Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Perris]

She did lose some weight but not a lot and she looked in great condition: shiny, bright-eyed, vocal, active.

Xmoor is the same. Definitely happier than birds that have been broken.

 

[thistlewick]

I'm gonna add my absolutely novice 0.02$ because this is a forum after all lol

My Tilly (Copper Maran, known for broodiness (little did I know))tried broodyness three times. The first time, I let her sit on eggs. I candled them at 7 days and 10 days and they looked weird (to my newbie eyes) so I chucked (viable!!!!) eggs and she broke soon after.

Second time, I just let her sit on nothing for 3 weeks and picked up deposited eggs. She stopped on her own (after 3 weeks)

Third time, same as second time exactly ^^^

Fourth time, I put 8 eggs under her and decided to LEAVE HER ALONE. The only thing I would do, was check for deposited eggs.

Ginger, then Harriet both decided to go broody at around the same time - within a week.

I put 2 under Ginger
I put 3 under Harriet

I checked every hen every day for deposits. I did NOTHING else.
8/8 Tilly's hatched. Immediately great mama. \o/

A couple days later, Ginger's hatched - went 1 day and then, for some weird reason, she pecked the ever loving shit out of one and chucked it out of the nest -- I just *happened* to do a walk by a few minutes after it happened, rescued the chick. She's fine, lost an earlobe (permanently) but otherwise is good. I waited until her other egg hatched and then grabbed it out from under her and stuck it in the brooder with the injured one. Those two chicks are hella cute and friendly.


Harriet was about a week behind Tilly's expected hatch date. But since Tilly was taking out the babies, Harriet felt the urge to be with those babies too... and mother them. Ginger too, wanted to, but was kinda told off by Tilly -- but Tilly is a sweet hen and isn't too mean so eventually, Ginger wormed her way in. 3 hens mothered 8 chicks.

During that last week, Harriet's eggs were just basically abandoned all day in her nest. I thought for SURE they were not gonna hatch.

HAHHAHAH surprise surprise. I candled them one day and they were alive. So, I left them alone and on 'lockdown' put them in my incubator. 3/3 hatched.

It's so freakin hot in NC those eggs didn't need a mama sitting on them all day.

In just ONE go, I learned a ton.

In the 6 weeks since Tilly hatched her babies, I've not done a SINGLE thing other than watch her. She's already done being a mama and is back laying. Harriet is still hanging on. Ginger was done about 2 weeks ago and is back laying. Those chicks are fully integrated with the adult flock, unlike every other younger flock that I have integrated myself.

Chuck, our Rooster, fwiw, never did a thing with the chicks.

But I did notice that all our adolescent Cockerels are super sweet to chicks in general and never, ever, peck at them to get out of the way. I love that about cockerels

So next year if anyone goes broody, I'm gonna let em sit on eggs and not mess with a dingy darn thing -- I'll even let Ginger try it again and see if she won't try and kill one again lol

umm, sorry for that novel. >< edit; tax Harriet two nights ago lolololol

 

[Mother of Chaos]

I see that a fundamental feature of this debate is broodiness in flocks where roosters are in play and those in which roosters are not, and there will never be fertile eggs or hatched chicks.

 

[Perris]

It's definitely smoother if you have broodies in sequence, rather than overlapping, for precisely the reasons you @thistlewick found. Concurrently can work if they co-brood.

 

[Perris]

I candled them at 7 days and 10 days and they looked weird (to my newbie eyes) so I chucked (viable!!!!) eggs and she broke soon after.

I've read this sort of thing so many times and it cuts me up every time. As do the posts that say there's no harm in candling, or in handling eggs as often as the curious/ impatient/ keeper wishes.

Fourth time, I put 8 eggs under her and decided to LEAVE HER ALONE.

I checked every hen every day for deposits. I did NOTHING else.
8/8 Tilly's hatched. Immediately great mama. \o/

I too have found this the best method, by far.

 

[Perris]

I see that a fundamental feature of this debate is broodiness in flocks where roosters are in play and those in which roosters are not, and there will never be fertile eggs or hatched chicks.

Is it? why? RC doesn't have a rooster, I have several. Tassels and Xmoor similar experiences... what am I missing?

 

[thistlewick]

It's definitely smoother if you have broodies in sequence, rather than overlapping, for precisely the reasons you @thistlewick found. Concurrently can work if they co-brood.

Yes omg it would have been a thousand times simpler if they hadn't been all at once. But it worked out, thankfully.

I've read this sort of thing so many times and it cuts me up every time. As do the posts that say there's no harm in candling, or in handling eggs as often as the curious/ impatient/ keeper wishes.


I too have found this the best method, by far.

YES I am never intervening ever again unless it's a Ginger issue again.

I am kind of curious what would have happened if I didn't pick up Ginger's chick and didn't grab Harriet's eggs. I am a little mad I intervened bc my curiosity isn't sated about it!

 

[RoyalChick]

I should add to the last, I have broken quite a lot of broodies. I don't like doing it.

And in view of RC's interesting contributions to this discussion, I should add that hitherto I have not forced broodies to get off the nest once a day, but then on those occasions they've always been incubating and I let them make their own decisions about these things. I decided to implement a regular routine with these sitting on fake eggs because it is not a lot of work in comparison to standard broody-breaking techniques (which is what's on test) and it just seems a whole lot kinder.

And don’t forget that for those of us who do not have lap chickens, taking a broody off the nest each day is a real treat.
Tassels would tuck my fingers under her and settle on my arm while I carried her far away from the nest. She is so soft and fluffy it is lovely to carry her. And then she would really enjoy a good long bath and stuff her face and then give a great battle cry and rush back to the nest. Well also she would produce a pile of dung worthy of a small elephant!
It was a lovely routine each day (well most days as I couldn’t always spare the time). At least for me!

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Is it? why? RC doesn't have a rooster, I have several. Tassels and Xmoor similar experiences... what am I missing?

Because I often read discussions of broodiness that blend into subsequent chick-rearing. (It's also confusing when the duration of "broodiness" includes the chick-rearing stage, which is completely appropriate, of course.)

In non-reproducing small flocks, with just a few nest boxes, broodies can be disruptive to flock life. Not the end of the world, obviously. But certainly a reason to investigate potential health impacts of extended broody behavior.

Many posters here (including RC above) have noted that at least sometimes, their hens are pretty worn down at the end. It seems a legitimate question to explore.

 

[RoyalChick]

Because I often read discussions of broodiness that blend into subsequent chick-rearing. (It's also confusing when the duration of "broodiness" includes the chick-rearing stage, which is completely appropriate, of course.)

In non-reproducing small flocks, with just a few nest boxes, broodies can be disruptive to flock life. Not the end of the world, obviously. But certainly a reason to investigate potential health impacts of extended broody behavior.

Many posters here (including RC above) have noted that at least sometimes, their hens are pretty worn down at the end. It seems a legitimate question to explore.

I would say that I haven’t seen any of mine become unhealthy. One time Tassels lost about 15% of her body weight.
With hindsight I may have been overly worried about that. She never lost condition if that is the right way to describe it. What I mean is she never looked ill, her feathers were in good condition, and she wasn’t lethargic when not sitting.
And in reading I have done subsequently I have learned that 15% body weight loss may be normal.
I think I just lost my nerve!