Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[stonykill]

Hens don't get broody because of anything we do, it is all them. Perhaps it is hormonal, but nothing we can induce. As far as the fake eggs, I just leave some in the nest boxes all the time. Hens like to lay where there are already eggs, it kind of shows them that this is a good place for eggs. If you want chicks, you could just get young chicks and raise them, there are lots of great instructions for doing so on this site.

true. It is instinctual. If a hen has it in her to be broody, lays in the same nest every day, leaving fake eggs can help her decide to sit. Generally if you remove all eggs all the time, it is harder to get a broody. But a hen either will go broody or won't. Anything we do won't make her go broody. To help encourage it, sure.

 

[HighNDryFarm]

So I still haven't moved my two broodies that I asked about in a previous post. They're still in the coop in two of the laying boxes. The other layers have learned to lay in the box furthest from the two but I swear those two's heads must spin and pea soup comes out of their mouth when someone tries to lay their egg! So I have the stall in the barn ready but I had two back surgeries 6 weeks ago so I have to wait for my husband to come home Thursday to move them.

Since this is taking so long to get them moved, is it still the best idea?They're right around 7-9 days. What's the chance of them quitting them? They're VERY committed! I have the hicky on my finger to prove that at least one is!

Darn, why couldn't they just go hide them like the rest of my broodies have!

Enjoying this thread. I resisted reading it before because I thought this group of chickens didn't have a broodie in them and I had broody envy!

 

[Miss Lydia]

So I still haven't moved my two broodies that I asked about in a previous post. They're still in the coop in two of the laying boxes. The other layers have learned to lay in the box furthest from the two but I swear those two's heads must spin and pea soup comes out of their mouth when someone tries to lay their egg! So I have the stall in the barn ready but I had two back surgeries 6 weeks ago so I have to wait for my husband to come home Thursday to move them.

Since this is taking so long to get them moved, is it still the best idea?They're right around 7-9 days. What's the chance of them quitting them? They're VERY committed! I have the hicky on my finger to prove that at least one is!

Darn, why couldn't they just go hide them like the rest of my broodies have!

Enjoying this thread. I resisted reading it before because I thought this group of chickens didn't have a broodie in them and I had broody envy!

About the only way your going to get them to stay on a moved nest is to close them up for a few days. then they still may go back to the old nest. Thats where you stay out and watch them when you let them out so if they do go back to the old nest you can physically take them back to the new one. then again wait till chicks hatch then move if you don't think it would work for them to stay in the coop or if the nest is too high.

 

[bobbieschicks]

My 1st broody I moved 3 times - all during the day and she never once stopped sitting on the nests to which I would move her. She was very flexible - even allowed me to switch out her eggs for ones that I had in the bator and she sat an extra week to hatch those.

My current broody however did NOT want to change nests - I moved her 4 or 5 times and every time she kept going back to the old nest boxes - sometimes the same one, sometimes a different one. Problem was I did it during the daylight hours. I finally decided to listen to the advice to move her at night. That time it worked.

Here's what I did:
*make the new nest area ready for her
*go in the dark or mostly dark so she can't see once it's done
*put a handtowel or towel over her head so she can't see what's happening
*move her and some of her nesting materials to the new nest area
*put the false eggs under her for a day to be sure she's sitting good
*leave her locked up in the dark area for the night and don't take her out the next day (the advice I read actually said to leave her in the dark for 2 days - I just did it overnight and it worked)

That's my two cents worth of advice. It finally worked and she's sitting on 4 eggs right now - due to hatch 5/22. I took her off the nest today to let her stretch and poo - she did both

So I still haven't moved my two broodies that I asked about in a previous post. They're still in the coop in two of the laying boxes. The other layers have learned to lay in the box furthest from the two but I swear those two's heads must spin and pea soup comes out of their mouth when someone tries to lay their egg! So I have the stall in the barn ready but I had two back surgeries 6 weeks ago so I have to wait for my husband to come home Thursday to move them.

Since this is taking so long to get them moved, is it still the best idea?They're right around 7-9 days. What's the chance of them quitting them? They're VERY committed! I have the hicky on my finger to prove that at least one is!

Darn, why couldn't they just go hide them like the rest of my broodies have!

Enjoying this thread. I resisted reading it before because I thought this group of chickens didn't have a broodie in them and I had broody envy!

 

[Farmin Momma]

This may be a stupid question but..... Do hens go broody all year round or only in the spring and summer? Also will the rooster fertilize the eggs all year round to so I can incubate durring the winter?
I am assuming these things happen all year round but, also just thinking of nature and how most animals only do these things in spring and summer months.

 

[stonykill]

My 1st broody I moved 3 times - all during the day and she never once stopped sitting on the nests to which I would move her. She was very flexible - even allowed me to switch out her eggs for ones that I had in the bator and she sat an extra week to hatch those.

My current broody however did NOT want to change nests - I moved her 4 or 5 times and every time she kept going back to the old nest boxes - sometimes the same one, sometimes a different one. Problem was I did it during the daylight hours. I finally decided to listen to the advice to move her at night. That time it worked.

Here's what I did:
*make the new nest area ready for her
*go in the dark or mostly dark so she can't see once it's done
*put a handtowel or towel over her head so she can't see what's happening
*move her and some of her nesting materials to the new nest area
*put the false eggs under her for a day to be sure she's sitting good
*leave her locked up in the dark area for the night and don't take her out the next day (the advice I read actually said to leave her in the dark for 2 days - I just did it overnight and it worked)

That's my two cents worth of advice. It finally worked and she's sitting on 4 eggs right now - due to hatch 5/22. I took her off the nest today to let her stretch and poo - she did both

your 1st broody was certainly not the norm. I have tried to move more broody's than I care to count. Only 1 was successful. The rest broke.

 

[bobbieschicks]

This may be a stupid question but..... Do hens go broody all year round or only in the spring and summer? Also will the rooster fertilize the eggs all year round to so I can incubate durring the winter?
I am assuming these things happen all year round but, also just thinking of nature and how most animals only do these things in spring and summer months.

Smokey was broody in the winter. The rooster fertilized the eggs in the winter that I hatched in the bator. So yes, year round.

 

[This_chicks_place]

That picture is soooo magnificent. Pls. submit it for next year's calendar----I think I would love to look at it for a whole month. ;O)

whoops meant post 9259-- this threat IS too long. ;o\

Thank You! Lily has never been camera shy! I will try to remember to enter it when it's calendar time.

 

[bayvistafarm]

I have 2 young pullets, who just started to lay in March. The black hen laid a few eggs, then stayed on them. The other however, laid eggs all over, but was very broody, sitting on nothing. She lay on a feed bag, in the same spot all day, cept to get off and lay an egg. Whenever you go near her, she would fluff all up, and scold you. So, I took some eggs from my layers and put them in a box, an set her on them. Next time I looked, she was back on the bag. The bag was nylon, and flat to the ground. So, I put 2 bales of straw on both sides of the box... and back she'd go on the bag. Then I opened up the bales, thinking it was too secluded (the feed bag in right in the middle of the barn floor, open to everything). Back on the bag. FINALLY I threw the bag away, threw the box away, made a nest on the barn floor with straw, shavings in the middle, and more straw, and made a hole, and put the eggs in there. She finally stayed there! Its funny, when I stick my hand under there to push an egg thats sticking out the back abit, she wiggles and fluffs all over my hand. Cute little thing! The hen that hatched these two broodies out, is on eggs herself. So, I have the 3 of them, and a broodie palm turkey. There was an egg outside the nest, that was cold, so I thought it was laid by the other hen. When I cracked it open to see if it were fertile, there was a good formed poult in there, likely due to hatch May 6th, as I set 11 turkey eggs and 9 guinea eggs in the incubator, and only the one turkey egg was fertile. I took it out to the broodie turkey, and now I fear THAT was the egg I cracked open. Shes sitting on others, but I doubt they will hatch, as she started setting on them, just after I collected for the incubator. The turkeys are just 6 months old. I will leave them until May 6th or so, maybe theres a good one in there! Anyone know if turkeys make good parents? I would think not, these turkeys are so long legged, and stupid like turkeys are.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I have 2 young pullets, who just started to lay in March. The black hen laid a few eggs, then stayed on them. The other however, laid eggs all over, but was very broody, sitting on nothing. She lay on a feed bag, in the same spot all day, cept to get off and lay an egg. Whenever you go near her, she would fluff all up, and scold you. So, I took some eggs from my layers and put them in a box, an set her on them. Next time I looked, she was back on the bag. The bag was nylon, and flat to the ground. So, I put 2 bales of straw on both sides of the box... and back she'd go on the bag. Then I opened up the bales, thinking it was too secluded (the feed bag in right in the middle of the barn floor, open to everything). Back on the bag. FINALLY I threw the bag away, threw the box away, made a nest on the barn floor with straw, shavings in the middle, and more straw, and made a hole, and put the eggs in there. She finally stayed there! Its funny, when I stick my hand under there to push an egg thats sticking out the back abit, she wiggles and fluffs all over my hand. Cute little thing! The hen that hatched these two broodies out, is on eggs herself. So, I have the 3 of them, and a broodie palm turkey. There was an egg outside the nest, that was cold, so I thought it was laid by the other hen. When I cracked it open to see if it were fertile, there was a good formed poult in there, likely due to hatch May 6th, as I set 11 turkey eggs and 9 guinea eggs in the incubator, and only the one turkey egg was fertile. I took it out to the broodie turkey, and now I fear THAT was the egg I cracked open. Shes sitting on others, but I doubt they will hatch, as she started setting on them, just after I collected for the incubator. The turkeys are just 6 months old. I will leave them until May 6th or so, maybe theres a good one in there! Anyone know if turkeys make good parents? I would think not, these turkeys are so long legged, and stupid like turkeys are.

I know absolutely nothing about Turkeys but had to say you made me laugh about your hen and that bag. I'm glad she finally settled down. Let us know what hatches from all 3 clutches..