Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[chiqita]

If you want her to take them back leave her some chicks. Some broodies will break quickly if the chicks are gone. If she has 1 or 2 she will take the rest back.

Question:  I am going to be taking some of my 2 week old chicks away from my broody to try to sell.  What should I expect from the broody.  Will she be devastated?   Will she go looking for them?  And, if I don't sell them right away, will she take them back?

 

[3 NH reds]

Four days late and one chick finally hatched!!!! I'm so relieved!!!! Hopefully more will hatch overnight but I'm just grateful even one hatched!

Don't give up. I have had day 26 chicks. Mine are a larger breed, Jersey Giants but this time they changed it up and started on day 18. The day 18 chick looks ok as does the day 19 chicks

 

[Roxannemc]

I am very new to chickens--less than a year---and I have a broody FBCM. She got broody all of a sudden, so I put 3 eggs under her. She stayed in the main house for about 5 days, and this stressed my other layers to the point that they started laying elsewhere. So we decided to move her and the eggs. We did so at night, but did not contain her in a cat carrier or other very enclosed area, so she was off her eggs the morning, but had chosen another spot. So I put more eggs under her and we are on day 10 of her second set of eggs.

She has already lost more weight than I would like. I get her off her nest twice a day for 10-15 minutes each time, by physically picking her up and carrying her away from the eggs, and am able to get her to eat and drink. As soon as she eats a little and drinks, she starts looking for her nest, so I let her back in, and she promptly gets back on the eggs. The beauty of a broody hen is that she is doing all of the work....I am just trying to keep her in as good a condition as possible.

You mentioned that your granddaughter was removing eggs from under her. Are the other hens getting in her box when she is out eating and laying eggs....or is she still laying??

If it were me, and my hen had been broody for several weeks, I would consider putting her in a pet carrier with 2 or 3 eggs for a day or two, giving her access to food and water, and try to find a couple of day-old chicks to put under her at night to see if she will take them. It sounds like she really wants babies.

I don't have any experience breaking a broody hen, but I would be concerned about her health if she has been broody that long and there is no end in sight for her in terms of hatching out her own chicks.

Thanks never thought of that... she might stay boody.She still is!
go get the eggs soon as i havent kept track at all..

 

[Nike]

Don't give up. I have had day 26 chicks. Mine are a larger breed, Jersey Giants but this time they changed it up and started on day 18. The day 18 chick looks ok as does the day 19 chicks

Thanks Don't worry, I won't! So far there are no other hatches but I haven't checked for pips so who knows. Cute chicks though!

 

[Johnn]

Remember Asparagus my very first chick from last year?

Well I am having to think about sending him t be culled because his aggression has got worse, he went for my face today when I was picking feed up. And he also went for me 5 times. I really hate him for making it have to come to this

 

[5 Acre Rooster]

Remember Asparagus my very first chick from last year?

Well I am having to think about sending him t be culled because his aggression has got worse, he went for my face today when I was picking feed up. And he also went for me 5 times. I really hate him for making it have to come to this

I have 3 smaller children, 6 ,2,1. If I have any inclination 1 of my birds is agressive torwards children I don't hesitate to cull a roo.Mostly agression is aimed at other birds. But 1st time they attempt to even look cross eyed at one of the kids its freezer camp. Like I said though most aggression is aimed at other birds and too busy to look at the people.

On a good note, my 2 broodies (1 BA 1 Pearl white guinea) are doing fine. And I MIGHT have another guinea somewhere she has gone missing and will know later if she was the 1 NOT laying in a nest I been keeping seeded.

 

[OHfarmerswife]

Remember Asparagus my very first chick from last year? Well I am having to think about sending him t be culled because his aggression has got worse, he went for my face today when I was picking feed up. And he also went for me 5 times. I really hate him for making it have to come to this

hugs to you, I haven't had to deal withany rosters yet, but ,I am sure it is difficult

 

[Johnn]

hugs to you, I haven't had to deal withany rosters yet, but ,I am sure it is difficult

It's a lot worse then I thought it would be...

 

[BCMaraniac]

Congrats!!! Did you get any more?
I went out there but I didn't look under the hen yet

I am up to SIX!!!!

There is another one pipped that I know of, so there is a total of 5 eggs still left under her. When I set eggs under her, I did on two consecutive days....which is probably a bad thing, so part of the eggs are on day 21 today and some are on day 22. So far she is showing no signs of getting up. I have starter crumbles on top of the shavings in front of her, and she is eating, and so are the babies! When I am there to watch, I put water within her reach.....and she has showed the babies how to drink....she takes a drink, then they take a drink...it is really sweet.

Do you have any more yet??

 

[Sumatra503]

Remember Asparagus my very first chick from last year?

Well I am having to think about sending him t be culled because his aggression has got worse, he went for my face today when I was picking feed up. And he also went for me 5 times. I really hate him for making it have to come to this

An aggressive roo is not as common as most people would think, but when it does happen, food is really the only option. I generally give them 3 strikes of unprovoked aggression before they go to freezer camp. It is sad, but it is much better than risking injury every time you feed your chickens. Aggression is also a trait that can be passed on to the future generation, so an aggressive roo should not be used for breeding.

So sorry he has ended up being such a stinker,