Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[HappyFarmLady]

Hi guys! Hoping you can help me out!! I just confirmed that one of my EE's is a roo. I had been suspecting this for awhile, but this morning I heard him crow!!

So, now I have a roo and 3 EE pullets (2 of which are laying). Well, I just got to thinking that if I want to breed these birds, that would be pretty cool. The 2 pullets are really good at laying in the nesting boxes. So would it be wise to move all 3 of them to a different location? I was thinking about making a small shelter in the run and closing it off just for the EEs. The girls aren't broody, but I could put their eggs in the incubator. However, when i put them back with the rest of the flock, will the girls lay in the nesting boxes again?

Hope this all makes sense! All of my flock is around 20 wks old and since I didn't think I had a roo, I hadn't even considered hatching their eggs.

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Quote:
No, I haven't. I checked under his this evening and she had smooshed an egg...it looked like it was a dud...

In the morning I will check the three remaining eggs.

~ Aspen

Good luck!!!!!

I threw out another egg..she has two left. Hoping they hatch!

I gave her the Sussex chick I hatched a few wks ago and she took it in right away, so even if she doesn't hatch the two remaining eggs she can still be a mommy.

~ Aspen

 

[Fuffy]

Mrs. Fluffy Puffy :

Quote:
Good luck!!!!!

I threw out another egg..she has two left. Hoping they hatch!

I gave her the Sussex chick I hatched a few wks ago and she took it in right away, so even if she doesn't hatch the two remaining eggs she can still be a mommy.

~ Aspen​

Oh we need photos, please! We DEFINATELY need photos!

And good luck, again!

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Quote:
I threw out another egg..she has two left. Hoping they hatch!

I gave her the Sussex chick I hatched a few wks ago and she took it in right away, so even if she doesn't hatch the two remaining eggs she can still be a mommy.

~ Aspen

Oh we need photos, please! We DEFINATELY need photos!

And good luck, again!

I'll go take some right now.

~ Aspen

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Ms. Sussex and her chick Chicky Roo ( I have my

for a rooster!!

)

Mrs. Fluffy Puffy and her clutch of 3 Pearl Guinea keets, and one baby chick I hatched from her egg ( My Light Sussex rooster is the dad, and Ms. Fluffy is the mom..can't wait to see how it turns out!

).

I snapped this pic last night when I fed them some left over Taco Soup. I had tryed giving it to the Seramas, but they turned their beaks up at it.

~ Aspen

 

[Miss Lydia]

Mrs. Fluffy Puffy :

Ms. Sussex and her chick Chicky Roo ( I have my

for a rooster!!

)
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/47807_sussex_hen_and_chicky_roo.jpg

Mrs. Fluffy Puffy and her clutch of 3 Pearl Guinea keets, and one baby chick I hatched from her egg ( My Light Sussex rooster is the dad, and Ms. Fluffy is the mom..can't wait to see how it turns out!

).

I snapped this pic last night when I fed them some left over Taco Soup. I had tryed giving it to the Seramas, but they turned their beaks up at it.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/47807_mrs_fluffy_puffy_and_her_clutch.jpg


~ Aspen

So cute, and you want a roo? wow most are hoping not a roo.

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Quote:
So cute, and you want a roo? wow most are hoping not a roo.

Yes, I want a roo.

I lost 4 Gorgeous Coronation roosters to the heat, and I only have 1 Lt Sussex boy for around 18 Sussex hens, it isn't working!

My Lt Sussex boy is sooo docile and does NOT do his job fertilizing the hens, that Sussex chick was the only one out of 13 eggs that hatched. I have some Coronation roosters that will be shipped to me when it cools off, but I still need a Lt. Sussex rooster that will "do his thing".

There is a BYC'er in GA that sells Lt. Sussex cockerels/pullets/chicks/eggs I may get some from him.

~ Aspen

 

[Miss Lydia]

Mrs. Fluffy Puffy :

Quote:
So cute, and you want a roo? wow most are hoping not a roo.

Yes, I want a roo.

I lost 4 Gorgeous Coronation roosters to the heat, and I only have 1 Lt Sussex boy for around 18 Sussex hens, it isn't working!

My Lt Sussex boy is sooo docile and does NOT do his job fertilizing the hens, that Sussex chick was the only one out of 13 eggs that hatched. I have some Coronation roosters that will be shipped to me when it cools off, but I still need a Lt. Sussex rooster that will "do his thing".

There is a BYC'er in GA that sells Lt. Sussex cockerels/pullets/chicks/eggs I may get some from him.

~ Aspen​

I'm sorry you lost your roos to the heat, it's been bad all over.

 

[TexGardenGirl]

I've read most of this thread and didn't run across this it it's there... Is it ever normal for a broody momma to peck a chick? I don't mean just a firm nudge with her beak, but a pretty hard peck to the head/neck. It wasn't exactly vicious either, but the chicks really didn't seem to be doing anything to merit any kind of reprimand.

Background: my otherwise wonderful broody hatched 3 chicks and 4 keets over the past weekend (Friday-Tuesday) and when I saw how few hatched (there were 16 eggs) decided to get some more chicks. Yesterday they came - the 10 I ordered plus 2 extra males for warmth (pardon me while I laugh, as the temp is 106 this afternoon, and the hatchery is even further south; I guess overnight in the postal system might have been a little cool, though) And so we added the 12 chickies at 4am today. She barely woke up but let us tuck them all under her wings or behind her in the box. I went out and sat with them at dawn, for about 3 hours (thank goodness for podcasts and Sudoku) and everything was going cool. Mom was showing the new ones how to get the food out of the feeder by thrashing with the beak (sigh - she makes such a mess) and everyone was getting along. This afternoon I went out to watch for awhile (needed a sauna anyway) and at first everything still fine. Then, 2 or 3 times mom pecked a baby. I don't even think it was just the new ones. I checked closely for wounds and so far none. But now I'm thinking it was mom who attacked the keet 2 days ago (who is still hanging on in the hospital box, but not eating yet...) I have a thermometer in the outdoor hutch to see if it will stay warm enough in the box to take mom away tonight. They are in a Chick-n-Hutch inside a coop and have a box about 12x12 (just big enough for a hen and babies!). Our overnight temps have been in the low-mid 80s, so I'm thinking probably 18 babies snuggled will be warm enough. It never feels as cool in the morning in the coop as it is outdoors.
Any thoughts?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
so your saying she is sitting on 19 chicks right now? I have seen my broodys peck their chicks before and thought why, but they were never injured by her, maybe she is feeling a little over whelmed right now especially as hot as it is. Why do you want to take mom away? are you thinking she may hurt another?