Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Blooie]

Wish Agatha would have been so dedicated. If she had I might not have Scout in the house trying to save his feet.

 

[fisherlady]

Tomorrow my 8 "chicks" will be 11 weeks old, and they are still with their broody mama hen. This is my first experience with a broody & I'm amazed at how dedicated she is to them!
Mama is the Delaware in the middle, and the others are her "chicks".

Very cute! Glad she is doing so well for you, 11 weeks is pretty amazing for a broody, but each is different.... I do have a hen with a group of 8 or 9 week olds now, I keep expecting to find her cutting the apron strings but so far she seems very happy playing mama still.

 

[fisherlady]

Wish Agatha would have been so dedicated. If she had I might not have Scout in the house trying to save his feet.

Oh, so sorry to hear Scout is in trouble again! He sure has a rough go of it. I hope he pulls through!

 

[Blooie]

Oh, so sorry to hear Scout is in trouble again! He sure has a rough go of it. I hope he pulls through!

Thanks...he sure seems to have a death wish. Found him separated from Agatha when it was only 4 degrees outside - she wasn't real concerned about his distress - and when I picked him up his feet were so cold they were uncomfortable in my hand. His feet were frostbitten. Later that day the blisters started. He's got a "hot tub" that he likes to soak in, he likes his heating pad mama, and he's getting better everyday. Friday I was ready to call it - the swelling and the discoloration were awful, but he never stopped eating, drinking, pooping and moving - even though he walked on his hocks with his feet straight out in front of him. He'd go in and out of his "suite" at will to eat or drink. Today his feet look infinitely better - last night he actually stood in his "hot tub" instead of hanging in it with his feet dangling, and he's walking on those feet. Still a long way to go. His death wish didn't end with the frostbite, though. Saturday he woke me up with his cheeping - I came out and found him standing on top of his heating pad tent and he couldn't get down. Silly chicken. Might have to change his name to "Rambo."

I know lots of people brood chicks successfully even in the winter, but candidly if I'd known that this unseasonable and record breaking cold snap was going to it us before he had a chance to feather out more, I'd have just broken Agatha's broodiness and waited until spring to let her try brooding a clutch.

 

[fisherlady]

Thanks...he sure seems to have a death wish. Found him separated from Agatha when it was only 4 degrees outside - she wasn't real concerned about his distress - and when I picked him up his feet were so cold they were uncomfortable in my hand. His feet were frostbitten. Later that day the blisters started. He's got a "hot tub" that he likes to soak in, he likes his heating pad mama, and he's getting better everyday. Friday I was ready to call it - the swelling and the discoloration were awful, but he never stopped eating, drinking, pooping and moving - even though he walked on his hocks with his feet straight out in front of him. He'd go in and out of his "suite" at will to eat or drink. Today his feet look infinitely better - last night he actually stood in his "hot tub" instead of hanging in it with his feet dangling, and he's walking on those feet. Still a long way to go. His death wish didn't end with the frostbite, though. Saturday he woke me up with his cheeping - I came out and found him standing on top of his heating pad tent and he couldn't get down. Silly chicken. Might have to change his name to "Rambo."

I know lots of people brood chicks successfully even in the winter, but candidly if I'd known that this unseasonable and record breaking cold snap was going to it us before he had a chance to feather out more, I'd have just broken Agatha's broodiness and waited until spring to let her try brooding a clutch.

Cold weather brooding certainly has it's dangers... I have found generally the hens don't go back to 'rescue' little ones left out in the cold. I only have 1 hen who I know routinely stays outside to cover any chick who fails to negotiate the ramp. Others simply go in with the primary group and just 'expect' the stragglers to find their way. The only options in cold weather are to provide a broody area which greatly reduces or eliminates the possibility of a chick being left out in the cold or checking on the chicks every couple of hours during daylight if they are out of the coop at all.

Our latest group is 9 days old and they are spending most of their time in a secure area, though they have had a couple of trips outside without incident. Their mama is an experienced broody though... My biggest worry though is an 8 week old Barred Rock boy who was kicked loose by his mama about 10 days ago and is pretty scant on feathers. Thankfully he has been granted 'foster status' by another broody so he spends his nights tucked in with her, daytime I have been giving him special attention though, making sure he isn't off of his own too far from shelter for any great length of time. The little guy seems to be doing pretty well, so I'm hoping he continues to fare well until his feathers fill in better. I do know I will no longer set any eggs of the BRs after August 1st to avoid this problem in the future... lesson learned.

 

[ChickyChickens]

Cold weather brooding certainly has it's dangers... I have found generally the hens don't go back to 'rescue' little ones left out in the cold. I only have 1 hen who I know routinely stays outside to cover any chick who fails to negotiate the ramp. Others simply go in with the primary group and just 'expect' the stragglers to find their way. The only options in cold weather are to provide a broody area which greatly reduces or eliminates the possibility of a chick being left out in the cold or checking on the chicks every couple of hours during daylight if they are out of the coop at all.

Our latest group is 9 days old and they are spending most of their time in a secure area, though they have had a couple of trips outside without incident. Their mama is an experienced broody though... My biggest worry though is an 8 week old Barred Rock boy who was kicked loose by his mama about 10 days ago and is pretty scant on feathers. Thankfully he has been granted 'foster status' by another broody so he spends his nights tucked in with her, daytime I have been giving him special attention though, making sure he isn't off of his own too far from shelter for any great length of time. The little guy seems to be doing pretty well, so I'm hoping he continues to fare well until his feathers fill in better. I do know I will no longer set any eggs of the BRs after August 1st to avoid this problem in the future... lesson learned.

WOW!!! That is I nice hen to look for the chicks

 

[fisherlady]

WOW!!! That is I nice hen to look for the chicks

We have been very blessed with a general broody population which is tolerant to chicks from other hens and more often than not they co-brood or at least spend their days together sharing chicks..
We only have a couple of hens who won't tolerate other hens and even they will usually take care of any and all chicks in their general vicinity.

 

[ChickyChickens]

We have been very blessed with a general broody population which is tolerant to chicks from other hens and more often than not they co-brood or at least spend their days together sharing chicks..
We only have a couple of hens who won't tolerate other hens and even they will usually take care of any and all chicks in their general vicinity.

LOL!!!

 

[vpatt]

Help! I opened the crate for the broody this morning.....when I went back to see if her water was frozen she had left her eggs (day #10!!) and went back to her original nest in the coop. When I found the eggs still warm I took them to her. I am taking her more water in a few minutes and I will see if she seems to be taking care of them again. If not then I guess she may not be mom material. What do you all think? I know even if she stays on them they could be damaged....sigh.

 

[Just sayin]

My broody hen has hatched her two remaining eggs, and both momma and babies are eating, but she doesn't seem to want to get up? She's still obsessing on the nest, even when the babies are out of it. I lifted her out yesterday, and she promptly dumped the biggest foulest smelling poop I've ever had my senses violently accosted with, and got back on the nest.



^ Yowsa what a poop!

It's warm and protected where she is, I decided to bring her in my tack room and give them some heat. She is eating, from the wet food placed in front of her, but I'd like to see her eating/drinking more, and moving about... Getting back to healthy, she's gotten so thin and I think her comb looks pale. She's being a terrific momma though.




Shouldn't she be getting up? Should I keep trying to lift her off?