Why can a broody......

[BDutch]

Basically, you work with someone nearby who regularly has hatching eggs for sale. That might be a friend who has a lot of chickens, or someone who advertises chickens and eggs frequently on Craigslist or talks about their hatching eggs in your state or local forum here. Or maybe it could be someone you met last year at a poultry swap and they gave you their number. (Don’t try FB - they crack down hard on anything like an egg that could possibly or maybe under very special conditions, be an ‘animal’).

Once the new broody has been on the nest for a day or so, call the person who sells the hatching eggs you want and meet the person and buy them. The person will probably ask to meet you in an easily-found public place rather than at their farm (for biosecurity and general safety reasons).

Then, slip those precious eggs AT NIGHT under the backside of your broody hen. Don’t let her see the eggs or peck them. It’s better for her to feel the lovely eggs under her than to see you introduce them.

I wouldn’t wait for the hen to be broody two weeks already. That’s pretty rough on the hen, because you would be asking her to set for a total of five weeks. You’re probably OK if the hen has been setting on nothing for 1 day to a week.

Because the broody hen something you need to address pretty quickly, it’s easiest to work with either someone you know or someone who sells hatching eggs on a regular basis, not just once every few months.

This may only be a problem for a few months or if you want a new breed, because as your flock grows, you will probably have enough eggs of your own to put under the hen, even if she is just setting on straw.

When I want chicks, I leave some fake eggs (pingpong balls) in the laying nest in spring and wait a couple of days until I have a broody. Then I contact someone who sells fertilised egg from a breed of my choice (if I can find someone ) and pick the eggs up if I am sure the broody stays on the nest.

I mark the eggs with a pencil, leave them to rest 24 hours and change the pingpong balls for real eggs during the night.

In Europe its quit common to buy fertilised eggs (Often 1 € a piece for pure breed) . There are many hobby breeders who order fertilised eggs by post from people they know trough the association or knowing breeders from a forum, or bought on ‘markpkaats / craigs list? If packed right it is safe to transport them with the mail. They are shipped to other countries within EU too. Shipping eggs is a A lot safer than shipping chicks. Chicks best get water within 36 hours.

edit:fertilised eggs

 

[ChickenCanoe]

A few good books on chicken behavior:

Poultry Signals
MONIQUE BESTMAN, MARKO RUIS, JOS HEIJMANS & KOOS VAN MIDDELKOOP
ISBN: 9789087400798

Breeder Signals
RICK VAN EMOUS, JOLANDA HOLLEMAN, TON VAN SCHIE
ISBN: 9789087403324

Layer Signals
MONIQUE BESTMAN, MARKO RUIS, JOS HEIJMAS KOOS VAN MIDDLEKOOP
ISBN: 9789087401245

And this is a great book that a good friend of mine wrote.
Talking Chicken
Kelly Klober
ISBN-13: 978-1601730213
https://www.amazon.com/Talking-Chicken-Practical-Heirloom-Chickens/dp/1601730217

 

[Ruthster55]

As long as the daylength is OK, just get lazy about collecting the eggs.... somebroody will get the hint. (Make sure you have the correct rooster present - best for at least two weeks prior).

For breakfast or baking, just buy eggs from the store for a little while...

Would only put golf or pingpong balls in the nests if there was an egg-eater or egg-pecker present.

It’s better to avoid intentionally incubating pullet eggs, but young hens dreaming of babies may think otherwise. I try to collect pullet eggs, but the smart ones figure a way around that (hidden nest or lay in old nest boxes).

 

[Mimi13]

Hi everyone! I just wanted to let you know that I'm in the process of purchasing some Black Copper Marans (not for the broodiness, but for the egg color. I have 2 choices for broody birds now), Speckled Sussex (not for broodiness) and Partridge Cochins! The feed store is supposed to call me when they get there (1-4 weeks). Has anyone had a PC that goes broody often? McMurray's description for the breed says they go broody easily. Is that true?

The LF Cochin I mentioned earlier IS a Partridge Cochin and she is beautiful. She has never gone broody, but I think they generally do.

 

[Mimi13]

Mine are 3 weeks setting, about 8 weeks rearing

Oh mercy, that is a long time rearing. My youngest Black Ameraucana is currently raising her second brood. The first one she left at 4 1/2 weeks. This current brood of seven chicks will be 4 weeks tomorrow. I’m curious if she leaves this group as early. It always breaks my heart to see the babies (even at 6 weeks) a couple of nights after they are left to be on their own.

 

[cluckcluckhens]

Mama is 14 months. Mama even had her sister Ms Austra for short for Australorp with her and the chick for the first few days. Thanks all! I kinda figured mama would teach the chicks what they need to know and learn. Our chicks were out in the run after the last two hatched two days after the first one hatch. One is week old and the other two will be a week old tomorrow. All of them is adjusting just fine.

 

[Mimi13]

I don't know what your brooder looks like but if the chicks are getting too hot and can't escape to a cooler spot, why don't you just raise the heat source and control the heat on the chicks that way.

There must have been some misunderstanding with my post. I used a heat lamp with my very first set of chicks (I didn’t know about any other source of heat then.) However, I never ever let my chicks get too hot to pant. The one and only time I used one, I did raise the height of the lamp, but it heated up my entire 420 sq ft sunroom. I swore I’d never do that again.

Most of my chicks hatch under a broody, but when I do incubate some it is usually during cold months and I usually have them in my inside brooder, which is a doggie playpen, using a heat plate.

All other times of the year the chicks brood outside in my coop. One brooder is sectioned off under my poop board and the other is out in my run.

 

[Mimi13]

They are reputed to be. And to a large part, I think it is true.
That said, I grew up with a 100 layer hen flock of white leghorns and out of 100, we usually had 2 or 3 hens in broody jail in cages suspended from the roof of the hen house. I've only had black leghorns in recent years and one hen was frequently broody and she raised one or two clutches of chicks for me each year.
On a larger note, Mediterranean breeds are reputed to not be necessarily broody. I've had most of the Med breeds that are in the US. My Anconas, Minorcas and Buttercups never went broody (though the aforementioned Leghorns did). Another Med breed, the Penedesenca which I've raised exclusively in the Black variety for close to 10 years has been broody here. I think I've only had one year when none went broody. I currently have 3 Black Pene setters on a bunch of eggs.
I haven't kept Catalanas or White Faced Black Spanish.

I have two Partridge Penedesenca hens and one went broody a couple of months ago. She only required a day and a half in the broody breaker. She thought about that nonsense long and hard.

 

[Douglas Colman]

The misunderstanding was mine totally.
I read the post that said "poor little chicks and ducks panting at TSC".
At the time I didn't know what a TSC was.
Didn't mean to ruffle your feathers.
Your inside brooder is a very clever idea.

 

[Douglas Colman]

The misunderstanding was mine totally.
I read the post that said "poor little chicks and ducks panting at TSC".
At the time I didn't know what a TSC was.
Didn't mean to ruffle your feathers.
Your inside brooder is a very clever idea.