The Broodies are Gearing Up!

[Countrywife]

You can't actually "trigger" a broody spell, they either do or don't and they do or don't as they choose. But if you get some, they are wonderful.

 

[speckledhen]

That's right, it's hormonal and you can't make one go broody. If she does have the tendency and is about to go broody, you may be able to hurry it along, but it would happen anyway.

 

[joedie]

Okay so maybe this sounds dumb, I've never done this before but...I have to keep the babies seperate from the flock right? and is it until they are fully feathered and big enough to put in with them? How long does the mother take care of them? So she is kept is a seperate pen to raise until a certain age?

 

[rancher hicks]

The one I got w/ two chicks is a real pain. She goes bonkers if you get near her chicks. She puffs all up and will get on the side of the pen and in your face and not back down. She is scarey. It's her first time being broody and I would say if she were with the flock there would be blood. This is the girl who was eating out of my hand just days ago and still will, just don't try to pick up the kids. She just goes all postal on me.

As for the one w/ 19 eggs she just sits there staring out. I know she's gets up cuz she does eat. She's in the back room in a 4' round pool. I'd post pics but I had to move her kinda quick and it's wood chips everywhere. This is a 1yr old CM.


If I had known the Dangerous Dominique would be so nasty about her kids I would have given her more eggs.

I did find some wooden crates on craigs and have one but need to modify it. I thought brooding hens were rare, boy was I wrong. I've only had chickens for 12 months and out of 25 from the hatchery 4 have gone broody. None of them Delawares of course.

 

[blueseal]

Quote:
i usually keep the mother and babies in a seperate pen from the rest of the flock . and the mother usually stays with the chicks for about 2 months thats what iv learned with my experience from my past hatches.

 

[SunValleyChicks]

Wondering ---if we don't have a Roo and my Cuckoo Marans hen is going broody (we have a flock of RIRs, Jersey Giants, Cochins (12 total) all Hens.

--what do I do to get her to go UN-Broody! We've taken her out of the next the past couple days a couple times a day to make sure she is eating and drinking...Will this wear off if she figures out she doesn't have any eggs to hatch? I closed the door to the hen house today while they are all free-ranging...the sunshine is great so will that do the trick???
Wondering,
Sun Valley Chicks...

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Not always. A broody hen can be very hard to break. There are plenty of threads on breaking one, if you do a search. Or, you could buy fertile eggs and tuck them under her and let her get it out of her system the natural way. Or, you could send her to me.

 

[SunValleyChicks]

thank you!!! yes, i even asked my husband if we could buy her a boyfriend!!
HAHAH maybe the fertile eggs would be a good idea

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Quote:
I keep my broodies in the broody pen in the coop with everybody else. Once the eggs hatch I give her a couple of days with the fence barrier up. After that, she and the babies are free to come and go at will. The babies stay pretty close to mama and should any of the other chickens even THINK about getting near them, the mama comes screaming. As the babies get bigger they wander further and further away, but there are plenty of places in the run where they can go that the big chickens can't reach. They are just part of the flock and I never have to integrate them back in this way.

I have found that my silkies tire of motherhood at about 6-8 weeks. The mamas tire of motherhood long before the babies tire of being mothered. There is always a point where the mama hen goes back to her original roosting spot at night wedged up between her pals. The half-grown babies are left to fend for themselves! Of course, I usually put LF under my silkies, so the babies are bigger than mama at this point!

 

[Hillbilly Hen]

Ok, so the mama hen I have, has two babies that will be two weeks old on Wed. Today she was letting me know that she really wants out of the crate I have had her in and if I am understanding these posts, it will be ok to let her and the babies out now? It is still cold here and we got about 6 more inches of snow. I assume that she will not go out of the coop as most of the chickens don't seem to want to go out much. Just wanted some clarifcation. Thanks