Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[minihorse927]

she's a 7 month old English chocolate orpington. 1st time sitting. She's in the coop with everyone. She had some part time broody helpers but no one stays for more than an hour or two. It's been ranging from 40° for highs to 10° for a low since the 23rd when she started sitting.

That's amazing! It will be interesting to see how many hatch.  What's the temp where she's incubating?  Is she outside in the coop or separated?  Is this her 1st time or is she a pro?

well, she's in a 4X8 ft pen with 7 other bantams chickens. She's not in the main coop with everyone
She'd be squished.

 

[Faraday40]

she's a 7 month old English chocolate orpington. 1st time sitting. She's in the coop with everyone. She had some part time broody helpers but no one stays for more than an hour or two. It's been ranging from 40° for highs to 10° for a low since the 23rd when she started sitting.

Thanks for answering the ?s. I'm very interested b/c my own 9 mo old Bantam English Orpington is showing some broody signs.

Signs:
Screams when we go near the nest box
Spending many daylight hours in the box
Attempts to sleep in box (I've been putting her back up on roost & taking the eggs away)
She doesn't want to be held & looks flat when I put her on the ground - more recently.

She has laid 4 eggs in the last 5 days, so not completely broody, right? For the last 2 days, each time I take away the egg & pull her out, she goes right back in the nest. Last night after putting her on the roost, she went down to her nest (repeat 4 times before she stayed up there). Of course she probably just waited 'til we left, b/c as usual, she was sitting on imaginary eggs by morning.

I know those little eggs are hers, b/c she's the only bantam. The other hens just use the other nest boxes since Cookie claimed the end one as hers. One strange thing I noticed yesterday is that her egg was not 99.5'F. It felt room temp/cool & was not directly under her. Could she be trying to hoard her eggs? Do hens even do that? Is this broodiness or is she just playing with the idea? (I thought the egg production completely stops.)

 

[minihorse927]

Thanks for answering the ?s.  I'm very interested b/c my own 9 mo old Bantam English Orpington is showing some broody signs. 

Signs:
Screams when we go near the nest box
Spending many daylight hours in the box
Attempts to sleep in box (I've been putting her back up on roost & taking the eggs away)
She doesn't want to be held & looks flat when I put her on the ground - more recently.

She has laid 4 eggs in the last 5 days, so not completely broody, right?  For the last 2 days, each time I take away the egg  & pull her out, she goes right  back in the nest.   Last night after putting her on the roost, she went down to her nest (repeat 4 times before she stayed up there).  Of course she probably just waited 'til we left, b/c as usual, she was sitting on imaginary eggs by morning.

I know those little eggs are hers, b/c she's the only bantam.  The other hens just use the other nest boxes since Cookie claimed the end one as hers.  One strange thing I noticed yesterday is that her egg was not 99.5'F.  It felt room temp/cool & was not directly under her.  Could she be trying to hoard her eggs?  Do hens even do that?  Is this broodiness or is she just playing with the idea?  (I thought the egg production completely stops.)

once they are fully broody egg production does stop. I've had a hen who would start brooding then lay 3 to 5 more eggs after starting to sit. It sounds like she's trying to become broody. The eggs won't be 99.5 if they're directly under her even. Especially if it's cold. If my little pullet gets off her eggs for 2 minutes they feel cold instantly. I was worried about them but they're developing better than my incubator eggs from the same day! Do you not want her to sit? I know not everyone wants chicks in the middle of February.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Thanks for answering the ?s. I'm very interested b/c my own 9 mo old Bantam English Orpington is showing some broody signs.

Signs:
Screams when we go near the nest box
Spending many daylight hours in the box
Attempts to sleep in box (I've been putting her back up on roost & taking the eggs away)
She doesn't want to be held & looks flat when I put her on the ground - more recently.

She has laid 4 eggs in the last 5 days, so not completely broody, right? For the last 2 days, each time I take away the egg & pull her out, she goes right back in the nest. Last night after putting her on the roost, she went down to her nest (repeat 4 times before she stayed up there). Of course she probably just waited 'til we left, b/c as usual, she was sitting on imaginary eggs by morning.

I know those little eggs are hers, b/c she's the only bantam. The other hens just use the other nest boxes since Cookie claimed the end one as hers. One strange thing I noticed yesterday is that her egg was not 99.5'F. It felt room temp/cool & was not directly under her. Could she be trying to hoard her eggs? Do hens even do that? Is this broodiness or is she just playing with the idea? (I thought the egg production completely stops.)

It sounds like she is SERIOUSLY contemplating brooding. Egg production will stop once she gets into a solid brood.

You have to remember the natural process of the brood.

Her hormones have to be at a certain level to begin the early stages of brooding (or pre-brooding), which is, as I understand it, supported by genetic predisposition in reaction to environmental triggers...like amount of day light and her body warmth. I know many broody prone hens will begin to exhibit broodiness if kept in a darker, warm environment with cozy nesting materials especially if an egg or two is left in the nest.

She will then begin to hoard eggs while still laying her 1 a day. It is the actual size of the growing clutch that will begin to press on a spot on her breast bone that will further release hormones that will deepen her brood to where she sets until hatch.

So from what you are saying, Cookie, being a broody prone type (bantam), is in the pre-brood stage....you may be able to extend her a bit and play along with her by encouraging her gathering stage but not fully settling. I personally prefer not to interrupt the brooding process as you can interrupt the hormone cycle since stressors will do that.

LofMc

 

[Kaylish]

My broody crew - I need a name for these cuties. I've confirmed 15 at once, there should be a total of 19.

 

[ChickenLady2014]

My broody crew - I need a name for these cuties. I've confirmed 15 at once, there should be a total of 19.

Amazing!

 

[Lady of McCamley]

My broody crew - I need a name for these cuties. I've confirmed 15 at once, there should be a total of 19.

Lovely hatching and ladies!
LofMc

 

[fisherlady]

My broody crew - I need a name for these cuties. I've confirmed 15 at once, there should be a total of 19.

I would go with Prue, Piper and Phoebe. (the Hallowell sisters from TV's Charmed, frequently invoked the "power of three")

 

[traceyj]

This is girlie, and for three days she's been sitting in the favourite nest box and squawking at me if I dare to go near her. She's plucked a few feathers, but is a spring 2014 hen so not moult, do we think she's broody? I've got some eggs on order for my incubator but I might get a few extra and shove some under her.
I'm worried about what happens to chicks after they hatch tho, will she bring them up ok with the other hens or do I need to seperate her? Space is an issue, we are still in winter for three months at least so I'm not sure chickies will survive if I don't brood them inside.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

This is girlie, and for three days she's been sitting in the favourite nest box and squawking at me if I dare to go near her. She's plucked a few feathers, but is a spring 2014 hen so not moult, do we think she's broody? I've got some eggs on order for my incubator but I might get a few extra and shove some under her.
I'm worried about what happens to chicks after they hatch tho, will she bring them up ok with the other hens or do I need to seperate her? Space is an issue, we are still in winter for three months at least so I'm not sure chickies will survive if I don't brood them inside.

She sounds like she is brooding, especially with the pluck of her breast feathers.

If she is sitting when the eggs come, I'd definitely put some under her.

It is generally best to separate the brooding then, but communal brooding is possible depending upon your flock dynamics and the temperament and pecking order of the brooding hen.

Assertive hens tend to do well in communal brooding whereas those on the lower end of the pecking order don't tend to do so well as they are still often fearful of the head hens....however, brooding hormones can change that as "nobody messes with momma."

As long as the chicks and momma can be out of the elements, and dry, ambient temperature is not such a big thing unless you are consistently in the minus minus area (as in -10 and below). I've had mommas brood chicks very successfully in the teens and twenties with stiff wind chill factors as long as they were out of the elements and drafts and dry. My winter hatched chicks are typically out scratching at day 2 or 3, completely feathered in by week 4, and laying earlier than others as they are maturing with the lengthening days.

I'd try a couple and see how it works.

LofMc