Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[pysankigirl]

Thanks so much!
It's quite hot here today, so the man I bought them from recommended waiting until this evening when it's a bit cooler.
We got quite the mixture!
2 x Barnevelder
2 x Feverolle
2 x Light Sussex
2 x Coronation Sussex
3 x Silver Spangled Hamburg
1 x Australorp

Super excited to give this a try!

nice mix!!!! all cool breeds!

 

[Leahs Mom]

I posted this on another thread but thought I'd post it here too. Not having had any experience with a broody...I'm learning as I go! Hopefully this will be educational for someone else it was for me!

***********************************************************

A TALE OF TWO CITIES
Or...Why did the chickens cross through the gate?


Okay....I opened the door between the 2 sides this afternoon to see what would happen when the oldsters wanted to get near the chicks.

WORLD WAR 3

For one thing, mom parks herself in a really crazy place in a corner right in front of 2 doors - 1 leading out of the hen house and the other leading into the other side.



So I open the door as you can see. The others venture over to see what's to eat and really aren't minding the chicks at all. But mom GOES BALLISTIC!

I call mom "little red" because her combs and wattle are small compared to "big red" whose are really quite large for a lady. Anyway...Big Red comes over and mom flies at her talons to front and a huge brawl ensues. I finally stick my foot between the 2...rest a min....then back at it. Separate them again and Big red goes outside.

Then comes a Barred Rock. Fight again. Barred rock puts up a fight but it ends more quickly and she goes outside. Then poor Charlie - the total underdog - comes over to check out the food. Mom goes after her but Charlie is not a fighter and she's out the door right away. Then Charlie's sister (these 2 are Hatchery Araucanas). BIG FIGHT...and Charlie's sister seems to want to really have it out but I give her "what for" and out she goes.

Now...mind you...I didn't interfere a lot... just enough to keep it from coming to bloodletting. I figure they need to learn what she'll tolerate and what she won't.

This is after the fray...in that crazy corner again and watching the others carefully. (And that's Charlie by the waterer.)




After the chicks are completely terrorized with a crazy mom doing things they've never seen before, she tries to get them to eat but everyone's kind-of dazed...she backs into the corner THAT I THINK MAKES SENSE FOR HER TO BE IN, and they all rally behind and under.


With the door still open...the others are keeping their distance, but 3 of them venture over to the kid's side while mom is in this far corner. They're completely ignoring mom and scratching around for food in the litter. There was some spelt and barley on the floor there. They finally wander away. I could see her visibly relaxing while she was watching the others on her side eating since she was in a "position of strength" in that corner...

Afterwards she got up and enticed the kiddos to eat and hang out. THEN WENT BACK TO THAT STUPID CORNER BY THE DOORS AGAIN!

I finally had to go in so I shut the doors between. Enough for 1 day. And...I kind-of chased them back to the corner that makes sense to see if she'll take up permanent residence there. We'll see.

 

[Leahs Mom]

And here are the babies

Chick Pix - 2 Weeks Old
(These were taken after WW3)









Mom still being vigilant just in case someone comes her way. FF in the foreground.






Digging into FF. Dry feed in background. I still offer a little dry free-choice.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote:

 

[perchie.girl]

I am curious.....

So If random chance predicts fifty fifty males to females out of a clutch of eggs from the same hen. What are the odds of a clutch of eggs from six different donors.... the same? Or does odds go right out the window.

deb

 

[Chick_In_The_Burbs]

I posted this on another thread but thought I'd post it here too. Not having had any experience with a broody...I'm learning as I go! Hopefully this will be educational for someone else it was for me! *********************************************************** A TALE OF TWO CITIES Or...Why did the chickens cross through the gate? Okay....I opened the door between the 2 sides this afternoon to see what would happen when the oldsters wanted to get near the chicks. WORLD WAR 3

For one thing, mom parks herself in a really crazy place in a corner right in front of 2 doors - 1 leading out of the hen house and the other leading into the other side. So I open the door as you can see. The others venture over to see what's to eat and really aren't minding the chicks at all. But mom GOES BALLISTIC!

I call mom "little red" because her combs and wattle are small compared to "big red" whose are really quite large for a lady. Anyway...Big Red comes over and mom flies at her talons to front and a huge brawl ensues. I finally stick my foot between the 2...rest a min....then back at it. Separate them again and Big red goes outside. Then comes a Barred Rock. Fight again. Barred rock puts up a fight but it ends more quickly and she goes outside. Then poor Charlie - the total underdog - comes over to check out the food. Mom goes after her but Charlie is not a fighter and she's out the door right away. Then Charlie's sister (these 2 are Hatchery Araucanas). BIG FIGHT...and Charlie's sister seems to want to really have it out but I give her "what for" and out she goes. Now...mind you...I didn't interfere a lot... just enough to keep it from coming to bloodletting. I figure they need to learn what she'll tolerate and what she won't. This is after the fray...in that crazy corner again and watching the others carefully. (And that's Charlie by the waterer.) After the chicks are completely terrorized with a crazy mom doing things they've never seen before, she tries to get them to eat but everyone's kind-of dazed...she backs into the corner THAT I THINK MAKES SENSE FOR HER TO BE IN, and they all rally behind and under. With the door still open...the others are keeping their distance, but 3 of them venture over to the kid's side while mom is in this far corner. They're completely ignoring mom and scratching around for food in the litter. There was some spelt and barley on the floor there. They finally wander away. I could see her visibly relaxing while she was watching the others on her side eating since she was in a "position of strength" in that corner... Afterwards she got up and enticed the kiddos to eat and hang out. THEN WENT BACK TO THAT STUPID CORNER BY THE DOORS AGAIN! I finally had to go in so I shut the doors between. Enough for 1 day. And...I kind-of chased them back to the corner that makes sense to see if she'll take up permanent residence there. We'll see.

Sounds like a real Broodzilla! My Summer only got her tail in a twist if the chicks got distressed and started peeping. Good luck with Day 2. Maybe she will relax a bit after a few days.

 

[ChixAddict]

Leahs Mom....

Great story. Our bantam black cochin/frizzles are major Broodzilla's too!! At least the broodies chose a "sensible" corner to set/brood in though. Once they choose a spot, don't even TRY to come near them! Adorable chickies! Little Red is obviously doing a great job.

 

[ChixAddict]

Good and interesting question. I can't wait to see the responses!!

 

[farmer boy]

my broody is kinda stupid i just call her lil momma or just momma she is a bantam and when she had chicks in the summer time there was a big roo walking around the chicks with momma and he stepped on one of the chicks and of course i was standing or crouching down watching then next thing i know momma is chasing me and not the roo so every time one gets lost or she attacks me not the other birds its annoying i tried helping one into the pen when he was stuck outside and momma comes out and attacks me again she attacks me dogs chasing them around my yard and same as my cats only birds she will attack is my poor small ones like my silkies or who ever is smaller lol oh and im on day 6 winter hatch same hen is broody momma so i hope she changed some ... i hope everything will go with my first winter hatch because most of my birds stay inside the only ones who really go outside is my ducks to walk around then come back in so i hope momma doesn't try to take the chicks out there when they hatch

 

[gabrielle1976]

My little first time broody who went from looking at you and makeing an occasional noise now pecks you something fierce if you reach in there lol . Yesterday I had her out so she could stretch and all and the cat walks up and she puffs up and she is looking at the cat , my cat then takes 1 step just 1 closer to her and she flies up talons first and land right on his head pecking like a mad thing my poor cat tore tracks strait out of there and then sat in a coner staring dumbfounded at the tiny ball of silly feathers that made his head hurt.