Rare, mythical creature in my poultry pen (broody white leghorn).

[Redhead Rae]

You guys...

I just found a rare and mythical creature in my poultry pen this evening.

I... have a broody..... white..... leghorn.....

It isn't even one of my leghorn crosses. This is one of my pure leghorns. Weird right?


I'm wondering if I should give her some incubator chicks or eggs to hatch herself.

 

[sourland]

As a kid (Yeah a long time ago) I worked at an egg farm up the hill from us. They had a breaking pen for broody birds. At almost all times there were several hens in there - white leghorns. It happens, or at least it did back then.

 

[lazy gardener]

You really wanna break tradition: give her a dozen Trader Joe's eggs!!!

 

[Redhead Rae]

She definitely is taking great care of her babies. She was trying to lead them away from the mean old human taking video of them.

 

[Kessel23]

Wow that is pretty rare, I have never had a broody WL before. I have a broody Red sex link right now which I think is pretty rare but WL is unheard of for me lol.

 

[Chickncrzylady]

I had a hatchery white leghorn that went broody . She hatched 11 the first time and was a great momma.

 

[Redhead Rae]

So, quick update.

I went out about 30 min before dark to give the babies to her. I wanted to watch and see if she would accept them. When I put the first baby in, she was shocked, but when I went to put the second baby in she flipped out and flew out of her nest box scattering the two babies. This is the way she's been any time I've gotten near the nest, she runs, squawking madly. So I decided to remove the eggs, put the babies in the nest and see what happens. She didn't want to go back in, and the babies were trying to crawl out of the box. So I caught her, putting babies back in the box as they kept popping out and shut her in. I wasn't too worried because she started making broody clucking noises. I peaked a couple times and she almost escaped again when I tried moving a chick back under her. So I left her alone for a bit and focused on putting the rest of the birds to bed. When I came back, this was her response to me trying to take a video of the chicks underneath her. She went from flighty to bitey. She didn't like my trying to move her to take a look at her babies.

 

[Redhead Rae]

This is what I found this morning. Looks like she has accepted them.

 

[Redhead Rae]

I have a Buff Orp who hatched eggs and adopted 4 extra chicks last week.

I have another Buff Orp who has been broodyish for the last few weeks but I didn't have a place to settle her. I have her 4 incubator babies today and she is happy.

I have a Dark Cornish on her own eggs which are due next weekend

AND I have a Dominique and the WL that are going broody.

 

[JiminyChristmas]

My leghorn, Grandpa, just hatched three for me today. She abandoned four remaining eggs and I've set them in the incubator. She wasn't as persistent and I worried she spent too much time off the nest, but she did something right....