I have had two Broodies for about 4-6 weeks now. They just sit in the nesting boxes which are about a foot or two up from the ground in two side by side boxes. Of course other hens get in and lay eggs so there could be a ridiculous staggered hatch in either.
One problem is they get off and then back in the wrong box. This morning the first box had noone on it and all eggs were stone cold. I decided to throw them out as its been so long and figured they were dead. After breaking three I found a chick in one not moving. Figured all had died
went back an hour later with a bag to collect them all and call it a loss and one had pipped and was chirping!
I quickly put it under a broody and divided the rest of the eggs into the two boxes with Broodies to let nature take its course.
One broody who is in and out jumped on and the broody that had been setting for weeks was displaced and decided to sit on top of the other setting hen. I thought this was cute until I found her beak covered in yolk and blood and the beautiful new chick pecked awful and thrown out onto the henhouse floor.
We separated the mean one and she is panicking to get back in will she do it again? Or was it because she was sitting on a hen and got confused? Thought it was an intruder? And now the hen sitting on eggs that could hatch tonight and ongoing has only been broody a few days. I tried to move her to put the eggs under the nice broody who let me sleep this near dead chick under her and seems sweet and pleased with it...anyhow the new broody won't let me near her and puffs out awful and pecks hard! And the nice one lets me check under her and pet her.
I don't like that they are side by side. I don't like that they are up high. I moved the other hens to am outside attached pen with a roof and my husband and I spent too much time rigging up new perches today for them.
Then we realized that rooster is going to wake the whole neighborhood up at 4:30 now that he is less enclosed as he is loud. We have a B&B above us and they are not going to like this ugh. Usually we close the coop at night and it helps muffle his splendor
So do I try to tack up screen to section off these small boxes from one another and the rest of the coop? Or do I take a dog crate and cover it in screen and try to move the Broodies and her eggs about to hatch any moment there? Wait until they hatch to move?
So many questions. I thought nature was going to just be cool and do its thing. The pecking and tossing a new chick from the nest makes me uneasy about what else is to come and I feel like I now have to something.
Help lol!
One problem is they get off and then back in the wrong box. This morning the first box had noone on it and all eggs were stone cold. I decided to throw them out as its been so long and figured they were dead. After breaking three I found a chick in one not moving. Figured all had died
went back an hour later with a bag to collect them all and call it a loss and one had pipped and was chirping!I quickly put it under a broody and divided the rest of the eggs into the two boxes with Broodies to let nature take its course.
One broody who is in and out jumped on and the broody that had been setting for weeks was displaced and decided to sit on top of the other setting hen. I thought this was cute until I found her beak covered in yolk and blood and the beautiful new chick pecked awful and thrown out onto the henhouse floor.
We separated the mean one and she is panicking to get back in
will she do it again? Or was it because she was sitting on a hen and got confused? Thought it was an intruder? And now the hen sitting on eggs that could hatch tonight and ongoing has only been broody a few days. I tried to move her to put the eggs under the nice broody who let me sleep this near dead chick under her and seems sweet and pleased with it...anyhow the new broody won't let me near her and puffs out awful and pecks hard! And the nice one lets me check under her and pet her. I don't like that they are side by side. I don't like that they are up high. I moved the other hens to am outside attached pen with a roof and my husband and I spent too much time rigging up new perches today for them.
Then we realized that rooster is going to wake the whole neighborhood up at 4:30 now that he is less enclosed as he is loud. We have a B&B above us and they are not going to like this ugh. Usually we close the coop at night and it helps muffle his splendor
So do I try to tack up screen to section off these small boxes from one another and the rest of the coop? Or do I take a dog crate and cover it in screen and try to move the Broodies and her eggs about to hatch any moment there? Wait until they hatch to move?
So many questions. I thought nature was going to just be cool and do its thing. The pecking and tossing a new chick from the nest makes me uneasy about what else is to come and I feel like I now have to something.
Help lol!
