Where to find my broody? game hens

[Mom2Chicken]

I've got 7 hens, three of which are game hens: Black Comb, Red Comb, and Slytherin.

These three generally hang together night and day. I posted recently about a solo rooster named Fred who moved in next door and asked what to expect since my three game hens are good flyers. Sure enough, Black Comb flies over to Fred's place regularly. However, she is not broody.

Recently, Red Comb and Slytherin have mostly disappeared. They no longer roam the yard with our other hens, and they no longer sleep in our magnolia with Black Comb. I saw Slytherin briefly yesterday and saw Red Comb briefly today near our chicken yard. I know they are OK, but their behavior has changed.

My questions, assuming they are broody:

• Would a broody wild(ish) game hen nest close to her food and water sources? (I couldn't find much about this online.)
• How much effort should I make to find them? If they are broody, I don't want to disturb them and put them off. They are very skiddish and usually do not let us near them.
• If I do find them, should I put food and water near them or try to protect them in some way? Again, I want to help them out, but I fear causing them to leave their eggs.

Thank you!

 

[ronott1]

You might be able to follow them back to their nest when they eat each day.

If you think predators can get them, you can try moving them to a safe place. Sometimes that will break them from being broody

 

[Mom2Chicken]

Thank you! Hope all is well up in Woodland.

At the time I wrote my post, I wasn't sure if the hens were broody, but over time we decided that they were and we started trying to find them in earnest.

One of them I found by looking very carefully in some tall grass on our property and noticing anomalies in the pattern of darkness in gaps in the grass. The other I watched from a distance to see which direction she headed in when going back to her nest. Both are very well hidden in the tall grass and are positioned up against a fence or a tree, so it took time to find them.

We've decided not to move them or cage them in because we don't want to break them from being broody. They are pretty wild and don't take kindly to us being near them in general.

It's been 2 or 3 weeks now since they've gone broody, so we are anticipating chicks soon if all goes well!

 

[ronott1]

Thank you! Hope all is well up in Woodland.

At the time I wrote my post, I wasn't sure if the hens were broody, but over time we decided that they were and we started trying to find them in earnest.

One of them I found by looking very carefully in some tall grass on our property and noticing anomalies in the pattern of darkness in gaps in the grass. The other I watched from a distance to see which direction she headed in when going back to her nest. Both are very well hidden in the tall grass and are positioned up against a fence or a tree, so it took time to find them.

We've decided not to move them or cage them in because we don't want to break them from being broody. They are pretty wild and don't take kindly to us being near them in general.

It's been 2 or 3 weeks now since they've gone broody, so we are anticipating chicks soon if all goes well!

It will be so fun to see them running around with Mom!

It is one of my fondest memories of growing up on the Orchard. One of the Hens hatched a brood and when she free ranged with them, they flew beside her with wings that beat very quickly! It reminded me of bubmle bees

 

[Mom2Chicken]

That's cool! We didn't anticipate having chicks, and we aren't sure how things will turn out, but if they hatch and thrive, our kids will love it!