Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Johnn]

So sorry - sounds like she's behaving very laid back about the whole broody thing.  How old are the babies now?  Sorry about the injuries - my Snow White (WL) got me good the other day.  I guess it was in retaliation for this...



Tried to put some BlueKote on her rooster scratches - and she and I both got covered in the stuff.

The chicks will be 3 weeks old on thursday.

 

[bobbieschicks]

The chicks will be 3 weeks old on thursday.

Oh that explains it. She's doing exactly what my two broodies did at that time. She's shown them how to gather food already. She's giving them space to get along on their own. Next she will start pecking them away to encourage them to be on their own. By 5 weeks she should be laying again.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Oh that explains it. She's doing exactly what my two broodies did at that time. She's shown them how to gather food already. She's giving them space to get along on their own. Next she will start pecking them away to encourage them to be on their own. By 5 weeks she should be laying again.

Yep.

 

[Miss Lydia]

2 of our hens recently turned Broody and hatched 3 chicks, we removed them from the flock just to be safe(they were very protective of the chicks), when we put them together in a separate coop and they attacked each others chicks, we have since separated them in the other coop so they couldn't see each other and everything since seems to be fine. Long and short my little experience with this, I would defiantly separate them for all of there safety, so far so good.

Congrats on the hatch and

 

[heatherkh]

I haven't posted here in a while, so it has been fun to catch up on all the goings on! We just had two broodies hatch out over the last week. Our Australorp Weezy is now a second time momma, with a brood of seven healthy, active chicks. We put 12 eggs under here, lost two to other hen activity in the nest and then three of the 10 that made it full term were duds. We have a barnyard, non-pure bred mix of Australorps, Americaunas and I'm not exactly sure what.

Our smaller Leghorn/banty Ha'penny cross went broody a week after Weezy, so I threw 6 eggs under her. She hatched out four - a colorful mix of grey, red, black and yellow! A fifth one died during the hatching process and the 6th egg was missing...I assume it either broke and she ate it or she ate it on purpose. She was an EPIC broody - I think I only caught her off the nest once and her babies hatched out about 2 days early.

Weezy and peep



Peeking peepers


Ha'penny and three (her little grey one hadn't made an appearance yet)


Wee red peep

 

[Johnn]

Oh that explains it. She's doing exactly what my two broodies did at that time. She's shown them how to gather food already. She's giving them space to get along on their own. Next she will start pecking them away to encourage them to be on their own. By 5 weeks she should be laying again.

Really?!, i would have thaught they still need protecting!, i thaught they had the time with her untill they were 8 weeks old!, and there not getting speace if the orp is still with them!

 

[chicklady2012]

my white leghorn(ideal) not sure what the common name is? anyways she went broody in june and hatched 11 babies . I took them and I care for them. she wanted her man back( only friend she has ever had). I have added my other hens who are laying. I was wondering , will my mama go broody with the other hens in there if I leave enough eggs in there? they all lay in boxes together, all are fertile. just wondering should.i leave a nest full and see or collect? or will it take her months to go broody again? please help? or should I put her by herself to get her to set on them?

 

[stonykill]

Really?!, i would have thaught they still need protecting!, i thaught they had the time with her untill they were 8 weeks old!, and there not getting speace if the orp is still with them!

at 3 to 3.5 weeks old they are old enough to fend for themselves. Many hens protect them longer, many do not.

Curious. Why would you take her babies and raise them? Chickens are better at raising chickens than humans are

 

[stonykill]

my white leghorn(ideal) not sure what the common name is? anyways she went broody in june and hatched 11 babies . I took them and I care for them. she wanted her man back( only friend she has ever had). I have added my other hens who are laying. I was wondering , will my mama go broody with the other hens in there if I leave enough eggs in there? they all lay in boxes together, all are fertile. just wondering should.i leave a nest full and see or collect? or will it take her months to go broody again? please help? or should I put her by herself to get her to set on them?

I have that happen all the time. Yes if she wants to go broody she will whether other hens are inthe coop or not.

 

[heatherkh]

My Weezy seems to ONLY want to go broody in a coop full of chickens. Good fun, that.