I have my first broody hen. She's been on the nest for 4 days now. Silly girl, the rooster has been out of that pen for about 3 weeks . She's sitting on a bunch of duds.
It's funny. She normally won't let anyone touch her. But now, if you put your hand in there, she burrrs all up like a peacock and makes a weird noise. You can actually reach in and pet her and she won't move away. Her underside is all bald, like all her feathers came out. I can't decide if I want to break her broodiness, or if I want to obtain some eggs for her to sit on. She seems pretty determined.
Broody chicken, 1 year old.
Hi Peg, I'm having the same problem with my 1 year old Barred Rock, She has adopted 4 bantham eggs that I don't believe are even fertile,'cause my little rooster is sill soooo young yet! I've considered ordering some eggs from a supplier but worry that the transport will ruin them. Its either let her sit or throw her off the nest. I'll try to find local eggs this week and if no luck by the weekend I'll "steal" her "duds" when she eats, and remove the nest!
Eufaula
Especially if the eggs aren't fertile, I'd want to break those hens quick of the setting. They won't eat, they won't drink much, and they won't lay, and they sure won't start laying well for some time if they're allowed to go full term. I've heard people put ice cubes under them to discourage the hens, cover the nesting box so the hen can't get in (to that one), or take the hen out and put her in something else, like a box in the house where there's light and noise. I don't think any of these things are cruel, especially in light of the deprivation the hens put themselves through to set with eggs that will never hatch.
Peggie, if you can get eggs soon, she might set long enough to hatch 'em. It's a little iffy though... she might get up in 21 days regardless. But you have an incubator, right?
Usually all you have to do to break them up from setting is move them to a differnnt pen where there is no nest or eggs or at least no nest that looks the same as the one she chose to sit in. They will still act broody for a week or two as far as clucking and fluffing up but will eventually go out of broodiness and go back to laying.
I had given some thought to ordering some more eggs from Ebay for her to sit on. But the last time, I bought 12 eggs on Ebay, not one hatched.
And that was after I tended and turned them in the incubator for 23 days.
Not to mention, the purchase and postage price that was all for naught.
She is getting down off the nest to eat and drink though. But only for brief times.
If I break her broodiness, how long do you think it will be before she goes broody again ? Is this a once a year thing, or will there be another chance before summer is over ?
Well, ding bob it! I pulled her off the nest and grabbed the eggs and would you believe it one of them is peeping! I knew there were two bantam eggs there ,cause I left them for markers. I figured they werent fertile so left them as a good laying place for the "novices". I guess ,between the good warm weather and the frequent warmth of laying hens that little chick survived. He or she is going to definitely be a strong willed chicken. Guess I better take another look at that Japanese banty rooster too! I would have sworn that he was still immature. I havent had him long, I was told at the time I got him ,he should have been about 10 weeks old. That would make him about 3months now! How old is mature in a chicken?
Isn't that funny! Is he out yet?
Don't know about banties, but standards reach laying/mating age by 6 months. Generally.
Quote: If I break her broodiness, how long do you think it will be before she goes broody again ? Is this a once a year thing, or will there be another chance before summer is over ?
If she has the broodiness in her genetically then she could go broody 2 or 3 times per year or more. If you let the nest fill up with eggs she will be more likely to go broody than if you keep them collected but some hens will stil go broody even if you don't let the eggs build up. I usually leave one nest egg in the nest, because if I don't leave at least one they tend to hold the eggs in them longer before laying than they should, and tend to act like they are confused and are looking for the place where they laid the previous eggs so they can lay the next egg in the same spot. Sometimes even with only one egg left in the nest they will go broody and sometimes when I don't leave any eggs in the nest they will still go broody after laying a number of eggs. Last year I had one pullet that I had difficulty raising many chicks from her because she would automatically go broody after laying 5 or 6 eggs even though I wasn't even leaving a nest egg. Also the same hen will not always go broody on the same number of eggs. One time a hen might go broody after 6 eggs and the next time she might wait for 12 eggs to build up in the nest. They seem to be more apt to go broody in warmer weather like April or later than in winter but some will even go broody in winter.
Boy is my face red!!Well apparently I wasnt paying quite enough attention to my girls. It seems as though every time I went out to the chicken house, which is much too often, there would be a different hen on one particular nest! I did nt realize that they were all trying to hatch those eggs at the same time!
I had been removing the large brown eggs from my Barred Rock and the Astralorpe, but leaving the once in a blue moon eggs from the bantam.
So this morning I find I have two of the cutest little babies peeking out at me under their Mama! Now heres the mystery! These little hard rocks, are a cross between a BB red mama and a white japanese papa, How is it that they are solid black, or as far as I can tell at this time?
Check your local feed store
Put up an add asking for fertile hatching eggs
I've never bought any eggs off ebay but I have off eggbid.com-some good-some bad
check feed back........
This is a good thread, for me, and i will have my grand girls read it too. We did the right things with our hens (totally via accident), the eggs of all three started hatching at almost the exact same time. I wouldn't be surprised if two hens laid all the eggs. One hen has always seemed immature, was the last to nest and she steals eggs and I'm told that she would likely steal chicks if we give her the chance. Congrats re your babies, E!!! We think ours are the cutest babies ever and it's amazing that they were born with definite personalities, they are sooooo tiny, so light, so precious...
i cn't recall her exact advice at the moment, but Louise Riotte [author of Carrots Love Tomatoes] wrote in her book Raising Animals by the Moon, how to gether the eggs and save them until a hen goes broody, and then set them under her on a certain day to hatch out under a fruitful sign. that way they hatch out closer together too! so now i am curious what day and time your hatched?
Oh sad sad day! I am just heartbroken! My adoptive Barred Rock Mama was so proud she hatched those two precious bantam babies, she would n't get off the nest for any thing not even to eat! I carried her a tiny waterer and sprinkled in some chick food so she wouldnt have to leave them! She ate right away and got really excited when the chicks tried eating and drinking. They were well on their way.
This after noon my old Astralorpe Hen did the unthinkable, she reached into the hatchling nest and stole one of the chicks. She immediately killed it and took the tiny body with her with my precious "Mama" after her trying to get her baby back!
All I could do was run to the nest and rescue the other baby and capture Mama with help from a friend. She and little "Hardrock" are now safe and sound in there own enclosed shelter,for the duration.
Is this a normal thing, for other hens to destroy or steel babies? I thought leaving eggs with the Mama was the safest thing to do!
Oh. E, I am so sorry, what a terrible shame!! I realize, from your experience, that I have been entirely too casual with regard to my nesting hens and their babies. I will remedy that. Are you chickens Bantams?? I have regular chickens and they are not nearly as friendly to people or each other as the Bantams. I sincerely regret your loss. I have had a hen steal eggs, and I was advised not to give her the opportunity or she might steal the babies too...
So sorry Eufaula!
;-(
tf
Sorry, Eufaula. And thanks for reminding the rest of us of this potential danger.
Thanks y'all, Mama is doing well and baby"Hardrock", is just fine. They are both eating and drinking this morning, and believe me Mam is on the defense! She would before the tragedy warn me with a low "AArrrrgggg",then get to "buck,buck,buck", but now she goes all out with the fluffing out her feather s and "BACK OFF" noises. She pecks too!!!! (Ouch!!)
Yes Mama and the dastardly deed doer, are regular size, but the baby is a bantam. I have had such bad luck with my big chickens, losing them to ,not feral dogs,but neighbors who just let their pets run wild. I quit trying to have free range on my little 3 acres,which is fenced . The dogs just come through or over and have a free for all at my expense. So after losing ,25 the first year and at least 10 more since, I keep them penned! Mama and the evil Astolorpe, are the only ones left!
I had gotten the little White Japanese Rooster and his mate, first, then a trio of BB red bantams. In hopes of raising purebred bantams but the red rooster dissappeared with one of his mates and the little white hen died ( I believe from a heart attack) after another dog tried to get her through the fence!
I decided to order the 25 assorted purebred bantams from McMurray, and as soon as they are big enough they will graduate from their ,beleive it or not, 3 by 6 camping tent, surrounded by chicken wire to their own :"Tractor"
hi every one i need some help my hens hav gon broody and i went to check them and so has my rooster i know how weird i got little babie under him and he looks so confused wat do i do