Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Chick_In_The_Burbs]

How many times can a broody come off the nest for how long before it causes problems? Summer spent maybe five this morning to eat and poop but DH said he saw her sitting under the coop when he left to pick me up. When I checked she was back to setting, about 15 min later but there is no telling how long she was out. Could this become an issue after we give her the hatching eggs?

 

[prairie]

Stony,
Love this hen!! She is so pretty!! What is she?? Sumatra?? Don't know the breeds very well but she is gorgeous!!

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm maybe I need a few more hens???

while on the phone with a local BYC'er talking Sumatra's I snapped some pics.

 

[prairie]

Funny!!!

I have two broody's who start yapping at me the minute I get into the chicken house where they are with their babies! They cluck and carry on like crazy but the funniest thing is that I have a wren house hanging in the tree just outside the run and every time I go to the chicken house the mama wrens are scolding me like crazy -- just like the mama hens!! We have babies everywhere!!

They sound amazing, at least they do fly with good accuracy!! Great protection from predators. I like seeing the young ones test their abilities and fly the long haul across the yard instead of running it, they seem to enjoy it as well. My broody girl is about the same, it takes three days to stop threatening me, then maybe I can get some pictures, it's kinda annoying when you go for the cute shot and she tucks them under, I just don't have zoom on this tablet. Today she allowed me to sit in the pen, and other than a glance or two to remind me she's watching me, went on with the usual.

 

[prairie]

We are just as bad!! We have had heat index up to 115F and suppose to be at 100F all week here in Kansas. But what is new for Kansas in the summer! My broody hens did finally hatch their clutches and we had a good rate of hatch even in the heat.

Been so hot here lately I'm discouraging all broody looking girls! 105F with humidity! Gotta love Virginia summers.

 

[stonykill]

Stony,
Love this hen!! She is so pretty!! What is she?? Sumatra?? Don't know the breeds very well but she is gorgeous!!

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm maybe I need a few more hens???

thanks! Yes Mama is a Blue Sumatra. We all need a few more hens

 

[prairie]

Question for you experts since this is my first hatch---------

I have two broody hens that hatched little guinea keets for me in the last few days. They each have a wire sectioned off area in the large chicken house and have plenty of room to get exercise.

When the mama's want to take the babies out of their sectioned off pen and into the run with all the other birds how do you all handle that?? Will the mama handle it and take care of anyone?? do you just let them out and leave the little sectioned off areas set up so they can come back in to where they hatched the babies?

Any advice??

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

I just heard that WV is declared a state of emergency. There has been several injuries not clear on what yet...as for me, have been through many hurricanes and this is the same..still have the generator but only so much more gas..will be fine, freezer is frozen...I was happy to see the large south facing window did not rain into the coop at all! Even though I made shutters I was short one hinge...so didn't put them up. I have several pop holes for the broodies on the west side, but have decided to add two more large windows with shutters, west side and east side, for some reason they are wanting to all roost at six...maybe because the auto door opens at dawn now, so they have their fill of roaming by then. But the roof is still radiating heat then...I need to get some tin on it. As for what I do with the broody, is keep them in a separate run and pen till the chicks are a week or two old at least. I enlarged their pen so there's plenty of hunting in there, broody will start getting bored with it and want out. The last time went alright,but she took them out too soon I think and caused massive scenes...since she's a dominent hen I wasn't too worried...if she wasn't I'd wait longer, as i wouldn't want any chicks getting injured. That's about all I do,I think the hens would naturally stay apart for awhile anyway, so that is what I try to do...she kinda tells me what she wants. Everyone has a different set up I think.

 

[bobbieschicks]

How many times can a broody come off the nest for how long before it causes problems? Summer spent maybe five this morning to eat and poop but DH said he saw her sitting under the coop when he left to pick me up. When I checked she was back to setting, about 15 min later but there is no telling how long she was out. Could this become an issue after we give her the hatching eggs?

Yes the length of time she's off the nest can matter because the eggs can cool if she isn't managing them. However, during the summer months she's likely to get off the nest a lot. And if it's warm where you are she will take breaks from sitting on the eggs so they can cool down too. If this is her first time being a broody she may be iffy when it comes to sitting put on those eggs. I'd keep the incubator warmed up just in case. But being off the eggs for 15 minutes isn't going to matter if you have temps like we've been having 90F to 105F.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Yes the length of time she's off the nest can matter because the eggs can cool if she isn't managing them. However, during the summer months she's likely to get off the nest a lot. And if it's warm where you are she will take breaks from sitting on the eggs so they can cool down too. If this is her first time being a broody she may be iffy when it comes to sitting put on those eggs. I'd keep the incubator warmed up just in case. But being off the eggs for 15 minutes isn't going to matter if you have temps like we've been having 90F to 105F.

X2 With this heat I think they can probably stay off a little longer and get away with it, the most any of my broodies have stayed off the nest is 45 min. and thats long for them mostly it's around 30. And yes bobbie it cools down during the night. low 60's now. but we have never had air conditioning here [never needed it] may have to rethink this. It was 90 inside the coop today and I have fans blowing in all 3.

 

[stonykill]

Yes the length of time she's off the nest can matter because the eggs can cool if she isn't managing them. However, during the summer months she's likely to get off the nest a lot. And if it's warm where you are she will take breaks from sitting on the eggs so they can cool down too. If this is her first time being a broody she may be iffy when it comes to sitting put on those eggs. I'd keep the incubator warmed up just in case. But being off the eggs for 15 minutes isn't going to matter if you have temps like we've been having 90F to 105F.

agreed. Mine get up for 15 to 20 minutes in the spring when it is 30 degree's and the eggs are fine. in the weather most of the country has been having it will surely be fine