She said/He said Who's right? Who's wrong? No one!

[AmyLynn2374]

Amy, I know you're always up for kicking the goads, and a good experiment. Since you really weren't expecting a broody, and don't need more chicks this late in the year, this is what I MIGHT TRY if I were in your situation: I'd take the original eggs that were incubated over night out of the nest. Hold them in your house where the temp is below 80*. (preferably even cooler, but not refrigerated) Put some fake ones in. Wait, and see if your broody returns to the nest and if she stays over night. If she does, I'd then take her and put her in the kennel with a nest box, darken the kennel, and see if she settles for an other 24 hours. If she does, THEN, I'd give her the original eggs that have had 24 hours incubation, and perhaps 2 fresh ones, and let her have at it. She'll be in an environment where no one will usurp her matronly duty, and you'll get to play the "what if" card on the eggs. If the original +2 are too many, I'd take away 2 of the original, and give her the 2 new. That way, if the first ones don't hatch, the other 2 most likely will. If the first ones hatch, they'll only have a 24 hour lead on the others. If she leaves before the other 2 are done, you can always finish them in the bator, then slip them under her the next night.

Thanks. There is a banty egg I'd like to pul out of there as I feel it's way too small to be incubated. I know banties are small....lol but she just started laying (the second banty) recently I believe so it is extra small.

Like I said, not expecting much with them being this young and both us being inexperienced with brooding, so what happens happens, but I guess it's a great learning experience.

 

[scflock]

Amy, I know you're always up for kicking the goads, and a good experiment. Since you really weren't expecting a broody, and don't need more chicks this late in the year, this is what I MIGHT TRY if I were in your situation: I'd take the original eggs that were incubated over night out of the nest. Hold them in your house where the temp is below 80*. (preferably even cooler, but not refrigerated) Put some fake ones in. Wait, and see if your broody returns to the nest and if she stays over night. If she does, I'd then take her and put her in the kennel with a nest box, darken the kennel, and see if she settles for an other 24 hours. If she does, THEN, I'd give her the original eggs that have had 24 hours incubation, and perhaps 2 fresh ones, and let her have at it. She'll be in an environment where no one will usurp her matronly duty, and you'll get to play the "what if" card on the eggs. If the original +2 are too many, I'd take away 2 of the original, and give her the 2 new. That way, if the first ones don't hatch, the other 2 most likely will. If the first ones hatch, they'll only have a 24 hour lead on the others. If she leaves before the other 2 are done, you can always finish them in the bator, then slip them under her the next night.

Or this

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I'm totally serious, and I'm going to give you the scflock/blue solution. You weren't ready for more chicks, and it sounds like you really don't care if they brood or not. Leave the eggs, let them settle it amongst themselves. If they hatch, great, if not, you didn't really want them anyway. Let them get a little practice now, and when they start sitting next spring they will probably do better job. Either that, or break them

Surprisingly, I was thinking the same thing...lol

 

[scflock]

Surprisingly, I was thinking the same thing...lol

Go full blue for once. It's good for the soul

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Go full blue for once. It's good for the soul

I don't think it's possible to go FULL blue. But if they are truely or one is truely broody, I plan to be as hands off as I can be.....lol If this goes on to become something, I might go crazy though....lol

 

[scflock]

I don't think it's possible to go FULL blue. But if they are truely or one is truely broody, I plan to be as hands off as I can be.....lol If this goes on to become something, I might go crazy though....lol

Honest to goodness, one of my favorite parts of my farm is coming home to new chicks that I didn't know were going to be there

 

[FridayYet]

Sounds like Raven is Alpha to Chibi and is able to take over the favorite nesting spot. Looks like you either need to set Chibi up in her own spot like LG said, or let them figure it out like SC said.

Let us know what you decide!

 

[frmboyinthecity]

Amy, I know you're always up for kicking the goads, and a good experiment. Since you really weren't expecting a broody, and don't need more chicks this late in the year, this is what I MIGHT TRY if I were in your situation: I'd take the original eggs that were incubated over night out of the nest. Hold them in your house where the temp is below 80*. (preferably even cooler, but not refrigerated) Put some fake ones in. Wait, and see if your broody returns to the nest and if she stays over night. If she does, I'd then take her and put her in the kennel with a nest box, darken the kennel, and see if she settles for an other 24 hours. If she does, THEN, I'd give her the original eggs that have had 24 hours incubation, and perhaps 2 fresh ones, and let her have at it. She'll be in an environment where no one will usurp her matronly duty, and you'll get to play the "what if" card on the eggs. If the original +2 are too many, I'd take away 2 of the original, and give her the 2 new. That way, if the first ones don't hatch, the other 2 most likely will. If the first ones hatch, they'll only have a 24 hour lead on the others. If she leaves before the other 2 are done, you can always finish them in the bator, then slip them under her the next night.

Is there a trick to this? I tried this with my broody when the eggs she was sitting on turned out to all be clears. She seemed to accept most of the chicks, but kicked one out of the nest. When I tried to slip it back in, she grabbed that chick in her beak and shook it back and forth like a dog would. She ticked me off enough I took all the chicks away from her. Seems to have broke her at least.

 

[rossfam06]

@RubyNala97 what color silkies do you have??

@meganhundley will your silkies be laying my march?? If so, what colors do you have?

 

[lazy gardener]

Is there a trick to this? I tried this with my broody when the eggs she was sitting on turned out to all be clears. She seemed to accept most of the chicks, but kicked one out of the nest. When I tried to slip it back in, she grabbed that chick in her beak and shook it back and forth like a dog would. She ticked me off enough I took all the chicks away from her. Seems to have broke her at least.

I've never fostered chicks to a broody before. sometimes, a broody will reject a particular chick for no particular reason that WE can figure out. Could be color related, or maybe she perceived that there was something "wrong" with the chick. I think a broody that did that would be not allowed to brood again in my flock. I had a broody who had only been setting on golf balls for about a week. I had chicks due in the bator, so I moved her to a separate coop, and slipped 4 eggs under her that night. The eggs were already in process of pipping. She had one hatchling in the morning, and an other one in process. Several hours later, I went out to check on her and found her nonchalantly off the nest, one baby chilled and on it's back screaming, and the second pipped egg mostly stripped of shell, but membrane still intact. I brought all 4 in and stuck them back in the bator. Evidently, she was more in love with the concept of brooding golf balls than taking care of noisy chicks. I cut her some slack, since I had done everything wrong in terms of fostering chicks to a broody. The ideal would be to have the broody sitting in a secure place for very close to 21 days before doing the switch. I think an inexperienced broody gets scared when silent eggs suddenly become noisy chicks. I think she may perceive the noisy chick as a threat to her nice quiet little eggy nest. Where if she has been brooding eggs, she hears them peeping in the shell and bonds to their sounds before they actually appear.