# Brave Broody Mama



## ChickenMom24 (Feb 14, 2021)

This is my second broody hen, who chose to sit in the favorite nesting box. I wasn’t thrilled to think about more chicks, but thought it would be okay if she had a couple. Sooo, 4-5 days pass and we happened to catch her off the nest, and there were 14 eggs—-14! 😳 

Several of the other hens were so graciously laying eggs for her to sit on. 😖 I ended up marking the originals and putting a cardboard barrier up in the morning. But those darned hens were so determined, I even had to lock them out of the coop sometimes. She is extremely difficult to get off the nest, so I don’t know how many are under there at this point, but had a little cutie hatch today, and there is peeping coming from another egg.

Think we’ll call this one Batgirl!! 🤩


----------



## danathome (Sep 14, 2020)

A very cute chick. Such a sweet face!


----------



## ChickenMom24 (Feb 14, 2021)

danathome said:


> A very cute chick. Such a sweet face!


Thanks! It is super sweet! I am 99% sure it is a girl. She is just so chill.


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

This was good for a morning chuckle. The girls can certainly be frustrating when trying to convince them to do something different.


----------



## Overmountain1 (Jun 5, 2020)

How adorable! You’re gonna have many more than bargained for- perhaps she will start moving in the next day or so and you can get a look! Ahahaha sorry I don’t mean to laugh- I went overboard myself this year. 

Adorable pic- love the name.


----------



## ChickenMom24 (Feb 14, 2021)

Overmountain1 said:


> How adorable! You’re gonna have many more than bargained for- perhaps she will start moving in the next day or so and you can get a look! Ahahaha sorry I don’t mean to laugh- I went overboard myself this year.
> 
> Adorable pic- love the name.


Thanks! 

I got mama, the eggs, and chicks moved to a private space last night so they don’t get bothered. There is still about fourteen eggs under her, plus two cute chicks! We are going to have to find someone who will take on most of the chicks if they all hatch, because that’s more than my total number of chickens!!! 😵‍💫

Waiting for them to hatch is so much fun, though! There is no telling what kind is in there cause all my chickens are different!! The other chick looks just like my Icelandic mama did, but I didn’t think she was laying eggs yet??


----------



## ChickenMom24 (Feb 14, 2021)

robin416 said:


> This was good for a morning chuckle. The girls can certainly be frustrating when trying to convince them to do something different.


Yes, they sure have minds of their own. I don’t know how many times I had to kick Carmel out….grrrrr Then she would try to get in through the window. Lol


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

ChickenMom24 said:


> View attachment 41766
> 
> 
> Thanks!
> ...


Try candling, you want to know how many of those eggs are actually viable. You don't want her hanging on a nest forever trying to hatch what is under her if they're not going to hatch. 

And make sure you show peeps food and water because while she's on the nest, she won't.


----------



## ChickenMom24 (Feb 14, 2021)

robin416 said:


> Try candling, you want to know how many of those eggs are actually viable. You don't want her hanging on a nest forever trying to hatch what is under her if they're not going to hatch.
> 
> And make sure you show peeps food and water because while she's on the nest, she won't.


Last time I checked, they all showed development. It is just so hard to catch her off the nest. She is determined!

I got Batgirl to eat and drink a couple times yesterday, and showed the new one water here when I checked this morning. They will have better access now that they are moved. She had them on the second story nesting box before. This is going to be a loooong week, I think!


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Don't wait for her to come off the nest, slide them out from under her. Take them some place to candle, then slide them back. They really do let us get away with that.


----------



## ChickenMom24 (Feb 14, 2021)

#3 just hatched

Looks like a little roo already!


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

It's beginning to sound like you're going to have a coop full very soon.


----------



## ChickenMom24 (Feb 14, 2021)

robin416 said:


> It's beginning to sound like you're going to have a coop full very soon.


I am already spreading the word to see if anyone needs chicks, because that’s going to be too many for us. Don’t think I will let a hen sit on eggs again, although I don’t care for the methods suggested for breaking broodies.


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

One of the tricks I did with mine was to buy day old pullets after my girl was on the nest for a while. I had someone I gave the peeps to when she was done raising them


----------



## ChickenMom24 (Feb 14, 2021)

robin416 said:


> One of the tricks I did with mine was to buy day old pullets after my girl was on the nest for a while. I had someone I gave the peeps to when she was done raising them


That was my plan with my last broody, because I didn’t think her eggs would hatch. Then we ended up with four chicks instead of two! Lol 😆


----------



## ChickenMom24 (Feb 14, 2021)

Sooo much cuteness!!!! 🥰


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Those looks make it hard to rehome them.


----------



## ChickenMom24 (Feb 14, 2021)

robin416 said:


> Those looks make it hard to rehome them.


-sigh- Totally. 😪


----------



## ChickenMom24 (Feb 14, 2021)

Crap! Dingy mom decided to poop in the box and it got all over the eggs! 😭 I know you shouldn’t wash them, but you all know how foul broody bombs are. I took the eggs and rinsed the poo off in warm water, put them in a different box, and she went right in there. One egg was even peeping. I hope they will be okay now, but I couldn’t leave that poo in there with the chicks. 🤢


----------



## lovely_chooks (Mar 19, 2021)

ChickenMom24 said:


> View attachment 41820
> Sooo much cuteness!!!! 🥰


Adorable little chick


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

ChickenMom24 said:


> Crap! Dingy mom decided to poop in the box and it got all over the eggs! 😭 I know you shouldn’t wash them, but you all know how foul broody bombs are. I took the eggs and rinsed the poo off in warm water, put them in a different box, and she went right in there. One egg was even peeping. I hope they will be okay now, but I couldn’t leave that poo in there with the chicks. 🤢


Lucked out that you even caught it this close to hatch.


----------



## ChickenMom24 (Feb 14, 2021)

lovely_chooks said:


> Adorable little chick


Thanks! They are killing me with cute! Another one hatched this morning!


----------



## ChickenMom24 (Feb 14, 2021)

robin416 said:


> Lucked out that you even caught it this close to hatch.


Thankfully it got all over the cardboard box I used to move her, so clean up was a bit easier.


----------



## ChickenMom24 (Feb 14, 2021)




----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

How many does that leave now?

Have you tried candling to make sure she's not wasting time?


----------



## ChickenMom24 (Feb 14, 2021)

robin416 said:


> How many does that leave now?
> 
> Have you tried candling to make sure she's not wasting time?


I keep losing track….should be around 10-12.
Yesterday when I had to rinse some of them off, I checked some of them and they were very dark and filled in. Didn’t have time to check them all, but not seeing any duds yet. 

This hen is something else, though! Very high maintenance. I had to move the food and water farther away because she kept stretching her neck out and pulling them closer so she could eat without moving. Yesterday she did that with the water and dumped it, so I had to change out the wood shaving I had just put in there. Dang lazy hen!!


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

That's actually pretty darned funny. Although I did wonder if food was too close since she messed in the nest. We recommend it be a distance away to prevent that and to make sure they get up and move around a little.


----------



## ChickenMom24 (Feb 14, 2021)

Yeah, I have it a good ways away now and I picked her up off the nest twice to get her to move around. I was hoping she would poo, but hasn’t. I didn’t realize how good I had it with my other broody. That mama was on the ball like clockwork for everything. With this one, it feels like I have to hold her hand, err….wing for everything! 😂


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Hand works, I knew what you meant.

Is she a first time? Sometimes they can be a bit more work when it's a first time for them.


----------



## ChickenMom24 (Feb 14, 2021)

Yes, first time I let her. We had no egg production for a while and found two huge clutches in the woods that they all had been working on. Had to lock them in the coop/run half the day until they got used to laying in the nesting boxes again.

I have about had it with her! My gosh….just checked her and now she tried to move some of her eggs to brood next to the food, instead of in the box! 🤯 😆


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

LOL I'm glad I didn't have my coffee ready to take a sip. This is absolutely hilarious. I have never had any of mine do that and I had a lot of them. 

She's bound and determined not to have to get up and walk around.


----------



## ChickenMom24 (Feb 14, 2021)

robin416 said:


> LOL I'm glad I didn't have my coffee ready to take a sip. This is absolutely hilarious. I have never had any of mine do that and I had a lot of them.
> 
> She's bound and determined not to have to get up and walk around.


Lol. I shake my head every time I have to deal with her. She better enjoy these chicks, because I am not letting her sit on eggs again!


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Yeah, just like I was never going to have another dog.


----------



## ChickenMom24 (Feb 14, 2021)

Awwwwww, cute!

She just hatched out chick #5…lol. Tried to weed some eggs out yesterday, but only one looked like a dud. I had to move the food back near the nesting box to keep her from sitting next to it in random spots!


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

That hen is a riot. She may be a pain in the neck to you but I don't have to deal with her.


----------



## ChickenMom24 (Feb 14, 2021)

robin416 said:


> That hen is a riot. She may be a pain in the neck to you but I don't have to deal with her.


I am glad someone is getting entertained by her! 😆

Well, here is Lucky, chick #6! She decided to give up sitting on eggs yesterday and ran around scratching, filling up the food and water stations with wood chips every 20 minutes. Thought I had better think about tossing them, and brought them in the house when I heard peeping! Lucky piped and peeped while sitting under a 60 watt bulb all day. I talked to it and played videos of its siblings chirping. One other egg started peeping and poked a shell chip as well. I waited until she settled back in to the nesting box for the evening and slipped the peeping eggs back.

Sure enough, the lucky peeping egg hatched! She is still on the other egg, but she moved it, so hopefully it won’t die getting shuffled around by goofy mama.


----------



## Overmountain1 (Jun 5, 2020)

Oh my goodness. Yeah, it gets so complicated when they’re hatching staggered in that manner- I did that to myself with the incubator, and tho it sounds simple it wasn’t!  They’re adorable little chicks! I hope the others hold out long enough to pop out for you, I think! Hahaha sounds like you’ll have plenty with or without these last ones…


----------



## ChickenMom24 (Feb 14, 2021)

Overmountain1 said:


> Oh my goodness. Yeah, it gets so complicated when they’re hatching staggered in that manner- I did that to myself with the incubator, and tho it sounds simple it wasn’t!  They’re adorable little chicks! I hope the others hold out long enough to pop out for you, I think! Hahaha sounds like you’ll have plenty with or without these last ones…


Thanks! It is a lot of work, isn’t it?! There are 5 other eggs still under the light, but I am not confident about them. I am having a hard time keeping a consistent temperature with the light bulb, and haven’t heard any peeps or scratching noises. I really don’t need more chicks, but I don’t want to throw out a live egg either. They all appear to be full of chick with an air sack at the end. -sigh-


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Can you encircle the eggs with something and not touch the light? Are you using a bell lamp? That would help spread the heat and contain it a bit.


----------



## ChickenMom24 (Feb 14, 2021)

robin416 said:


> Can you encircle the eggs with something and not touch the light? Are you using a bell lamp? That would help spread the heat and contain it a bit.


This is what I have set up….I think I got the distance figured out as it has been hovering just under 100 the last few hours. That one chick is still peeping and pecking!


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Is the towel wet? They need extra humidity right now. If you start to hear screaming, holler. We'll walk you through helping if it's been 24 hours since it externally pipped.


----------



## ChickenMom24 (Feb 14, 2021)

robin416 said:


> Is the towel wet? They need extra humidity right now. If you start to hear screaming, holler. We'll walk you through helping if it's been 24 hours since it externally pipped.


The towel was damp when I put it in yesterday, and a drop a bit of water off my fingers every so often. I guess I am afraid of over-doing it? My mom is trying to talk me into buying a brooder for emergencies like this. I really don’t want to breed chickens, but this process is tricky. 

The chick isn’t screaming, but is peeping a often, I would guess it pipped sometime between 6 and 8pm last night.


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

You're going to end up helping it if it hasn't made any more progress than that pip hole. 

If you do start after the rest of us sign off. Remove a small bit of shell at the pip hole, peel a little membrane, if you see blood stop and put it back for a while. If it goes OK, work around the outside of the shell like they do when they hatch. Put it back every once in a while to see if can make progress on its own.


----------



## ChickenMom24 (Feb 14, 2021)

Thanks! I did have to do some of that. Poor chick pipped on the opposite side of the air sack and the membrane had dried out and couldn’t break through. Been a struggle trying to dampen the membrane and loosen the shell a bit. But it was afeisty little chick and made it! Gonna leave it under the light till mom sets down for the evening. 
I don’t know how people hatch chicks all the time?? It is sooo stressful!


----------



## ChickenMom24 (Feb 14, 2021)

Another egg under my light is peeping. 😳


----------



## Overmountain1 (Jun 5, 2020)

Hahaha you’ve got one good broody hen there! She really did great- and yes im sure they’ll do fine under mom this evening! 

So cute- and the more you hatch the less stressful it is. The easier it gets to wait on them, etc, ok that is a lie that part won’t get better… but the rest does. 

And- I would rather have the brooder around than not- cause I know me and if the eggs made it that close to hatching or even more than halfway, and something happened to need it then I know I would want it. If that terrible run-on sentence made sense.


----------



## ChickenMom24 (Feb 14, 2021)

🙂 Yeah, I probably should have one around just for some peace of mind. This next egg is a little noise box, but doesn’t have a pip yet. At least the beak is in the air pocket this time, though. Little bugger keeps waking me up and I have to be to work by 7am. Maybe it’ll be a lower stress hatch and be done by the time I get home? But won’t be here to keep moisture on it either. 😬


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Wet those towels down again, make them soppy wet. 

I'm glad peep made it out. That other peep is concerning though, it might be too dry to get further than it has at this point. Can Mom step in while you're at work?


----------



## ChickenMom24 (Feb 14, 2021)

I put a new wet towel last night and another fresh one in the morning. I am afraid to put it under mom because she moves too much. At least the chicks move and sit under wherever she happens to set.

I have to get a few chores done now and leave. 😢


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I wonder where your brain is going to be while you're at work. 🤔


----------



## ChickenMom24 (Feb 14, 2021)

robin416 said:


> I wonder where your brain is going to be while you're at work. 🤔


You know it! Lol

Well chick had not pipped yet. I had marked where the air sack and beak was, so I opened it up a bit and moistened. Beak was through the membrane, but not the shell. Guess I will just repeat what I did yesterday and keep the membrane moist and slowly chip the shell a bit more later if it doesn’t look like it is making progress. Veins had just a bit of red, so they could absorb a bit more yet. Not rushing ….


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Well, the work and peeps hatching at the same time we all know how that is.

Good on the not rushing. It's just that's the hardest part of all. If peep starts screaming you might have no other choice but to step in yet again.


----------



## ChickenMom24 (Feb 14, 2021)

As of 5:30 this morning, little Hope hatched. After two sleepless night with this chick I feel like I have birth. Lol

That makes #8


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Are you sure it's only two sleepless nights? Got any more that look viable?

Congrats on the results from the most macgyvered incubator I've ever seen.


----------



## ChickenMom24 (Feb 14, 2021)

robin416 said:


> Are you sure it's only two sleepless nights? Got any more that look viable?
> 
> Congrats on the results from the most macgyvered incubator I've ever seen.


Lol. At this point I am too tired to remember!

Thanks! I certainly would NOT recommend this method to anyone, but got it to work in a pinch. Both chicks struggled and were unable to rotate to open the shell, probably because of moisture issues making them stick to the membrane a bit. I ended up removing the top where the air sack was, and loosely wrapped with a warm, wet towel, leaving the beak out. I heard screeching around 5am, so I pulled the towel back and chick pushed out. Hope is doing well with mom and seems to have made buddies with Lucky already. ❤ 

Of the two eggs I haven’t tossed, one is from the original batch I marked, making it AT least 22 days old or more, up to 29 days. It looks normal and full with a little air sack, but no visible movement or sounds. Seems like I should be hearing some pecking or peeping by now. I’m going to give it the rest of the day. The other is one of the ones that got snuck in later after I marked, and missed pulling it out. It has veins, movement, and a less developed chick. If I had to guess, I would say it needs another week. I am not confident with being able to hatch that one, but I can’t bring myself to toss it either


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Don't blame you for not wanting to throw either one out too quick. 

Your "incubator" worked for two. Why not one more?


----------



## ChickenMom24 (Feb 14, 2021)

Yeah, we’ll see. Definitely planning to order a little incubator to have on hand just in case. Last time I checked they didn’t have any in town.


----------



## ChickenMom24 (Feb 14, 2021)

Any opinions on this egg? This was the straggling egg that was under my broody until she stopped sitting, and has been on a damp rag under a 60 watt bulb. There are still visible veins and it isn’t looking soupy.

It is frustrating because I don’t know when it was laid, and when I was letting the other eggs sit still because they were near hatching, this one wasn’t getting turned like it should have.

Do I keep going with it? What if it has issues because of the lack of proper conditions? It still has some filling in to do.


----------



## Animals45 (May 11, 2021)

Yikes hard decision but I say keep it and still try. Hope it makes it🤞. How long ago did you find out that it was there? If you ever see a ring around the middle inside of the egg throw it out it's bad, eggs like that if left in there for too long it ruines the other eggs, my sister has hatched eggs a few times and 1 had it and she said it's gotta go before it ruines the other eggs.

I'm not very informative so hope everything goes well, Good luck!
Goodnight!🌙


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Not knowing when it was laid makes it tough. You have a pic documentation now so if you check again in a few days and there's not change then you can be fairly certain it died.

What happened with the other one? Did it hatch?


----------



## ChickenMom24 (Feb 14, 2021)

robin416 said:


> Not knowing when it was laid makes it tough. You have a pic documentation now so if you check again in a few days and there's not change then you can be fairly certain it died.
> 
> What happened with the other one? Did it hatch?


This is that one last egg, I just re-told the egg story. I guessed that it had a week to go, but it might be more than that. Looks like it made some progress, though.


----------



## ChickenMom24 (Feb 14, 2021)

Animals45 said:


> Yikes hard decision but I say keep it and still try. Hope it makes it🤞. How long ago did you find out that it was there? If you ever see a ring around the middle inside of the egg throw it out it's bad, eggs like that if left in there for too long it ruines the other eggs, my sister has hatched eggs a few times and 1 had it and she said it's gotta go before it ruines the other eggs.
> 
> I'm not very informative so hope everything goes well, Good luck!
> Goodnight!🌙


I guess I will keep trying. It just makes me nervous that something could go wrong with the development. I pulled it out with the rest when mom stopped sitting on them and they got cold….which would have been over a week ago, I think. The rest have gotten tossed as they started looking soupy or off. It is the lone little egg!! 🐣


----------



## ChickenMom24 (Feb 14, 2021)

At this point in development do I still turn it? I have been turning it a bit each day since I realized it wasn’t going to hatch right away.


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

You can. If it's still alive that bit of movement might be more about knowing somethings out there waiting on it to come out.


----------



## Animals45 (May 11, 2021)

ChickenMom24 said:


> I guess I will keep trying. It just makes me nervous that something could go wrong with the development. I pulled it out with the rest when mom stopped sitting on them and they got cold….which would have been over a week ago, I think. The rest have gotten tossed as they started looking soupy or off. It is the lone little egg!! 🐣


Good, I'm glad your still trying! I'll pray everything goes well and the chick hatches with no complications!


----------

