Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[stonykill]

so sorry farmerchef

 

[stonykill]

both of my Broody Black Sumatra's who were due yesterday had their chicks. Broody #6 hatched her 2 eggs, and Broody # 7 hatched her remaining 3 eggs. 5 CUTE little fuzzy butts running around the yard with their moms today! SO CUTE!!!!!

 

[zebserema]

RIP msfuzzy

 

[Miss Lydia]

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Sorry farmerChef, those snakes can really be a pain, Haven't gotten a chick here but they have eaten eggs. Hope the other poult is safe.

 

[Miss Lydia]

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I am so sorry to hear about your hen MsFuzzy what do you think happened?

 

[Miss Lydia]

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Congrats stony!!!! looking forward to pictures

 

[farmerChef]

the feeder and water was knocked over, looked like there was a fight. The snake might have killed MsFuzzy first, couldn't swallow her, then ate the poult. Any time a snake has killed a chick, it's always left behind I because it can't eat the chick and get back out the pen. The chick's head and neck are usually wet and sticky, like it started to swallow it, and that's how I found MsFuzzy on the nest. She was a very fierce broody, so I was hoping she would keep the snakes away. The snakes only kill the chicks that are small, around 2 months or younger.

 

[Miss Lydia]

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Thats very sad, I know they have to eat too but it hurts when they kill one and then eat another. Poor broody and poult. So sorry for your loss

we had about a 6' blk snake get into the coop once and my broody duck was doing all she could to keep the snake off her eggs, I heard alot of noise and went out to see what was going on, she wasn't about to give up without a fight but it was just too big, so i had to take care of it for her. Now 2 broodys working together would have run it out I've seen them do it.

 

[cyn050608]

Whoo-Hoo! Thanks for all of the helpful information! I have had chickens for over three years now, and never once had a hen go broody. Well a couple of days ago (5), my 1 year old Americuana (sp?) decided that she wanted to sit. Awesome! Well her eggs were stolen by my 3 year old Buff Orp, and I just candled 3 of the 13 she is currently sitting on (she wasnt very cooperative), but 2 out of 3 are developing!

Its funny tho, how all of a sudden, all of my chickens seem to be going broody. They continue to rotate. If one gets off to relieve themselves, another will take over. Should I choose one to brood this clutch and isolate it from the others, or should I just let them keep on?

 

[Fuffy]

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So sad, farmerChef!!!

Glad we don't have snakes here ... Just polecats, feral ferrets, crows, jays, gulls and magpies.