We have a broody!!!

[sylviethecochin]

As for the chicks:
Mille fleur D'uccle
Barred Cochin (or possibly OEGB. Feet are helpful)
Silver sebright
Probably a white OEGB.

 

[aart]

You could set up a broody pen for her.

This is what I do.....
Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, does she flatten right back out into a fluffy screeching pancake?
Does she walk around making a low cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck(ticking bomb) sound on her way back to the nest?
If so, then she is probably broody and you'll have to decide how to manage it.

When I have a broody I wait until she's been in the nest most the day and all night for 2-3 days...along with those other signs I posted.
Then I put her in the broody enclosure with fake eggs in the floor nest, she won't like being moved, but if she is truly good and broody she will settle onto the new nest within a half a day.
Then I give her fresh fertile eggs and mark the calendar.

I like them separated by wire from the flock, it's just easier all around.
No having to mark eggs and remove any additions daily, no taking up a laying nest, no going back to the wrong nest after the daily constitutional.

 

[TheAmundsons]

Thanks for all the advice! I would like to try making a broody enclosure for her. We’d love to have her hatch some eggs. If that doesn’t work, we may try giving the chicks to her, even though they’ll be a little older. If that doesn’t work, we’ll break her. No big deal. I’ll keep everyone updated with what happens!

 

[bantamsrmyfav]

Do you have a silkie by chance? If I were in your situation and had a silkie hen I would give those bantams to her. Once the silkie hears and sees chicks she will go broody since they go broody at the drop of a hat and you can then give eggs or chicks to the silkie.

You can also try finding a broody hen off craigslist or on here in the Buy, Sell, Trade section.

I can’t remember if you mentioned an incubator or not, if you have one then you could incorporate that into your situation as well.

As for the chicks:
Mille fleur D'uccle
Barred Cochin (or possibly OEGB. Feet are helpful)
Silver sebright
Probably a white OEGB.

X2

 

[bantamsrmyfav]

Oh there’s the chance she might not accept the chicks this early but you can try and watch how she reacts to them

 

[TheAmundsons]

Thanks for the suggestions! The weather today is really nasty so we’re going to have to wait until later this week to move the current flock to the new coop.

Our chicks will get here after our broody has been sitting for about 2 weeks. We’re going to let her try to hatch the eggs she’s sitting on, and if they don’t hatch, we’ll try giving her some of the mail chicks. If that doesn’t work, we’ll break the broody and keep the chicks in the brooder. We don’t NEED our chicks to be raised by a broody, just thought it would be a good opportunity to see how she does!

 

[TheAmundsons]

Update! We decided to candle the eggs tonight to see which eggs are fertile and developing, and then marked them. Of the 8 she is sitting on (2 fake eggs), 2 of them have veins! The pictures aren’t super great but you can definitely see the veins if you look closely! We aren’t sure when each of the eggs were laid, so we’re going to give a few of the others another day or so, and if they don’t show any signs of development should we take them away? She definitely wants to sit on all of them!

 

[aart]

We aren’t sure when each of the eggs were laid, so we’re going to give a few of the others another day or so, and if they don’t show any signs of development should we take them away? She definitely wants to sit on all of them!

I'd remove the duds....you could leave the fakes, but not necessary-they can't count.

 

[TheAmundsons]

Okay! There were a few that may have had super beginning signs of development so we left those, but we’ll candle tonight again and if there aren’t any veins, we’ll take them away! We’re super excited for her!

 

[aart]

Okay! There were a few that may have had super beginning signs of development so we left those, but we’ll candle tonight again and if there aren’t any veins, we’ll take them away!

What day are they on?
I'd wait until at least day 10-14 before discarding, especially if you're new to candling.