[kelsgirlsx]

hi everyone,

my 3 girls will be a year old next month and i wondering when i could expect any of them to go broody. also i was hoping to get some fertile eggs to put under the broody one. would i need to separate the broody hen from the others once i have put the eggs under her and how long would mum and babies have to stay separate.

many thanks kelly x

[Vember]

Hi Kelly, Welcome to the Hen House

Most important question what breed are your girls? Some go broody at the drop of a hat others don't

If you do get a broody and want to her to rear chicks it is best to house her separate whilst she's sitting and once the babies hatch I usually move mine to a broody house after they've sat dummy eggs for 2/3 days then move her and dummy eggs leave for another day then swap for fertile eggs


Sarah

[kelsgirlsx]

hi sarah,

i have 2 hybrid rhodies and 1 hybrid light sussex. i only have one chicken house, is there anything i could use as a temp house for mum and chicks. i take it, it would need to have enclosed nest box area and outside run for when the chicks are old enough to venture out. also how long would i need to keep mum and chicks separate from the other 2.

kelly x

[Vember]

Hybrids aren't known for going broody so she may not sit the full term

If you were to give her a go then an arc would be your best option with a run attached, they don't need a nest box as such then just somewhere snug to sit the eggs. She will need to come off the eggs at least once a day to poop eat and drink some will willing do this others have to be forced

Really depends on the chicks you hatch as to how soon they go back with the others I tend to judge it by size, once they're big enough to hold their own in any scuffles that may occur

Best give her a couple of days to make sure she really is broody before giving her any eggs

Sarah

[kelsgirlsx]

thanks sarah, i am i first time chicken owner and still learning  hopefully one of my girls will do me proud x

[LottieLotto]

Molly hen was broody last year. we tried to encourage her out of this state, but she just sat in the nest in a trance. Eventually we got 3 fertile eggs from a fella at the allotments and Molly sat on them. Eventually one hatched and Pip was born. Molly then ignored the other two eggs and they went cold so we threw them away.

Molly and Pip moved into our conservatory for a few days and then they both returned to the chuck commume with our other hens. Molly took good care of Pip, she was an excellent mother and we were thrilled. Pip kept growing and we soon realised that she was a he. I was devastated! The other chucks and Molly also, became unfriendly and i soon realised why. Pip was raping my girls !!
We had to find a new home for Pip, as we're not allowed to keep cockrels in back gardens - noise pollution, and it wasn't fair on the hens having a frisky cock about.

Pip now lives at the allotments and he has his own harem. He is a magnificent boy with beautiful plummage. He's very happy.

Molly hen hasn't been broody since and i wish she was. Then she could adopt our foundling baby duck

[kelsgirlsx]

oh bless that's great  what breed is molly? sounds like i would have to play it by ear then. could  mum and chicks be housed temp in a large dog crate in the garage ( very light and warm in there) and allowed free ranging during the day

[tiptopchickendon]

hi everyone,

my 3 girls will be a year old next month and i wondering when i could expect any of them to go broody. also i was hoping to get some fertile eggs to put under the broody one. would i need to separate the broody hen from the others once i have put the eggs under her and how long would mum and babies have to stay separate.

many thanks kelly x

I am in the same position. Tikka my Daisybelle hybrid has just gone broody for the 2nd time, so i thought i would get hold of 6  fertile eggs (mixd breeds) for her to sit on. So far she has been great...
Only problem so far is i dont have a brood house for her, so looks like i will have make her one tomorrow.
Also 1 of the Exchequer eggs is cracked at the top, so dont know if to leave it and see if it hatches or throw it away?

[LottieLotto]

We don't know what breed Molly is Kelsgirlsx. She's black with a lovley green sheen and she's the biggest of our 5 girls, who are all of varying height and we don't know what breed they are eitiher....I think my husband knows. I just know theyre my chucks.

When Pip was brand new, Molly and she slept and snuggled in a cardboard box lined with hay. The front was cut out of the box so they could walk in and out at their leisure, and a ready supply of food and water was on hand. I scattered straw on the floor to make the conservatory a bit more chicken house-like for Molly's sake and they played in the garden with the rest of the chucks whenever Molly fancied it, so she could teach Pip how to be a self sufficient chuck.

If i had a light and airy garage with access to the garden, i would have kept them there, but the alternative to our conservatory which was just the right temperature, would have been the much too warm , and and that was a definate no, no.

Molly is showing Pip how to dig for grubs here 

[joyfull]

Hi tiptopchickendon, if I was you I would remove the cracked egg, the egg could get contaminated and also the shell being cracked and could get broken. If it gets bactaria in it could explode or infect the others. Best to try and get 5 healthy ones rather than risk them all, 

[tiptopchickendon]

Hi tiptopchickendon, if I was you I would remove the cracked egg, the egg could get contaminated and also the shell being cracked and could get broken. If it gets bactaria in it could explode or infect the others. Best to try and get 5 healthy ones rather than risk them all, 

Cheers.

Egg has been removed,

 

[joyfull]

good luck with the rest