BroodyBea
In the Brooder
Hey all!
I seem to be stuck in a rut here.
This will be long so I apologize in advance, but I just don’t understand what’s happening.
Some older information:
Had chickens for years, never had one go broody- kept mostly sex links, so that’s probably why. I started getting into heritage breeds, and broodiness happened.
Had a light Sussex hen go broody. I put her in a large dog kennel with food, water, shavings- let her sit 8 eggs. Out of 8, 4 hatched. She killed three. The lone chick lived, we called him Stew.
Hen immediately went broody again when Stew was grown and out from under her wing. I let her sit again, hoping this time she’d be more successful. She sat 10 eggs this time. Same set up. 6 hatched, and she killed all six this time. I chalked it up to bad luck the last time, but I witnessed her peck one to death and kick another into the wall in a matter of seconds, when they were still wet.
It was like, as soon as they finished hatching and started moving around, she would get up, start scratching like mad and eating, and when they made noise she’d look at them and start pecking. By the time I got in the barn only one was alive, and the one she had kicked was slowly dying (I’m assuming she pecked that one too.) the last one died soon after.
Within 24 hours she had went broody again. I didn’t let her sit this time. I put her in a wire bottom cage, but she’s jus would NOT break. 3 weeks she sat in there, I took eggs every day away from her, some were broken. When I thought she was done (she acted normal for a few days) I let her back with the flock and she disappeared. I thought a predator got her (they free range) but a month later I found her in a hiding spot sitting on eggs.. she had 28(!!) eggs under her- so she was definitely stealing. She had two dead, decomposing chicks under here and multiple eggs had exploded. She was emaciated, nearly bald, and FULL of yuck. I culled her. She was older, and I couldn’t let her live that way.
So current situation:
I bought a bunch of day olds last spring, got a BEAUTIFUL black copper maran hen out if them. She was my favourite.
Incredibly sweet bird, cuddly, friendly, raised my lone chick out of a failed incubator attempt. I just introduced her to the chick and she squatted, raised her wings, and started making mom noises. She did great with that one. Soon after the lone chick left her side, she went broody.
She laid 6 eggs, which I let her sit. I kept a close eye on her, separated her and she did great. I even witnessed her turn the eggs once in awhile in her beak and she was so careful- compared to my Sussex who would trample all over them.
Only one hatched. One. She did great with it, but I opened the brooding box one day and it was dead
she was still protecting it and clucking like mad when I removed her, and she attacked me for days. I was really discouraged, so I bought her 20 (yes 20) day olds.
She took them in right away and was perfect with them. It was an amazing thing to watch her teach them to drink, eat and scratch.
Out of those 20, I got 17 cockerels and 3 hens. Again, discouraged. However, I got a trio of blue orpingtons out of it, two hens and a rooster unrelated!
I wanted to hatch some pure blue orp chicks and sell some eggs so I had them together in their own coop. One of them went broody. I decided to let her hatch them out and I isolated her in the new and improved broody coop.
Well guys, out of 8 eggs, only one hatched again. I even candled! 7 had growing chicks, one was a dud. I heard it peeping from inside the egg, hen did everything right. She got up, started making mom noises, carefully sat back down-
And when it finally got its little head out of the shell she got up and pecked it to death
One very aggressive peck and it stopped peeping. She carefully sat back down, but none of the others hatched. I removed the deceased one, waited a few more days and tentatively broke the remaining eggs. Fully developed chicks were inside, but none were alive.
This was last week, and she’s back with the roo and her hen sister, and showing no more signs of broodiness.
Why is this happening to me?! I don’t understand it. I’ve googled everything, tried everything. I just don’t get it. I candled, I didn’t candle. I left a hen with the flock, I separated. I tried different breeds, different roosters, different eggs under a different hen. My successful BCM never went broody again.
I’m getting a couple silkie hens soon and I’m PRAYING that one will make a good broody momma. I love watching them teach their chicks.
I also have a few breeds in pairs and trios now that I want to hatch out, but I’m not a huge fan of raising chicks in my house from hatching/day olds, so I wanted a hen to do the work for me. I have no way to keep heat constant in an outdoor setting, without using a heat lamp, and I’m terrified of fires so I don’t really want to use a heat lamp.
Any advice? I’m getting really discouraged and bummed out. I know people who have free range chickens all over and every few weeks a hen comes out of the woodwork with 15-20 chicks in tow. I just don’t understand what I’m doing wrong.
I seem to be stuck in a rut here.
This will be long so I apologize in advance, but I just don’t understand what’s happening.
Some older information:
Had chickens for years, never had one go broody- kept mostly sex links, so that’s probably why. I started getting into heritage breeds, and broodiness happened.
Had a light Sussex hen go broody. I put her in a large dog kennel with food, water, shavings- let her sit 8 eggs. Out of 8, 4 hatched. She killed three. The lone chick lived, we called him Stew.
Hen immediately went broody again when Stew was grown and out from under her wing. I let her sit again, hoping this time she’d be more successful. She sat 10 eggs this time. Same set up. 6 hatched, and she killed all six this time. I chalked it up to bad luck the last time, but I witnessed her peck one to death and kick another into the wall in a matter of seconds, when they were still wet.
It was like, as soon as they finished hatching and started moving around, she would get up, start scratching like mad and eating, and when they made noise she’d look at them and start pecking. By the time I got in the barn only one was alive, and the one she had kicked was slowly dying (I’m assuming she pecked that one too.) the last one died soon after.
Within 24 hours she had went broody again. I didn’t let her sit this time. I put her in a wire bottom cage, but she’s jus would NOT break. 3 weeks she sat in there, I took eggs every day away from her, some were broken. When I thought she was done (she acted normal for a few days) I let her back with the flock and she disappeared. I thought a predator got her (they free range) but a month later I found her in a hiding spot sitting on eggs.. she had 28(!!) eggs under her- so she was definitely stealing. She had two dead, decomposing chicks under here and multiple eggs had exploded. She was emaciated, nearly bald, and FULL of yuck. I culled her. She was older, and I couldn’t let her live that way.
So current situation:
I bought a bunch of day olds last spring, got a BEAUTIFUL black copper maran hen out if them. She was my favourite.
Incredibly sweet bird, cuddly, friendly, raised my lone chick out of a failed incubator attempt. I just introduced her to the chick and she squatted, raised her wings, and started making mom noises. She did great with that one. Soon after the lone chick left her side, she went broody.
She laid 6 eggs, which I let her sit. I kept a close eye on her, separated her and she did great. I even witnessed her turn the eggs once in awhile in her beak and she was so careful- compared to my Sussex who would trample all over them.
Only one hatched. One. She did great with it, but I opened the brooding box one day and it was dead
she was still protecting it and clucking like mad when I removed her, and she attacked me for days. I was really discouraged, so I bought her 20 (yes 20) day olds. She took them in right away and was perfect with them. It was an amazing thing to watch her teach them to drink, eat and scratch.
Out of those 20, I got 17 cockerels and 3 hens. Again, discouraged. However, I got a trio of blue orpingtons out of it, two hens and a rooster unrelated!
I wanted to hatch some pure blue orp chicks and sell some eggs so I had them together in their own coop. One of them went broody. I decided to let her hatch them out and I isolated her in the new and improved broody coop.
Well guys, out of 8 eggs, only one hatched again. I even candled! 7 had growing chicks, one was a dud. I heard it peeping from inside the egg, hen did everything right. She got up, started making mom noises, carefully sat back down-
And when it finally got its little head out of the shell she got up and pecked it to death
One very aggressive peck and it stopped peeping. She carefully sat back down, but none of the others hatched. I removed the deceased one, waited a few more days and tentatively broke the remaining eggs. Fully developed chicks were inside, but none were alive.
This was last week, and she’s back with the roo and her hen sister, and showing no more signs of broodiness.
Why is this happening to me?! I don’t understand it. I’ve googled everything, tried everything. I just don’t get it. I candled, I didn’t candle. I left a hen with the flock, I separated. I tried different breeds, different roosters, different eggs under a different hen. My successful BCM never went broody again.
I’m getting a couple silkie hens soon and I’m PRAYING that one will make a good broody momma. I love watching them teach their chicks.
I also have a few breeds in pairs and trios now that I want to hatch out, but I’m not a huge fan of raising chicks in my house from hatching/day olds, so I wanted a hen to do the work for me. I have no way to keep heat constant in an outdoor setting, without using a heat lamp, and I’m terrified of fires so I don’t really want to use a heat lamp.
Any advice? I’m getting really discouraged and bummed out. I know people who have free range chickens all over and every few weeks a hen comes out of the woodwork with 15-20 chicks in tow. I just don’t understand what I’m doing wrong.
