After waiting months for Vivian (Silkie) to go broody I gave up. It seems that she would rather fluff in sand and go shopping. One of the EE'ers has gone broody! I spritzed a little blue kote on her head (there are 2 that look exactly alike) to make sure it was really her sitting all the time. I gave her 6 golf balls yesterday and she won't leave the nest unless I take her off - then she eats & drinks frantically, acts nervous, makes a gigantic poo and back to the nest she goes. My friend (local) is giving me 8 fertilized Marans eggs for her.
So now.....
I want to move her into the garage tonight. What is the best way to house her?
Would a large wire dog crate be big enough?
Should I keep the garage light on during the day? There is some light that comes through the garage door window, but it's just a little bit. The lights in the garage are super bright.
Should I keep the crate covered with a sheet - all the way or just half way?
I'm not picking up the eggs until Sunday so if she gets freaked out when I move her tonight she has a couple of days to settle down again. I can't keep her in the coop because the Wellies are fascinated by her setting and won't stop bugging her. She hisses and makes a clicking noise at them, they don't get it!
I'm soooo excited!!!
Broody Questions
Hi Annie, The dog crate sounds like a great idea and I would only keep it half covered if there is a light on. I don't think you want total darkness though. She has to feel comfortable going for food and water...Im excited for you and hope your egg hatching desires are fullfilled. Sorry but I had Wellies and found them to be the dumbest and clutciest of all breeds. Not fond of them at all...LOL. I'm down to five layers and am getting a doz eggs every three days and that is perfect for us. Mostly am just doing the Seramas and the pheasant (exotic). The pheasant are the toughest birds I have ever dealt with. No matter how cold they just stay outside and roost, seldom go into the pen. When it was minus 4 they never flinched...Have fun Annie and it's always fun to hear about your adventures...Hay
I usually let mine brood the first few weeks where they are.. then move when it gets closer.. or after the babiez hatch. I feel like they are happier with the place they choose to brood. I think it's more for me than her.. LOL I feel like if it were me, I wouldn't want to be isolated and in the dark all alone..
Yeah, I'm a sissy! LOL
Well geeze, Hay why didn't you warn me before I bought the dang things? Haha! They really are goof balls. Those two are the biggest pain. I haven't gotten an egg (which is teenie tiny) from them in more than a week. When I went in the coop today I saw one of them crawling out from underneath the nesting boxes - that space is not 5 inches high! I checked and sure enough, there were 5 Wellie eggs. I don't know how they managed to squeeze under it let alone lay an egg there.
ZZ's I agree with you about moving the Broody to the garage, but the Wellies keep bothering her and she is really ticked off.
I have a lil bantam that is broody right now.. Today I see her sister in there sitting with her.. only the sister is sitting on her head! LOL
It's the thought that counts.
Annie, between your story and ZZ's I had to wipe the tears...LOL
This is the most annoying thing the Wellies do... Weather permitting, they stand on the back steps and try to look in the door window of the sun room. Both of them jump up and down taking a peek through the window. They will do this for, no kidding, hours. The cats take turns on the other side of the door window jumping on the window. When I get tired of their sqwaking I throw some greens out the door for them. The two dumbest chickens in the world have me trained.
ZZ do your Broodies have fertilized eggs to sit on? I love the noises broodies malke. I still can't believe the Silkie has never gone broody. She will be a year old soon.
I'm trying not to think about the 24 chicks I have ordered for spring. Instead, I'm going to think about a new coop haha!
They just want to be house chickens.
My DN wants me to let them in. I can't even imagine the terror they would cause! They are my least favorite chickens but they are very entertaining.
I still have 5 Araucana on ceramic eggs. Think I finally have just about broken Ginger off her nest. She was down and ready to come out this morning with the rest of them but when I put them up straight to the nest she went lol
DonnaB, where did you get your ceramic eggs?
Uh oh, there is another broody. I was in denial and dismissed her for days. I finally gave her golf balls tonight when I tucked them in. I just tossed them in her box and let her rearrange them, she was sooo careful about it and then fluffed up like a hot air balloon and started hissing at me, ungrateful thing! I'm on the hunt for more fertilized eggs. It will be nice because I can put both Broodies in the garage in a big pen and they'll have company. WhooHoo, I'm excited!
on e-bay. Make sure you get the ones that say life like and feel. I got some that are solid and heavy like a rock which they hate and will cover them up lol. These others are great. he sells light brown and white lg sz.
and just at the right time too. Man it has been a chore and expense caring for those 50 chicks inside. 25 lb starter a wk and a bale of pine shavings or about 25.00 a week. Half of them I could put outside now if I had a coop to put them in.
here's a little roo I am going to keep. He has awesome tufts, is fully rumpless and wild colors. There are 3 for sure and maybe 4 I will keep because I like the colors not all tufted or rumpless but I don't care. I love them
pic 2 much better
from the top
He's so cute, it'll be interesting to see his color full color. 50 chicks? I envy you! I need a new coop too haha!
Oh Donna, he is gonna be awesome! Those colors will be so much more intense when he matures.. I can't wait to see him full grown.. He is awesome!
Yeah Annie, they are on their own eggs.. I've had requests for lavenders.. and chicks will be easier to ship when the weather gets nice... or sell, whatever.. Like my last ditch attempt before they all have to go! ;)
I love a balloon broody.. LOL
I have them both settled in the garage in a big pen. Char was very unhappy but since she was up she spent her time eating and drinking and raced back to her nest of golf balls. Goat was confused and walked around all puffed up, I swear she makes herself look like the size of a turkey! Both are on their nests now, I was so worried they wouldn't. Char will get her Wheaten marans eggs tomorrow. I still need to order some fertilized eggs for Goat. If we should get lucky and get some to hatch I'm going to keep a Marans roo so I don't have this problem again.
If I can't find eggs for Goat then I'm going to research Hodges chickens, they have a great variety of day old chicks. This is so exciting!
Hodges farm is where I got my Coronations Split Sussex chicks from. Wow are those things monster size now and only 4 1/2 months old
I'm getting worried.
I gave Char the fertilized eggs Sunday night. She hasn't moved from the nest since. I know she hasn't been off the nest because the food hasn't been touched and there is no poo in the pen. When I look in on her she swells up like a bullfrog and makes the most horrid noises at me. So far I've just left her alone. Should I move her off the nest to see if she'll eat or at least drink? 36 hours is a long time for a chicken to go without food and water.
Goat is sitting dutifully on her golf balls, no fertilized eggs for her. Hopefully she'll want to adopt some of the day old chicks in a few weeks.
Annie, trust me, if you just leave her alone she will be fine. When they go broody it is not uncommon for them to loose weight due to lack of eating. However they will get off and eat when they get hungry enough. Let their natural instincts take over and don't worry about her. Stepping in will only frustrate her. I know it's hard but she does not need any help for you...LOL...I don't mean to sound harsh but she will be fine if everyone just leaves her alone...Hay
Thanks, Hay! I was leaving her alone, just looking out the window into the garage. I know she got up because when I opened the garage door the poo smell just about knocked me over! I'll take your advise and leave her alone and stop looking out the window every 2 minutes. It's hard, this is so exciting LOL.
I'm so glad Haystack answered you! That is a perfect answer! The reason more eggs hatch when a broody has them is cause they know what we don't. The best thing you can do is NOTHING but observe. I know of hens that have been broody for months.. they are doing it by choice.. so no worries. :)
Bless you Haystack for that attitude that protects the hens from our attempts to make things better. LOL Really!
My guess is Goat is gonna be a good momma!
It's very reassuring to know I don't have to do anything but make sure they have clean water and fresh food daily. Ha, I only have to clean it once a day too. Now I can relax and count the days (Sunday, February 20th) if Charlottes eggs were indeed fertile. Goat is fiercly brooding her 6 golf balls - she is wicked! I ordered 12 BCM, 10 Wheaten Marans and 2 Light Sussex that should be here that week so if the hatch is a bust they'll both still have something to show for their dedication. This is so fun... I may need some help stopping.....
Thanks, you all are the BEST!
Aren't broody hens wonderful?? Yes, they teach the babiez to drink, what dirt to eat, the babiez are healthier, countless reasons to use a broody! I'm hooked! I sold all "indoor" equipment for hatching.. and I'm not one bit sorry.
Listening to the passion of you two ladies is so intoxicating. Guess what ZZ.s I just sold my one remaining incubator last night also. I have eight eggs in it now and in 13 days I will be finished with this hatch and the lady I sold it to will be picking it up. I have two silkie hen's I purchased from a local farmer and I will use them to hatch my pheasant eggs this spring, along with my serama eggs. It really was your fault ZZ's as I had thought about it and then you influenced into that decision...
Annie, you are so right. It is very hard not to interfer, I should not laugh but your bombastic personality comes through so loud and clear I can just hear you thinking, (Maybe I'll help and not tell Hay and ZZ's) Trust me Annie we are both watching you...Back Away from the Broody...LOL...Hay
Gotcha Haystack! I'm really glad to hear you switched to using a broody.. I think the chicks are so much healthier... Not to mention how incredibly cute it is to see babiez hide under mom... soooo cute!
Yes Annie.. you can still fuss with your broody hen.. Just don't give her too many goodiez.. she has to get up to "go"... I do give mine some scrambled eggs once in a while.. Just for the extra protein..
I will never get rid of my incubators because I may need them as backup but you can not beat mother nature. I mostly hatch peafowl and use chickens to do it for me. I have two Brinsea 40 and I guess they are as good as you can get but they do not match a good brood hen. Peafowl eggs are much harder to hatch than chickens or other fowl and many peafowl breeders start their eggs under chickens. Brad Legg hatches about 3,000 peafowl every year and starts every egg for one week under a Cochin Bantam, then candles and puts them in an inc. Peachicks are very susceptible to worms and need to be kept off the ground until they are about three months old. I breed hybrids that have different genes and many will look the same but have very different background so I must hatch in a hatcher, in different compartments and then band them as soon as they hatch.
In the past I have used game chickens but most of the people who want their chicks and cock fighters. The last time someone pulled up in my driveway and asked about my game hens was on a Sunday morning and they looked like they had not had a bath in a week and asked if I wanted a beer. I said I don't start drinking until 10: AM. Maggi took one look at them and said those game chickens have got to go. Now I use Phoenix but sometime they are a little wild and will fly out of the nest so fast they will break the eggs. I have aways had my brood hens free range but now that we have a nursery they get on the plant benches and knock off plants, not good. So I am going with standard Cochins. I will also be trying a few Blue Orpingtons layers for eggs, in hops that they will sometimes go broody as backups.
I have built large pens now and have more room in each so I am going to have peafowl, chickens and pheasants all in the same pen. The pheasants lay a very small egg so I will be getting some small chickens to hatch their eggs, probably Cochins. So far I have the Red Golden and the Reeves pheasants and will be getting the Lady Amherst and Blue Ears. I will have eight pens so more room to grow.
The pictured bird is a Red Golden? I've never seen one before - beautiful bird!
Yes, that is the Golden and this is the Lady Amherst; http://www.gbwf.org/pheasants/amherst.html
Gorgeous! Another I've not seen.
I have three red golden, and one yellow golden. Am in the proccess of trying to find some Lady Amherst, and will have some specialty pigeons in with the pheasant also. The peafowl are beautiful but just not my thing...Hay
Have you posted pictures of yours?
Gorgeous pheasants, Kenboy! Come on Hay, post some of yours too!
ZZ and Hay, I'm so disappointed that you think I wouldn't follow your directions LOL. I swear, I have not done anything but change out water and food with the broodies since you said not to. Unless looking (quietly) out the window into the garage every 10 minutes counts?
Here is the Reeves that I have but not my picture;
http://www.gbwf.org/pheasants/reeves01.html
Wow, really pretty. Are they just ornamental or are they for eating/hunting?
Those pheasants are way to expensive to eat Annie. Yes I posted pic's earlier of my pheasants but they were so young they had almost no color, they are just now starting to color. They take about 18 months to full color out. I'll post pic's in about another month so you can see their color.
Annie we would never mistrust you...LOL...would we ZZ's...Naw...Hay
Nah, I think she can be trusted... Just hope her girls don't end up with a bunch of holes in em from her staring at em! LOL
If they are 2010 hatch they should go into molt about June and color out around August.
There probably is a hole or two in the broodies. The window I watch them from is in the laundry room that goes out into the garage. I do a lot of laundry these days LOL. Ya know, this is so exciting for a newbie like me. My girl's have been laying since July and every day (3 or 4 times each) that I collect eggs is still thrilling. I love taking care of them, even the dirty stuff, talking to them, having them follow me around and come running when I call them. Every time I give away eggs it's a thrill when people oooh and aww over how pretty they are. It's been so good for my DN to help take care of them and learn to be responsible for animals that depend on her. It's all good stuff~!