Broodies on the Homestead

[Mini Horses]

My Cornish hen is broody. And vicious. She's not a bird to be messed with right now! She's growling and making nasty noises at anything that comes near her.

that one baby is thriving because she is a beast, lol. She scares me more than any mean rooster ever could!

All mine have been this way this year! Talk about "on a mission", these girls are in Ninja mode But good moms who do protect the chicks.

Imagine my surprise when I got these new RIRs this weekend. 3 of the 10 hens had a few chicks -- had hatched more but -- I had 1 hen with 1, another with 3 and these were about 2-3 weeks. Hen 3 has 2 who are about 2 months now -- one appears to be a pullet and one poss roo. They are so quiet and tame, handle chicks, no issue just more clucking! This flock of 10 hens & a roo are originally from a flock that a breeder in MD area raises from heritage. They are very dark burgundy, not the orange/red from hatcheries, and they ARE docile, large and obviously have not had broody bred out of them! Old style. I really, really am thrilled. None are being run with any other roo, I am expanding their run & covering to prevent such. Since I have a broody now, I plan to pen her separate & let her hatch some of these hens eggs for me. She is not an aggressive hen, so I do not anticipate her teaching chicks to be. First time in a long time that I have been excited about a group of chickens again.

In the past I have had some equally nice BR & BO hens. I would consider those again from such heritage breeders. They are so different from what the hatcheries often provide with their tendencies to make "egg layers". I want dual purpose and broody still there!!

 

[Beekissed]

Yesterday I moved a broody out of the coop nest where she's been trying to sit for 2-3 wks and put her on a clutch of eggs, 19 total. That's just what I selected out of the eggs in the nests and in my egg basket. Should have stuck in one more for an even 20 but I just didn't.

Cobbled together a little pen for her within the larger pen so the paired up broody mamas can still sleep in there with their little ones without anyone getting confused. Around a week before she hatches, I'll close down that pen so they have to move their family to the coop for sleeping and deconstruct her isolation pen to give her the whole pen for her first days with the chicks.

Right now she's under a laundry basket with a big rock on it and will stay there for 3 days before I let her out.

 

[Beekissed]

Last season was the first snake predation since living here... I lost over 20 newly hatched chicks to black snakes. Ordinarily I scatter a few mothballs around the coop in the spring before chicks ever arrive, but I forgot to do that last season until it was too late.

This season I overdid it on mothball application and I think it affected three different hatches...I normally get a very high hatch rate with my broodies, but this season I had lack of development and even chick death late term in the shell~I've never had anything like that before. I'm thinking it was the toxic fumes from the mothballs in that pen...the eggs with the most porous shells were the most affected, while the smaller and darker eggs hatched successfully.

So....mistakes made, lesson learned. I removed all the mothballs from that pen that I could reach(some had been placed back under the logs and can no longer be reached), cleaned out any bedding that the mothballs were touching and placed this broody clear across the pen from where the mothballs were located. I also cleaned out the nest boxes in the coop and any mothballs located there as well.

I'm hoping that was the problem, as I could see nothing else that was different since last year....same male, still fertile, same genetics/hens, all healthy and been laying all winter and spring like gangbusters, same feed, same environment~except the excessive use of the mothballs.

 

[sumi]

I have a feeling my original OEG hen is starting to get broody ideas. I heard her clucking and fussing yesterday.

I was very surprised to find an egg in the broody and chicks' sleeping area yesterday. I usually don't expect the moms to start laying until they are near done with the chicks and these little ones are a bit too young to wean yet. She must be an excellent layer!

 

[NH Homesteader]

Random chick hatched today from the last hen that hadn't quit... Woohoo! Took us a minute to find out who mama was, but then she beat the snot out of another hen who got too close and then claimed the chick, lol.

 

[Hinotori]

My most aggressive when broody hen got on the nest a few days ago. I was actually very happy to see this as she doesn't care who she has to beat the crap out of to get chicks. She prefers to co-brood like most of my silkies. She likes someone else to round up the chicks and hide them while she attacks. She sways other hens around to her way of thinking as well.

Once when another hen in her pen hatched chicks when she wasn't broody herself, she just up and decided "I want those." And helped raise them.

I put her in the isolation coop with the broody I've had eggs under. They had some sort of discussion, and split the dozen eggs up. Now they are sitting beside each other. This is good. I have 2 dozen eggs set in the incubator at the same time. The two of them should handle it just fine.

Because of who the one hen is, I can put her with anyone. Some of the others don't get along well and I have to remember who they like. They all tolerate this one. Part of that may be because she's the very top hen and doesn't take no for an answer. But she's never mean to anyone else. Rarely does she peck.

 

[Mini Horses]

Here's a "wait & see".....

These two began to set. I generally give them a few days before I place eggs(& them), in case they just want a day of rest, not eggs. Anyhow, the first had 6 put under her. The second had 7 put under her. Generally I collect all eggs from a possible setter every day -- at least check for any -- because sometimes another hen gives them one while they are up eating.

The first had been at it about 7-10 days when I decided second was serious. That night, found one egg as I was placing the 7. I removed it, so all eggs were same time set. Was not sure how long the lone egg had been there....somewhere between 1 & 7 days?? Had checked a couple times, none, then this one.

Not wanting to destroy it, I marked it and slid it under hen #1. When her 6 hatched, this week, I removed the lone egg that was still warm and all that.......quickly slipped it under hen two. Now, I have one egg that may hatch or not -- she's due 7/8 -- any day, or along with her others.

So, I check for a pip or chick now. If it's soon, I'll remove & place with other fluffy butts. If 1/2 way between, I'll probably have to keep it under lights for a couple days, then give the #2 hen when hers hatch. I don't need the chick but just could not destroy the egg without trying. Will let you know what happens with this "musical chairs" fiasco.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I hope we soon get some pics of chicks .

Here is a few of my SF they are 5 weeks old now

Lil OEGB chicks 6weeks

Chocolate Orp 7weeks

 

[Hinotori]

So cute! I love to see new chicks.

What kind do you have there? The hen is very nice.

Hintori, with Silkies you have the "fluffy" look all their lives LOL

Oh I know. Some of their "hairdos" get a little excessive. You have hatchery quality where the crest (and body fluff) is small and the bird sees pretty well.

Normal crest where with strategic trim the bird could see decently.

Then excessive where they walk into everything if they move too quick.

This poor 9 week old pullet will have the excessive crest.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Wanna bet?

A silkie in human form