Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[LisaLouHoo]

Do you mean 4/25?  Because 3/25 wouldn't be super fresh. 

Oops, I meant 4-25. Thanks for catching that.

 

[Johnn]

Chicks and their mums going for a walk

Love it when they have 2 mams

 

[Sydney Acres]

Quote: Hens have so many feathers, and they can lose A LOT of them without it being obvious. They continue to slowly lose feathers then all of a sudden it starts to show and it looks really obvious, so we think it happens all in one day, when really it's been building up over weeks to months. I had one of my young turkey hens that squatted for the first time (as far as I know) for the tom right in front of me. After he got finished (he is a bit clumsy, being young) there were SO MANY feathers on the ground that if I hadn't seen all the action myself I would have thought there had been a predator attack. It was truly startling. That was 2 months ago. She is just now getting to the point where there is obvious feather loss, and I see them mating regularly. Feather loss in a hen that is limited to the saddle area, shoulders, and back of the neck/head is very typical of feather loss from breeding. If you also include front of the throat and/or front of the chest, that often happens in flocks where one of the hens is fighting with other hens often enough to cause feather loss.

You might consider getting a hen apron, also called a hen saddle, for your hen, as some hens can get so much feather loss that there's really no protection on the back anymore. Then they'll get scratches, then open wounds if it gets severe. And the sunburn can be quite uncomfortable. I love the hen aprons from Hensaver (http://hensaver.org/). The products are some of the best quality I've ever seen, they really work, the customer service is great, the products are now made in the U.S. (there are a few items left over that were made abroad, but all new inventory is U.S. made), and it's a small company with a great background story. Most of the aprons that I use last 2-3 years, although I have one that's still fine after 4 years of continuous wear on the same hen (there are some girls that just take better care of their clothes than others). I use the single strap style with removable shoulder protection for the chickens (I like to be able to adjust its position if needed) and fixed shoulder protection for the turkeys (at almost 30 lbs, the toms are heavy enough to potentially pull the removable protectors off, but it's never been a problem with my 8-11 lb roosters). I have 24 chicken hens and 5 turkey hens, and I have Hensavers on 8 chicken hens. Two of the turkey hens will be getting them put on in a few days, when I have someone available to help at the right time of day. If you use them, don't be concerned about the gyrations you'll see during the first hour. It's like a kid wearing a turtle neck sweater for the first time, or a dog wearing an e-collar for the first time. Mine typically stop walking backwards or jumping after 30-60 minutes, and are 100% normal after a few hours. I did have one hen that just couldn't fly up to her perch in one, and luckily I only put it on her as a precaution, so I just removed it. None of my other hens have had any limitations whatsoever while wearing them. One hen seemed to walk crouched for a prolonged period of time. I checked it several times and couldn't find anything wrong with the fit, so I decided to give it a few more days. After the second day it poured rain all day, and all the hens got soaked. I usually just leave the aprons on -- they dry quickly. But this hen was miserable, so I took it off to dry overnight. When I put it back on in the morning she completely accepted it -- no more crouching as she walked. Despite my checking it, I must have had a feather caught in the Velcro or the elastic or something, so when I took it off and then put it back on her, the problem was instantly solved. And since this is the broody hen thread, it would probably be a good idea to take the apron off when a hen goes broody. It might weigh down the feathers on her back, so the chicks wouldn't stay warm while hitching a ride, or the chicks might get caught in the elastic when nuzzled under her wing.

Regarding your rooster not breeding in front of you, that might be a flock dominance issue. In a properly socialized flock, if there is more than one rooster the submissive rooster is not allowed to breed in front of the dominant rooster. If he tries, the dominant rooster will attack him. If the rooster considers you part of his flock, which is common in tame birds, then he might consider you the dominant flock leader, and would not want to breed a hen in front of you. I have actually read recommendations for taming mean roosters that included not letting the rooster breed hens in front of you, and rushing over and pushing him off the hen if he tries, since that is what the dominant flock member would do. Maybe your boy is being respectful of your leadership -- or maybe he's just shy.

Is your hen still laying eggs? If she is, then theoretically she's not molting, as hens should stop laying when they molt.

 

[Sydney Acres]

Quote:
Wow, if feathers are blowing off both of them it sounds like they're probably molting. That doesn't mean that Collette doesn't also have feather loss from breeding, so you'll need to watch the pattern as time goes on. They should both be checked for mites. It probably is a good idea to have one inside the coop and one outside the coop as you check them if you're not confident in what you're doing, and if you're concerned that Ricky may feel the need to come to Collette's defense (which wouldn't mean that he's a bad rooster, given the circumstances). Alternately, you could check them at night. Chickens are very cooperative when they can't see well. Take one off the perch and put it on a nearby table or chair. If possible have someone hold it, but it may stay still if it can't see, or you may need to put a small towel over it to keep it still. You can check it pretty thoroughly with a flashlight. Most mites are about the size of the period after a sentence, and are easiest to see when they move around. They almost always collect around the vent (the chickens butt), so that's where I look for them. Roosters almost always have them worse then hens, so if you want to start out easy you might try checking Collette first, but if you think you'll only get to check one then Ricky needs to be the one. It's possible his could be obvious, and her's could be subtle enough to miss. Sometimes people can have difficulty seeing the mites if the lighting is poor, or if their eyesight isn't good at seeing tiny things, so have a flashlight and reading glasses on hand if needed. If the mites are more severe, you will likely see scabs around the vent, and you may even see dark debris attached to the feathers (not chicken poop, but fine mite poop).

Chickens do not get the same fleas that dogs and cats get, but they get something called stick tight fleas in certain areas of the country. They're about the same size as regular fleas but appear more linear, and most commonly live around the head. They attach to the skin like a tick, and just stick tight in one spot. Oh, and chickens can also get ticks, depending on where you live. They are almost always on the head or around the fluff, anywhere that the chicken can't reach them with their beak and pull them off.

 

[TeaChick]

Probably tonight or tomorrow. I would think no later than Friday, maybe if you've had some cold weather.

Thanks. I'm beginning to see that I'm going to start holding my breath if I don't know she's got something under there soon. I'm getting to the point where I don't care if she's hatched puppies; I just want to know what is going on in that mop bucket or if nothing is going on!!!!

Sorry.

 

[TeaChick]

Hello all, just gave my broody hen her 12 eggs shes been waiting for. She's been broody since january ish

and after months of trying to get her to snap out of it (weather finally got above 0)I finally decided to just take the risk and give her some shipped eggs after months of trying other alternatives.

The first being to give her some chicks I had just hatched, she wouldn't have that (drug them out from under her and pecked at them.) This was after I had tried moving her though, and she hadn't really bonded with the new spot I guess.

The second being to try and collect enough of my call duck eggs, but I just couldn't get more than two.

Then I tried to get her to stop again, for two weeks, still wont stop.

And now I'm on the final method that so far has been working with her golf balls, which is to leave her in her nest box of choice and just have a piece of wire stapled across the front (suggested by someone on byc, cant remember who) and let her out in the morning and the evening. She's always nice and content sitting in there and will USUALLY come out both morning and evening, sometimes have to bring her out but she always returns to her nest now (she used to always pick a random nest). I guess she knows that hers is the one with the wire curtain?

(personally I think she likes that the others cant bother her, something they love doing.

Really hope she pulls through with these little guys, as she so desperately wants to just be a mommy!

All the best to you and your broody and her hopefully dozen little fuzz butts!!!

Chicks and their mums going for a walk

Super cute!!!

Hope my broody has some too soon!

 

[chicknnugget]

Hi everyone! What a great thread. I was hoping someone could help me with a broody hen question. When I got home today my broody hen off her 20-21 day old eggs and was sitting in the wrong nest. I looked down and saw one fluffy squawking chick and several cold eggs, and no broken egg bits as well. I did not even think any of her eggs where active any longer after the last time I candled them. Well, any way, I stuck her back on here eggs where she stayed and took the baby in and made it a brooder box. It drank and eat a few bites of starter chick feed. My 1st Question is. Was it too soon for the chick to eat, after placing it back under mom, can it wait for a day or 2 till the only other fertile egg hatches or does it have to keep eating? Ther is no feeder/water in the nesting box. I was going to move them to a low spot soon, where they will have more room and feeders and chick waterers.

tonight just an hour or more ago I placed the chick back with the mom in her raised nest. That seems to be going well so far. Fingers crossed. There is still one egg that may still have a chance to hatch if the other did; or should I say Had a chance, before momma let it get cold. Question 2 is. Does an egg this close to a hatch day have a shot at hatching after being left to cool down? Just wondering.

As a side note I have 3 day old chicks on there way via mail, I had planned to slip under her coming on Tomorrow or Sat. That's why I let her cont. to sit on what I thought were duds. I wanted her to be a mom. I am worried that she rejected this chick and hope they bond tonight. I'll go out again before bed one more time and check on them early tom. morning to pull that chick if need be. Thanks in advance for any reply!

 

[winteree]

Hi everyone! What a great thread. I was hoping someone could help me with a broody hen question. When I got home today my broody hen off her 20-21 day old eggs and was sitting in the wrong nest. I looked down and saw one fluffy squawking chick and several cold eggs, and no broken egg bits as well. I did not even think any of her eggs where active any longer after the last time I candled them. Well, any way, I stuck her back on here eggs where she stayed and took the baby in and made it a brooder box. It drank and eat a few bites of starter chick feed. My 1st Question is. Was it too soon for the chick to eat, after placing it back under mom, can it wait for a day or 2 till the only other fertile egg hatches or does it have to keep eating? Ther is no feeder/water in the nesting box. I was going to move them to a low spot soon, where they will have more room and feeders and chick waterers.

tonight just an hour or more ago I placed the chick back with the mom in her raised nest. That seems to be going well so far. Fingers crossed. There is still one egg that may still have a chance to hatch if the other did; or should I say Had a chance, before momma let it get cold. Question 2 is. Does an egg this close to a hatch day have a shot at hatching after being left to cool down? Just wondering.

As a side note I have 3 day old chicks on there way via mail, I had planned to slip under her coming on Tomorrow or Sat. That's why I let her cont. to sit on what I thought were duds. I wanted her to be a mom. I am worried that she rejected this chick and hope they bond tonight. I'll go out again before bed one more time and check on them early tom. morning to pull that chick if need be. Thanks in advance for any reply!

you will find out i know sometimes broodys will abanon chicks but it is very rare and alot of the time is breed specific if the ma hasn't bonded the chick by morning put in a brooder with food and drink etc

 

[winteree]

Chicks and their mums going for a walk

they are so cute i wish i had a broody for my chicks

 

[luvmychikens65]

Oh no! It sounds like I'm going to have my hands full! How do I know who's chicks are whose since the first hen went broody on the 20th and 2 others on the 25th and the last one on the 26th. Or would it be better to just seperate everyone now if I can?