Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Johnn]

Thanks everyone!

 

[ChickiesNSA]

Hey everyone I need help now!! So as I posted the other day my Seabright had a 100% hatch but I just noticed there are mites in and around the brooder her and the chicks are in!!!! can I use Seven 5 or what??!! The chicks are just a couple days old

 

[saltandpepper2]

I went to let the chickens out, and my broody hen was the first to shoot out, clucking the whole way. I got some treats, and got her back into the pen, and she sat there puffed up clucking, and walking around. I found an extra egg in her nest, and the wire had been bent. I'm guessing she either really wanted out, or one of the other hens really wanted in! Either way, she wasn't happy!

 

[saltandpepper2]

This is my broody hen

 

[Sydney Acres]

new chicken keeper question,my little silkie rooster has started roosting on the top of the milk crate/nest boxes at night.is this normal.could it be a protector kind of display?

There could be several things going on. Many chickens want to roost up high, so he may just want to be at that particular height. Being on the ground is more dangerous at night, as that's when the opposums and raccoons and other predators forage around.

Several of my roosters prefer high shelves to perches, especially if the perches provided aren't wide enough. Narrow perches put pressure on a small area of the foot, and can contribute to bumblefoot and other foot injuries. Perches should ideally be wide enough that only the last joint of the outside toe can curl down. That way the pressure is distributed over both the main footpad and the toes, instead of just the footpad. It gives them better balance and more comfort. Also, if you live in an area of the country where it gets very cold, wide perches can prevent frostbite of the toes. If they can't curl the toes around to the bottom of the perch, then the toes always stay covered by feathers when roosting. If toes curl around the perch enough that the ends of the toes stick out of the feathers, then frost bite is more likely. But even with wide perches, some birds just prefer shelves. He may just be exploring his options, like every other teenage boy!

Many roosters, especially as they mature and learn their job as flock protector, will sleep where ever is the best position to monitor for predators. Six years ago we inherited a small flock of LF Croad Langshans when my father-in-law died. There were only 5 hens and 2 roosters left, as they had been kept in a rather insecure coop previously, and had witnessed many of their flockmates being killed and carried off. They were about 1-2 years old, and not tame, but they were elegant and regal and so bonded to each other. After a two day car ride from Los Angeles to north of Seattle, the small flock was put into a secure 8X12 foot covered run with a 3X4 foot house for roosting. There was over a foot of snow on the ground outside the run, it was the middle of February, and they weren't acclimated to cold weather. They had never seen a chicken house before, and it was fairly difficult to get them inside that first night, but necessary. The house was tall enough to have three large padded perches, and there was 8-12" of aspen shavings on the ground, a comfort they'd never experienced. Once they got over their terror of being inside the house, the hens jumped up on the highest perch and seemed to breathe a sign of relief. But the two boys weren't convinced. Having long ago learned to work as a team in charge of security (and having the scars and broken toes to prove it), they came up with a plan. Since the house was inside a fully secure run, the pop door was never closed, but they didn't know they were safe. They were just happy to have such a small opening to defend. For the next month, both roosters slept on the ground in front of the door, one angled so he could see something sneaking up the left wall, and the other so he could see something sneaking up the right wall. The hens were not allowed out of the house in the morning until the dominant rooster explored the run, or back into the house in the evening until he made sure it was safe. I kept them in the run for the next 5 days to get them bonded to their roosting area (and let the snow melt), then let them free range in a one acre fenced yard that is relatively predator proof, except for hawks and eagles. Watching them was like seeing military precision. The dominant (smaller but smarter) rooster always lead the way, the hens were in the middle, and the submissive (but larger and more aggressive) rooster always took up the rear of the procession. For almost a year they NEVER separated, except when a hen had to lay an egg. When she was done, she cackled and the entire flock went to the nest to escort her back to the yard. When the flock dustbathed or sunbathed, the roosters took turns standing over the flock and watching the sky. If a raptor flew over, the submissive rooster ran to the middle of the yard as bait until the dominant rooster got all the hens under cover. There have been several times when the bait rooster lost all his saddle feathers to an eagle, but has always been agile enough to avoid serious injury. When it was time to go to bed, the flock approached the run and stopped while the lead rooster went in to search every corner of the house. Once the "all clear" was sounded, the lead rooster and hens ate while the submissive rooster guarded the door to the run. He didn't eat until the hens were inside the house and the lead rooster was able to watch the door, or until I close the door. It was quite amazing to watch how organized two roosters could be, as I'm sure they bonded like this out of necessity to survive. After about a year they occasionally broke off into two small groups, but never too far away from each other, every hen always closely guarded by a rooster. Then after another year of security, things got a bit more casual. They still tend to stay together, but not as tightly, and there is an occasional lone bird more than 50 feet away from the others. But if given the opportunity, roosters can be very smart, and very protective of their hens. So your little Silkie may be trying to learn his masculine role in the flock, and deciding where he should sleep to best defend his hens.

If you are using milkcrates turned on their sides for nestboxes, and the milkcrates aren't solid-sided, then the poop dropping into the nests will be a problem. Most nestboxes have a slanted roof, with the peaked edge up against a wall, to prevent birds from roosting on top of them. If he's only up there at night and doesn't disturb the hens while they're trying to lay their eggs, then you could solve this problem by putting some flat cardboard across the top of the milkcrates to prevent poop from dropping into the nest. You can then put some bedding on top of that to keep the cardboard cleaner. Or you could change your nestboxes to something with a solid top or slanted roof. If you plan to have any hens brood in their nestboxes, it might be frightening to a broody to have something on top of her nestbox, even if she knows who it is, so a slanted roof might be important in that circumstance.

 

[wabbit1964]

2nd egg under hen is started to hatch its been a few hours now with the head/body out of the shell but the feet are still inside the bottom part of the shell and chick is pretty quiet... makes me nervous it won't make it but I'm going to trust the mother hen's instincts to help it out if it needs help and keep my hands off....

 

[Sydney Acres]

2nd egg under hen is started to hatch its been a few hours now with the head/body out of the shell but the feet are still inside the bottom part of the shell and chick is pretty quiet... makes me nervous it won't make it but I'm going to trust the mother hen's instincts to help it out if it needs help and keep my hands off....

It's sooooo hard to wait. But chicks need to rest after all that hard work. Hopefully it will dry out and stand up right on schedule. We'll want to see pictures.

 

[winteree]

2nd egg under hen is started to hatch its been a few hours now with the head/body out of the shell but the feet are still inside the bottom part of the shell and chick is pretty quiet... makes me nervous it won't make it but I'm going to trust the mother hen's instincts to help it out if it needs help and keep my hands off....

yeah it's hard to wait hopefully everything goes well!!

 

[Tabatha]

I just got a set of phoenixes and the hen is broody and sitting on eggs. I don't know how many or when they are due. I haven't wanted to stress her out by checking because of the stress of moving her and her whole nesting box. Wish me luck...lol.

 

[winteree]

Hey everyone I need help now!! So as I posted the other day my Seabright had a 100% hatch but I just noticed there are mites in and around the brooder her and the chicks are in!!!! can I use Seven 5 or what??!! The chicks are just a couple days old

i would change out the bedding and wipe down the walls and floors with a mild bleach\hot water solution (if possible) because chicks that young can't take much of anything poison or anti pest wise