Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[suelon99]

I had the MOST wonderful broody Buff Orpington! for 2 yrs Marigold had 2 hatches and was a fierce mom/very dependable. Found her dead in coop in Feb . I have a 2 yo Partridge Cochin/beautiful bird but dumb as a post. NEVER been broody/although supposed to be and she hardly lays eggs. Will NOT be keeping her.
I have Buff Brahma and Faverolle chicks coming end of month so hopefully they will live up the their hype as good broodies. Also trying to find some Silkies for same reason.

 

[Faraday40]

I had the MOST wonderful broody Buff Orpington! for 2 yrs Marigold had 2 hatches and was a fierce mom/very dependable. Found her dead in coop in Feb . I have a 2 yo Partridge Cochin/beautiful bird but dumb as a post. NEVER been broody/although supposed to be and she hardly lays eggs. Will NOT be keeping her.
I have Buff Brahma and Faverolle chicks coming end of month so hopefully they will live up the their hype as good broodies. Also trying to find some Silkies for same reason.

Silkies can go broody, but not all make good mamas.

Our black silkie was great the 1st & only time she went broody. Just as she abandoned her 8 wk old chicks and returned to normal, she was killed by a hawk. Why is it always the favs????


Our splash silkie goes broody frequently, and she's such a sweet little hen. LOVES being a mama! BUT, she's not very smart & can sometimes run off to peck at something shiny or get some treats - leaving her confused little chicks behind. She always remembers them & eventually goes back to get them. Thankfully the rest of the flock is used to chicks & doesn't try to harm them in her absence. I'd say she's an OK broody and will give her eggs &/or chicks

Our buff silkie was to replace our former black silkie. The buff was blessed with great beauty but not intelligence. She's a year old & has yet to go broody. I feel a good broody hen needs a min amount of common sense & our buff does not meet the requirements. I fear this hen would wander off & return to the wrong nest. Hopefully, she won't try to go broody very often. She loves to cuddle and is carried around all over the yard, so she's more of the kids' "baby" than a mama.

Our #1 best broody is "Cookie" - our Bantam Black Orpington. She's got the typical little bantam attitude, a wide spread to cover many eggs, and is very aware of all her chicks and her surroundings. When broody she shrieks like a banshee and changes into "Cookie Monster," but we still love her.

 

[suelon99]

HA!! Love the "Cookie Monster" They sure can get monster like behavior!

 

[Faraday40]

HA!! Love the "Cookie Monster" They sure can get monster like behavior!

Her sound is worse than her peck. She'll gently peck at my hand when I'm candling or fussing with her eggs.... but the noises she makes are terrifying!

The splash silkie makes a couple quiet "Please don't" grumbles when I reach under her. Cookie (when Cookie Monster) starts screaming the moment the coop door is opened & sounds like a fierce dragon when anyone goes near her eggs.

Here are a couple more fun pics of Cookie as her chicks grew. It looks like she's questioning her life choices.

She's such a great mama. (With that many chicks, we kept them enclosed in a chicken tractor until most were sold. Of course Cookie still made sure they all stayed within 1-2 ft of her at all times!)

 

[suelon99]

wow, that is a LOT of chicks! I'd be crabby too w so many--LOVE how they climb on mamas' back. Marigold had that happen several times w her babies as well-so cute. Thanks for sharing pics!!

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I have been enjoying this spring's broody season.

First my little bantam went broody and hatched 2 Cream Legbar-Barnevelder project chicks...and yippee...they are both girls.

Then I had 4 hens go broody in the main coop. Normally that is a problem, but Fife (son of my senior roo Barney) took the remainder of the flock to the other coop so the main coop was pretty much left to the broodies.

Over the course of the last 2 weeks, I have had Cream Legbar-Barnvelder olive eggers hatch (2 boys and 1 girl) and about 4 black project chicks (Isbar-Marans/Barnevelder olive eggers bred back to my Barnevelder-Cream Legbar olive egger rooster)...

and more on on the way.

Interestingly, 2 mommas have become the designated nannies while the remaining 2 hens stay on eggs...whenever a chick hatches...it's been joining the older chicks as soon as it is able for care by the nannies....while the slower eggs remain under the setting hens.

This main coop has never been my favorite place for brooding, because I don't like young chicks having early access to the ranging yard...too many hawks....and I've had chick accidents from foot traffic.

But instead of having to relocate mommas into a side broody hutch and gating things off...this year this batch of mommas are tag teaming.

One nanny momma stays in the main coop with babies while the other nanny momma goes out and gets a nice dust bath and forages a little. Then they exchange. Babies have remained safely inside the coop.

Any slower eggs, but still viable appearing, get moved over to the setters....who had a few later set eggs and then some inadvertently included eggs from volunteer hens.

I should be wrapping up production here during this next week as my intention was not to elongate staggered hatches...but amazingly this team of ladies has really been quite the system to watch, so I'm letting it run its course!

Shout out to @fisherlady I'm finally getting integrated brooding and hatching!

LofMc

 

[fisherlady]

@Lady of McCamley
Sounds great! Once the coop goes broody it is a joy to behold. Love the 'nanny' teamwork. We currently have 7 going with a group of 3 with chicks 2 weeks older than the next group of 3 hens. A lone hen still is mothering a group of 7 she originally shared with another hen who cut apron strings at 6 weeks. It is a lot of time and effort getting the right group together but what a joy when it finally clicks! So glad you are enjoying the fruits of your labors now!

2 week olds out enjoying the sticks....under careful eyes of 3 broodies.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

No pics yet...but nannies and setters are still doing their thing.

I *think* I have 6 black olive egger projects hatched (hard to count as they are moving or under mom)

I have 3 male olive eggers (which sadly I'll like have to just cull)

and I have 4 female olive eggers.

To keep my females safe, I put the 2 younger ones under the bantam in the broody hutch. She took them faithfully with the week olds and they are all running around together in the broody hutch safe and sound.

It will take time to figure out what of the black are males and females as they are not feather coded at hatch...but it is clear the Cream Legbar-Barnvedler OE rooster is the dad, as half have spots while half do not (sadly either gender though as he has only 1 barring gene).

@fisherlady Thank you for the creative tip on laying hardware cloth on the ramp to make it easy for chicks. One chick ventured out with one of the nannies today, and had trouble getting back up. I laid down some hardware cloth and now that chick can go up and down.

Only one has ventured out, the same one, the others are staying up safe and warm with the nanny watch.

Truly fun watching this brooding hatches

LofMc

 

[Faraday40]

Guess who adopted the new chicks?

NO. Not the dog (although he really likes the "treats" they make and is always watching over them).

It's our little, broody OEG.
It was a little crazy at 1st b/c the chicks loved to peck at her big, shiny eyes. They were practically attacking her!

The heating pad is in place for the overflow chicks. I'm going to keep them inside, though.

Also.... Cookie is going broody! Looks like I'll have my master broody in 2 weeks for all the school chicks!
(past pics)

 

[fisherlady]

@Faraday40 so cute!

Gotta love the timing