WHAT YA GOT SWAP Chat Thread

[Arkansas81]

Ahhhh I THINK I have have exciting news! But it's kind of peculiar...
So today I went out to collect eggs, one egg from 12 chickens , and my black austrorp hen jumped out of the nest box. My dog chased her for like 2 seconds before I scooped her up and put her back in and shut the door. I noticed she appeared a little hen pecked- not enough to worry about- but I thought it could also be from the very brief encounter with the dog.
So I fed the chickens a couple hrs later after I had let them free range for a bit and noticed that hen didn't come running. I peeked my head inside the cool and she was laying at the bottom. I was worried she was hurt so I went to investigate and turns out she was laying on two eggs! But they are the fake eggs we put in the coop to get them laying... I went and got the one egg layed today and rolled it her and she took her beak and put it under her. Initially I was stoked but then I thought, but the other two are fake... Is she stupid?
What do you guys think? I would LOVE a broody hen but is she really broody? I thought hens rolled out the bad eggs and she is sitting on fake eggs. What's going on?

Take her off the nest, kick her off. If she goes right back to it, leave her a bit. Go back out do it again, watch her during the day and see if she goes on and off, then put her some eggs under her. But only kick her off the nest no more than twice otherwise you might break her broodiness. If she goes right back to the nest and pancakes herself on the nest, makes soft cooing, clucking then she is broody.

 

[NotAFarm]

The urge to brood is very strong and my hens will sit on the golf balls I have in the nests and defend them like they layed them themselves. In fact, I use the golf balls to see if they are serious. I have one ball in each nest (a couple of the nests have two) and I have extra balls in a basket in my storage area. If a hen looks like she is broody, I won't give her eggs until I know she is serious. I give her three balls and a ball each day until she shows she is serious about staying on that nest. Then I move her and her "clutch" of balls to a separate place (dog crate with a nest made up or "broody box" coop (small coop with nest and area for her to get off the nest and do her business) and she if she sticks. If so, then I give her the eggs I want her to hatch. The eggs should not be cold when you give them to her. If she makes it to the move stage, I will put eggs in the incubator to warm them and move them at night to replace the balls.

In fewer words, she is not stupid........but she will act like a crazed mother.....which is a good thing!!

 

[clucknpeck]

I'm a little afraid to do that today because 2 days ago we needed eggs for pancakes and my husband got them. He told me he felt bad taking the eggs because a hen ran out to eat and covered those two eggs and those were the only 2 so he took them. We knew they weren't more than a day old so we weren't worried. Those eggs were in the same place she is now. I did hear cooing today. I heard it and didn't know which hen was doing it and I thought, that's a new sound...
Since I just put the egg from today under her how long do I have to give her more eggs?

 

[clucknpeck]

So should I take the real egg back? She didn't fight me when I gave it to her...

 

[Arkansas81]

So should I take the real egg back? She didn't fight me when I gave it to her...

Ive heard that most ppl start out with 5 or so eggs for a hen of small to medium size. No I wouldn't take away the egg - add more. Take her off the egg /eggs see what she does. If she goes back flattens her self like a pancake, she probably will stick with it.

 

[clucknpeck]

Thanks you guys. I hope this is for real!

 

[clucknpeck]

I just went out and she was eating and drinking out of the coop. I got a better look at the eggs and apparently they are real and there is 3 of them. I couldnt get a good look before I guess haha. She kicked out the egg I gave to her. She had to have layed those ones there because they aren't in the nest box like usual.
I just left the eggs. I guess time will tell. In any case, we are turning our old dog house into a brooder house tomorrow in the hopes that broodiness will be for real one day!

 

[farmerChef]

I have beautiful green eggs...what do u have?

( have a couple different shades of green. Pale green from my Leghorn/EE to a medium olive from my Jersey Giant/EEs. I also have a pair that should have red sexlink EEs, I have a mixed Red rooster over a silver EE hen. I have an egg in the bator to see what hatches.

 

[Arkansas81]

( have a couple different shades of green. Pale green from my Leghorn/EE to a medium olive from my Jersey Giant/EEs. I also have a pair that should have red sexlink EEs, I have a mixed Red rooster over a silver EE hen. I have an egg in the bator to see what hatches.

So what is it you are looking for? I'm looking for a bator ....

 

[Arkansas81]

( have a couple different shades of green. Pale green from my Leghorn/EE to a medium olive from my Jersey Giant/EEs. I also have a pair that should have red sexlink EEs, I have a mixed Red rooster over a silver EE hen. I have an egg in the bator to see what hatches.

So what is it you are looking for? I'm looking for a bator ....