# got my first broody!



## rosco47 (Jul 6, 2015)

just got in from out of town wednesday and found one of my BRs sitting on a PILE of eggs. i was just thinking about buying some new chicks since it didn't look like any of my young hens wanted to sit. kind of cool how she viciously protects the nest.

so......any pointers? things to look out for? i plan to just let mother nature do her thing and be as un-involved in the process as possible. thanks!


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Way to go, Roscoe! On my egg sitters I make sure that they keep eating and drinking. If not I put bowls within reach. I still candle at 7 days. I do find that they hatch more eggs better than I do with the incubator.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

What a treat. What does little Rosco think of this development?

Pile? As in lots of eggs? If she's got more than ten it would be good to remove some so she is adequately covering them or you're liable to end up with a mess on your hands. Especially if you're still running the roads.


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## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

If they don't hatch in 3 wks,get them out.They will rot and stink,so mark your calendar.Also,keep track on what's under her,I had a problem with hens all laying where the broody hen was.Everyday the clutch got bigger and I couldn't tell the new ones from the incubated ones.I threw them all away and my hen smelled like a rotten egg.That's all I got.Good luck!


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## rosco47 (Jul 6, 2015)

little rosco hasn't really had a chance in the daylight to see. but i'm kind of excited for her to watch the process!
should i just mark the eggs with a permanent marker or something?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I would. Just about anything else eventually rubs off.


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## rosco47 (Jul 6, 2015)

so i went to mark the eggs friday evening and mama had already acquired about 7 more eggs lol

i marked a dozen for her to sit on and have been checking daily and removing any other eggs...but it seems like my hens have almost stopped laying. only 4 eggs the past 2 days. i usually get 7-8 per day.

what would cause this? do you think maybe she is running other hens out of the laying area? i have one big laying box (about 2'X5') and i put her nest in the corner with some food and water...


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

A molt? With the age of your girls it's really not unusual for them to molt this time of year. Heck, even old birds will molt in spring as evidenced by the feathers laying around here.

And if your girls are free ranging at all they could be laying else where since you moved her. Who knows, chickens have some strange ideas about this whole egg laying thing.

Yep, the ladies might want to continue their line but it's always easier having someone else do all of the work.


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## rosco47 (Jul 6, 2015)

did not consider a molt this time of year...they are about 8 months old...


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## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

Next time use a pencil to mark eggs.The theory is pen/marker ink leeches into the egg and sometimes the ink is toxic and supposedly pencil doesn't leech into the egg.Good luck!


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## rosco47 (Jul 6, 2015)

noted...thanks CQ


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## rosco47 (Jul 6, 2015)

it appears that 3 of my chickens have started laying again. i have had to remove 3 eggs from mama hen's nest for 2 days now.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

chickenqueen said:


> Next time use a pencil to mark eggs.The theory is pen/marker ink leeches into the egg and sometimes the ink is toxic and supposedly pencil doesn't leech into the egg.Good luck!


Pencil rubs off, been there done that. There was someone here that had used markers for years without it affecting her hatches.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Sort of backs up what I said about them letting someone else do all of the work.


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## rosco47 (Jul 6, 2015)

UPDATE

at about day 12 or 13. i have been able to check her everyday and keep her comfortable. no problems so far. doesn't the magic happen around day 21??? she has moved the nest a couple times but she has been consistently in the same spot for the past few days.


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## chickenmommy (Apr 30, 2013)

Awe that's so exciting huckleberry. Any Banty eggs in the bunch? I read that they can sometimes hatch 1-2 days early


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## rosco47 (Jul 6, 2015)

no mam...all full size breeds. everything is going great. just waiting for the day i left the door to the nest and hear peeps


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

The first peeps are always endearing.


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## rosco47 (Jul 6, 2015)

i have another hen trying to get broody now lol and she stole 3 of the other hen's eggs

should be any day now that they start busting out. what are the recommendations for accommodating the chicks and momma hen? i am going to get some chick starter today...anything else?


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## chickenmommy (Apr 30, 2013)

She would probably feel better if there was a way to separate her and the chicks from the other chickens. She's gonna go into very protective momma bear mode and other chickens near her chicks is gonna stress her out


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I kept my peeps and the hen up for about a week. What I was looking for is how well the peeps blasted around their enclosure. Once I saw that I felt they were strong enough to deal with the challenges of the uneven environment. 

On the one that stole the eggs, it might be fine or it might not be with the eggs this far along. You might end up having to give the chicks back to the original broody so she can teach them. 

The waterer, put some marbles or something in it to keep peeps from drowning. It's most apt to happen in the first few days until they are zipping around and strong.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Funny, with silkies I never had to separate, and the hens stole from eachother all the time and the chicks has several mommies.

I would wait til all are hatched because they will mostly be under the mom. Then move them.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Sem, I had 11 pens in one large building. There could be up to four adult birds in those pens. With the building raised it many times was impossible for young chicks to get back in to the coop proper. So, once they were strong enough to master the ramp then out they went with Mom. And any adults I moved were put back with her.


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## rosco47 (Jul 6, 2015)

so my brown leghorn has now gone broody. both of them seem to be fine with each other though. i have a few ideas for separating the momma from the rest of the flock until all chicks are strong. just waiting.................


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Silkies are amazing. It's like the whole klan takes on raising the babies. Even Pop. They are unusual chickens and sweet.


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## rosco47 (Jul 6, 2015)

Only lost 1 but have 4 healthy! So far...


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

It's that time of year and with all of your girls so young this is liable to happen again right away.


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## rosco47 (Jul 6, 2015)

already have another that won't leave the nest...might have a few more surprises in a couple weeks...


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## farmer_dude48 (Oct 10, 2015)

We finally had a BR go broody and my question is will she leave the nest during the day long enough to allow the other hens to lay eggs in the nest box ??? 

We have a small next box that our girl is sitting in about 3 feet off the floor do I need to try and move her and her eggs to a spot on the floor so when they hatch the chicks can move around ??

Can we move her without messing things up?? She is in a house with 4 other hens.

Thanks this has been a trial by fire so to speak...


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## Buckeye209 (Aug 11, 2015)

are you going to try and make the other one not be a broody hen?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

farmer, you need to be bit more specific. If you want her to hatch those eggs she's on, they need to be marked so you can remove the new eggs any others lay in the nest. 

Moving them is a dicey thing, some will stay with the eggs others return to the nest they had been in. If she's a first time broody, there is a good chance she'll stop. Most who have nest that high wait until just before hatch or as they hatch begins to move them to a different nesting area.


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## farmer_dude48 (Oct 10, 2015)

Sorry this is my first time with a broody hen. I want her to go ahead and hatch them. I will start marking them today she has been on the nest 4 days now. 
I didn't know if she would let the other hens on the nest. 

Thanks for the help


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Well, you're in for a treat. When a hen wants to use a nest it doesn't matter who's there or why they're there. They will lay that egg.

Then there's the whole thing when the hatch begins. It's always a special time. It's also time to think about your setup and whether it's safe for the peeps to be outdoors within a day of hatching. I raised Silkies, it took a week for them to be strong enough to manage the ramps in to their pens. And some training with a few of them. That was always entertaining because they didn't want me messing with them.


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## rosco47 (Jul 6, 2015)

UPDATE
hatched 12 of the 13 eggs. only lost 2 chicks. all are healthy and going nuts in the coop. it was kinda funny because once all the chicks were hatched, the BLH hen that was trying to be broody took all the chicks from the BR that hatched every one of em. and now the BLH keeps her run out of the nesting box. hey whatever works though...chicks seem to be just fine lol


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## zamora (May 26, 2015)

rosco47 said:


> UPDATE
> hatched 12 of the 13 eggs


Like we say in the herpetology world...pics or it didn't happen!


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## rosco47 (Jul 6, 2015)

ah...touche'


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## rosco47 (Jul 6, 2015)

doesn't show all of em but kinda cool...
i will try and get a picture of them soon. theyre all ugly right now trying to grow their feathers


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## chickenmommy (Apr 30, 2013)

Awwwwww!!!! ️️


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

rosco47 said:


> UPDATE
> hatched 12 of the 13 eggs. only lost 2 chicks. all are healthy and going nuts in the coop. it was kinda funny because once all the chicks were hatched, the BLH hen that was trying to be broody took all the chicks from the BR that hatched every one of em. and now the BLH keeps her run out of the nesting box. hey whatever works though...chicks seem to be just fine lol


I've had silkies steal them back and forth. Then both would sit. It was always something., LOL


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Rosco, love that pic. It's like you worked all day to get the perfect lighting for the shot.

Yes, Sem, that Silkie thing is a hoot. When I got the peeps for Chicklett the Silkie to raise one of the Hamburg sisters decided to help her. So peeps had two Moms.


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## chickenmommy (Apr 30, 2013)

Are you going to keep all of them Rosco? You know you wanna


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## rosco47 (Jul 6, 2015)

at night when they all settle down the chicks are randomly split between both mommas lol. but during the day the BLH takes charge. they have slowly figured out how to climb the ramp back to the nesting box.

and yes, i will keep all hens and eat all roos. i have no need for another roo at this point


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## SunshineAcre (Apr 14, 2016)

No advice here but we just got our first as well here at Sunshine Acre. Jellybean, our Easter Egger has always laid eggs throughout the property and we have found stashes of as many as 29 but she always turned in for the night in the coop. Yesterday we had to make the decision whether to close up the coop without her since she wouldn't get off her eggs.

Good luck!


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