Spooky Broody!

[Reurra]

Hi Everyone!
I just had one of my Olive Eggers went broody. Its a first time for me to have a broody hen! Ive used incubators before, but I reaaaaallly wanted to let my girls have a go this time. Im so excited (Possible pun there!)

I want to make sure I dont spook her off the nest, she and her sisters are pretty flighty birds. I cleaned the coop a few days ago and she stayed on the nest, yesterday she bit me when putting another 2 eggs under her. I think she has about 12-15 now. Should I be concerned that she could spook and dro her broodiness? What can I do to keep her on the eggs? What should I NOT do?

I started leaving all my eggs in the box to encourage her on the 16th, and she went full broody around the 18th-20th. Im hoping the eggs are still viable from the 16th though. Its been cold at night. (24F at night)

Roughly when should I expect chicks? Im thinking around the week of the 7th of May? Give or take?

Being spooky, Ive considered takeing the chicks from her when they hatch and hand raising them, Im hoping they will be less spooky if I do so. The mom is Welsummer/Blue Wheaten EE and the dad is a Svart Hona. None of my girls had very much handling in the beginning so Im hoping its just them being untamed. Im hoping it will not pass to the babies.

Any suggestions would be a huge help!! Thanks!!

 

[Ursuline Chick]

Can you throw together a broody coop with a private run? We did this with scrapes of wood, used hardware cloth for coop and chicken wire for run, door from coop to run can be closed and latched. Only had to buy some hardware for latches. Then once your chicks hatch, you can move mom and babies in their private area (our's is in the regular run so all can see each other through the chicken wire/ hardware cloth.) We use this as a grow out box after hen is done with chicks as well. Only did it once before (doing it again now) and it seems to work well. chicks are allowed out when they are big enough to fend for themselves. We also have a lot of home building in our area, and have had luck with contractors allowing us to "dumpster dive" for wood. Also pallets (free on Craig's list here) work well as does old wooden fencing (free on Craig's list here also). Good luck with whatever you decide is best for you and your chickens.

 

[Ducklover2]

Post pics of chicks. Please

 

[MigraineMan]

One of our 1-year-old Black Australorps just went broody.

She has been occupying this nesting box for the last three days. Interestingly, she slumps down into a "Hershey's kiss" shape, and lowers her wings to extend a thermal barrier around her clutch of 9 eggs. We've got more eggs than we can handle, so we are going to let her run with this set and see what happens. Haven't done this before; should be educational.

Amusingly, all of the other hens want to lay their eggs in that one nesting box. So they will wait until she gets off her clutch to eat, drink, and poo, and they all rush in to use that facility while she's out in the run stretching her legs.

We put a Sharpie-marker dot on the "broody" eggs so we can cull out the recent deposits. Had to work through 18 eggs this morning.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

If a hen is truly fully broody they will stick to the nest no matter what you do and return ASAP when disturbed. Most eggs hatch on day 20-21.

Pull them as they hatch if you want to brood them yourself. It's less stressful to the hen instead of waiting until all are hatched than pulling them. If I hear peeping I quickly look for the chick and quickly remove them out of earshot.

 

[Reurra]

Today we had to move the nest box, I hope she will stay in it. We isolated her because the other chickens were attacking her when she came out to eat. She now has her own area with feed and water just for her. She stayed in the box after I moved her, so Im hoping she wont give up! The pen is actually a partitioned off area of the main coop so her surroundings havent changed much, just her view from the box lol

 

[ronott1]

on getting a broody Hen!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

It won't hurt to just leave them be. Candling isn't required. When she gets off the nest remove the unhatched eggs carefully.

 

[Reurra]

IT HAS BEGUN!!!!!

I went out and checked the broody, I pulled out one egg, as I was going to candle it, and saw a pip!

Hopefully they will all start hatching over the course of the weekend!

 

[Miss717]

Expect chicks somewhere between May 9-11 if she started setting April 18-20 assuming all goes well.