with your hatch!

thanks! I actually had to move her. She was getting picked on today. She put up a fit for a minute but now she is resting in our little chicken hutch in the garage. I hope the eggs are still ok.

 

[Jloeffler]

We just had something similar happen. Fortunately we rescued eight of the nine that hatched. It scared the crap out of me. Fortunately we had a chick in a brooder we had hatched in the incubator so in went the eight. I am so sorry that it happened to you. I wouldn't wish that on anyone! We think ours might have done it because she was a LF sitting on bantam eggs. The chicks may have looked small and deformed to her. She didn't attack them until she looked at them. I wish I could give you advice other than I hope this doesnt color your opinion of broodies. I hope to be able to try again, maybe with a different hen!

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[BarnGoddess01]

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Does this sort of thing happen very often with broodies?

So sorry to hear of your trouble, Liz.

 

[Miss Lydia]

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Does this sort of thing happen very often with broodies?

So sorry to hear of your trouble, Liz.

I don't know if it happens often but out of the 9 broodies we had this year we had 1 that killed both her chicks when they hatched, well the one I tried to save but couldn't. Don't have any statisitcs on it though, I'd say more broodies make it all the way through from broody to hatch to weaning with great out come, but just like anything else theres always a few that don't. It's always a sad day too when it happens, maybe breed or like Jl said LF sitting on bantams, something happens to the hens during incubation, hard to say for sure. But i will continue to use broody's, I just pick those that have done excellent job as my next ones.

 

[BarnGoddess01]

A couple of questions - I know nothing with chickens is carved in stone but what is the "average" time a good broody mom tends to her chicks? I have heard that chicks raised by broodies may be more likely to become broody. Are chicks raised by broodies more likely to become broody? What is the opinion of folks here?

 

[michaelinnc84]

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I am so sorry to hear you lost those chicks, I really hate that for you. I am glad you were able to save some and put them in the incubator, I hope they hatch!!