Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Miss Lydia]

Can one broody cause another one to go broody? My broodies friend (a RIR) seems to have went broody. I found her in the nest box next to my broody BA with the same 2 fertilized eggs I took out of there yesterday, and gave back to my BA. I wondered all night how they got there and were warm. Well now I know...I think the RIR has went broody too and is missing some belly feathers....dangit. Now I have to get her some fertilized eggs but meanwhile I left her the two she stole. I will go out tonight to see if she roosted or stayed in the box but I bet she is in the box.

Yes broodiness is very contagious, LOL before you know it the whole flock will probably be sitting.

Thats the way it is for most of us anyway.

 

[Miss Lydia]

My surprise broody ended up with four chicks. The one that I think was unintentionally helped out of the shell by the first two chicks is fine (I can't tell which one it is). The fifth egg was booted out of the next. It was cheeping, but never hatched. I keep finding excuses to go to the spare coop to watch the mamma hen teaching the chicks how to be chickens. I still have them cooped up in a breezy/shady pen. I am not sure when I will let them out. The other hens come and stare through the wire at the little family.

It is very hot here today and I am really worried about my other three broodies. I have a fan in the coop and I put water near each of them so they can drink more often. Other than that I don't know what to do!

Well congrats and glad the little one made it. There is nothing more rewarding than sitting and watching mama and babies doing chicken things. I love it.

 

[stonykill]

Yes broodiness is very contagious, LOL before you know it the whole flock will probably be sitting.

Thats the way it is for most of us anyway.

yet oh so true

 

[bobbieschicks]

Bobbieschicks,EE/WL?  Easteregger/White leghorn?

Short answer: Yes.

Long answer: Sunny is the product of a White Leghorn cockerel and one of my two pullets, either Bandit or Smokey. Smokey lays a beautiful blue green egg and is an Araucana who is not to standard so she is an Easter Egger. Bandit laid a gorgeous blue green egg and was some sort of Maran/Araucana mix and not to standard so she was an Easter Egger. Not sure which was the mom as I put eggs from both pullets into the incubator to hatch right after Bandit died.

 

[Ivyblaze]

Yes broodiness is very contagious, LOL before you know it the whole flock will probably be sitting.

Thats the way it is for most of us anyway.

OH NO!! say it isn't so....I don't think I could handle all 16 going broody. Maybe I should change the water lol Wow wonder what causes the domino effect? I mean overnight practically not broody to broody....shakes head...

 

[bobbieschicks]

Yes broodiness is very contagious, LOL before you know it the whole flock will probably be sitting.   Thats the way it is for most of us anyway.  

xs2!

 

[bobbieschicks]

Uh oh the babies are five weeks old now and this evening I caught Smokey teaching them how to get up on the roost. She wasn't successful so they were back down in the corner when I came back in. Topsy still sleeps with hers in the nest box for now. Wonder when she will move them to the roost. they're growing up so fast.

 

[BarnGoddess01]

Quote:
Broodiness is NOT contagious in my coop.

Probably because I want it too much. <sigh> So far, I'm lucky if I get one per year.

 

[jc12551]

Broodiness is NOT contagious in my coop.

Probably because I want it too much. <sigh> So far, I'm lucky if I get one per year.

Between the heat and the broodiness I am getting NO eggs from my girls. All my customers left me! My doms want to sit a lot, as do my BAs. My EE's could care less and drop eggs all over the yard/shed/coop/run/woods. My marans don't seem to care either and my BOs are too timid to stay on a nest.

My surprise hatch was the first for me. My girls were a year old in May and have been sitting on and off for several months, but something always happens: snake robbing eggs, eggs not fertile, hen gives up, and once my chicken sitter collected all the eggs out from under the broodies! Boy was I ******.

 

[featherz]

I have chicks hatching today out of the incubator - was planning to give them away, but now that I have a broody..... Hmm.

Princess the baby araucana has only been broody for less than two weeks, but it's worked for me before so will try giving her a chick very early AM tomorrow (When still dark) - that way I can hopefully save said chick if she's not into mothering just yet. Poor thing sat in the coop nonstop in almost 100 degree weather (I had fans on her and water available). She needs to get up!
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Ok, not sure if it's a good sign or neutral. Stuck a chick under princess this morning (when still dark in the coop) and she did not attack or try to kill it, but she's not doing the broody comfort cluck either. Just checked and chick is still under her wing and alive. Think she's going to buy it? It's too early, so I only tried one chick.. juuust in case.