We let Broody have 3 eggs! Any advice?UPDATE: PICS Post #7

[thespinningcottage]

We have an amber sex-link who's just not giving it up, so we let her have 3 fertile eggs. She's sitting pretty. This is our first attempt to let a broody hen hatch. There's 9 other hens with a rooster in the coop/run, so we're a little worried about how it might go. Our grow-out coop is full of 10-week old roosters so I don't have anywhere else to put her just now. If we get chicks that would be a bonus. Mostly we just want her to stop being broody! With all the other chickens in there, is there anything in particular we should watch out for? Thanks for any advice!

 

[jennh]

I have 10 hens, and I've had two succesful broods this year. I don't worry about them, the broody takes care of everything. The problem starts when the chicks hatch, 'cause everyone else wants the chick's feed. maybe you won't have a prob, 'cause I feed pellets to the "big" girls

Jen

 

[Mrs. K]

I am just having a tremendous success hatching right in the coop with everyone else.

Make sure your nest is small enough that other hens are not adding eggs to the nest. Mark the eggs your are hatching. And wait.

Once you go broody....I am never going back to day old chicks or incubators.

Mrs.K

 

[thespinningcottage]

Thanks! I'm encouraged now, so I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[Ridgerunner]

The first link talks about isolationg a hen while broody, but there are several suggestions and things to look out for if you don't isolate her from the rest of the flock. I think it is good information for you and will help, whether you isolate her or not.

The second thread is about how to break a broody if you don't want her to hatch eggs. It might come in handy in the future.

Isolate a Broody? Thread
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=213218

Break a Broody Thread
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=2176186#p2176186

Good luck!

 

[thespinningcottage]

Thanks for the links, Ridgerunner. I did try to break her following those methods, but she is so stubborn. When we would take her off the nest she would walk around hissing, fluffed up like a turkey with her whole underside picked bald. It was such a tragically amusing sight. I discovered she loves applesauce and would hang around eating that until it was all gone, then back to sitting (on ANYTHING - bare wood, grass, carpet scraps, didn't matter...) so we decided to let her have 3 eggs. We marked them and will check her daily in case she figures out how to steal other eggs. She's not a big bird, maybe 5 pounds so we figured 3 would be easy for her to sit on. My husband said that if this didn't work out for some reason she would have to go to freezer camp!

(He's not mean, just too practical for my sensibilities sometimes.) There's nothing on her to eat!! So I'm crossing my fingers that this is a success.

 

[thespinningcottage]

Well, here's one out of 3! One was stepped on several days ago, and one isn't pipping yet. She's in a secluded area of the coop. It's soooo sweet how she softly clucks to the baby constantly! Now I'm terrified of the other chickens hurting the babies when I let her rejoin the flock.

 

[Wifezilla]

Awwwwwww

 

[jennh]

Quote:
I don't think you have to worry about the others hurting your babies. Mine NEVER have. There is usually another hen that "helps" with the babies. At least there is with mine. The first hatch this year Henrietta, my BO, hatched out, and Isabelle, my Lt Brahma "helped". This batch Cleo, my Black Cochin, hatched, and Henrietta is "helping". So much for eggs from Henrietta this summer

Jen

 

[thespinningcottage]

jennh, thanks so much for your encouragement before and now. Would you recommend removing the barrier between mama and the flock when we're sure the hatch is over, or any time now?? Wish you were here to supervise!