Uh-Oh! I’ve Got a Hormonal Hell-en on my Hands!

[Farmgirl1878]

I just love a good broody story❤ I've been dying for a broody since I got chickens just for the experience, but I guess it's just not meant to be, so I'll live vicariously through y'all

I’ll keep you updated then! I’m actually surprised that the other girls haven’t kicked her out of the nest box yet. I’ve had two broodies raise chicks so far and I just close off the nest box and let her do her thang there. My nest boxes are huge and each one (of two) has removable dividers that section the larger box into three cubbies. When the girls get broody and I need chicks, I just remove the dividers and let her raise the chicks right there. I don’t even put up a baby gate to keep the other birds out. Momma does that - or lets the other girls in to meet the chicks.

Since they’re right in the nest box, they have the run of the coop. Once the chicks are big enough, Momma just brings them out into the run.

 

[Mamatomany123]

I currently have 5 broodies. Little heifers took over all of the nesting boxes and made my other girls lay under the coop. I have them all in broody jail. It's like a broody cluck musical in that part of the coop.

 

[Farmgirl1878]

I currently have 5 broodies. Little heifers took over all of the nesting boxes and made my other girls lay under the coop. I have them all in broody jail. It's like a broody cluck musical in that part of the coop.

I have two huge nestboxes, each with three separate cubbies. Blue wants to brood in one cubby (leaving FIVE other cubbies!), but naturall, her nemesis, Puff, wants to be wherever Blue wants to be so she can terrorize her until Blue leaves. Sigh… Puff didn’t break Blue’s broodiness today, but she did kick her out for about thirty minutes. Blue ate, drank, dustbathed, pooped, pooped some more, ate some more, pooped again, came out and scratched around in the horse trough full of dirt, visited with me, ate some wet mash out of my hand, and drank some more. Then she terrorized my one year old buff Brahma, Ginger, until Puff finished laying her egg and came out. Ohhhhhhh, the drama…

 

[Shadrach]

I’ll keep you updated then! I’m actually surprised that the other girls haven’t kicked her out of the nest box yet. I’ve had two broodies raise chicks so far and I just close off the nest box and let her do her thang there. My nest boxes are huge and each one (of two) has removable dividers that section the larger box into three cubbies. When the girls get broody and I need chicks, I just remove the dividers and let her raise the chicks right there. I don’t even put up a baby gate to keep the other birds out. Momma does that - or lets the other girls in to meet the chicks.
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Since they’re right in the nest box, they have the run of the coop. Once the chicks are big enough, Momma just brings them out into the run.

It's a risk.
If she is defending her nest and the more senior hens are not driving her off then you're in with a shout.
In general I prefer senior hens to sit and hatch for the reasons you've discovered when your hen first sat.
Best of luck if you go ahead.

 

[Farmgirl1878]

It's a risk.
If she is defending her nest and the more senior hens are not driving her off then you're in with a shout.
In general I prefer senior hens to sit and hatch for the reasons you've discovered when your hen first sat.
Best of luck if you go ahead.

If I can move Blue to the other nest box, I don’t think Puff will bother her. Blue decided she wants to nest right in THE prime spot! It was easier with my other two hens (one was the alpha and the other was middle of the pack). They also chose to nest in the “other” nest box. I’ll try moving her later when my neighbor brings me some fertile eggs from her hens. She’s got two or three roos, so if anyone hatches, it’ll be anyone’s guess what they’ll look like! Plus, if Blue keeps at it, I can always wait two more weeks and order chicks to sneak under her. Lots of options.

 

[3KillerBs]

If I can move Blue to the other nest box, I don’t think Puff will bother her. Blue decided she wants to nest right in THE prime spot! It was easier with my other two hens (one was the alpha and the other was middle of the pack). They also chose to nest in the “other” nest box. I’ll try moving her later when my neighbor brings me some fertile eggs from her hens. She’s got two or three roos, so if anyone hatches, it’ll be anyone’s guess what they’ll look like! Plus, if Blue keeps at it, I can always wait two more weeks and order chicks to sneak under her. Lots of options.

Better to get her moved and established before giving her eggs.

I made my Cordon a nice maternity ward and moved her about 24 hours ago but she won't settle down to sit.

I'm not sure yet if moving her broke her -- which would be the easiest she's ever broken, having taken up to 5 days in the breaker crate -- or if she's simply still DESPERATE to get back to what she thinks of as her real nest.

 

[Farmgirl1878]

She’s still broody. And not moving her fluffy butt from that spot in that nestbox. Period, end of story. So I have the baby gate up in front of “her” nestbox along with some food and water inside for her. I’m out there several times a day anyway, so will still see if I can convince her to come out and poop and take a dust bath.

The only other concern is that Bertha, my EEer, ate one of the fertilized eggs yesterday. The egg white got on the other eggs and in the sand. I cleaned up the sand, but will the egg white contaminate the remaining eggs? @aart @DobieLover @3KillerBs any input?

 

[3KillerBs]

The only other concern is that Bertha, my EEer, ate one of the fertilized eggs yesterday. The egg white got on the other eggs and in the sand. I cleaned up the sand, but will the egg white contaminate the remaining eggs?

I don't know.

I guess you'll have to keep an eye on it.