[Foghorn-Leghorn]

Imelda one of my hybrids has apparently gone broody.  She's a Pied Suffolk and on doing some reading is a RIR based hybrid.  I apologise now if this is a long post it's just I'd like some advice - 1.  Is she really broody and not ill, and 2.  If she is broody, is it worth putting her on some fertile eggs in a broody coop?  I'm more than happy to have a few chicks running around and I feel horrible stopping her doing what's obviously in her nature to do.  We've also discussed the inevitable cockerals we would get from hatching chicks and are happy we can deal with them as necessary so have thought of all the implications, we just don't want to go to building a broody coop if it's not the right thing to do.

So, Imelda's symptoms! - She's pulled out all the feathers from just below her crop right around to her feathery knickers (she looks and feels like an oven ready chicken underneath!) we know it's her pullng her feathers out, not her friends as we've found them (feathers not her friends) in the nest box over the last few weeks. 
She has now taken to sitting in the nest box on her and her friend's eggs all the time.  She seems to drop her front half down and raise her rump but her tail is down and her wings flared slightly and makes the wierdest noise. 
When my other half collected the eggs yesterday evening after twice shooing her out of the nest box he finally had to block it off as she kept going back in.  She then went and sulked (or so it seemed) in the coop on a perch and we didn't see her for the rest of the evening.
She was happy for me to lift her off the nest box this morning when I went to let them out but when I put her on the floor she maintained the same pose she'd had in the nest box for 15 seconds or so (hence my first question is it broodiness or illness) but then got up and went for food. 
She's also a bit more agressive with the other girls - making the same strange noise she makes when in the nest box - and pecking them on the head at the same time.

Is this all normal behaviour?  I'm a fairly new chook keeper and it has to be said I've had a few ups and downs with loosing one suddenly for no reason and more than a few scares with Imelda and her softies (which have now stopped) so I would hate for this to be something else sinister.  What makes me laugh is I bought hybrids as they apparently rarely go broody! 

Thank you for taking the time to read this post, it does seem at the moment all I do is post when there's a problem!

[Tazzy]

Hi,

Take a look at my post a few below yours - we're in the same boat but I've already put some fertile eggs under mine. The advice I got was not to leave her too long before giving her the egss to prevent her from giving up part of the way through. I think my little Olive had been broody for just under a week. We've adapted an old guinea pig run for her to sit in, and following the advice I've had from my post, I'll be going out to move her off the eggs later on for a few minutes to allow her to eat and stretch. She seems quite content just to sit there, even though food and water are within reach for her. Good luck - my hatching day is about 23rd June, most people seem to agree on a 21 day incubation period, give or take a day.

[joyfull]

yes she is broody, the funny noise should be a bit like a growl. She should flattern herslf out when on eggs so that she can cover them all.
If you can cope with any cockerels and you would be very lucky not to get at least 50% boys then yes go for it. I tend to place the fertile eggs just next to the broody and let her move them under her - this way I know that she will accept them. I do this in their ordinary coup and leave the broody there for a few days. When I am sure they have accepted the eggs I lift the broody and kepping her tucked under my arm move a couple of eggs at a time into the broody coup making sure that I keep the eggs the same way up and that she can see all this happening. Finally I shut her up in the broody coup in the dark for the rest of the day just to make sure she settles (some hens at this stage will reject the eggs after the move which is why I shut her up in the dark just to give the hen and eggs a better chance). This method works for me so hopefully it will for you  

[Foghorn-Leghorn]

Thank you for the quick replies

Tazzy - I did read your post but didn't want to hijack it and I wasn't sure if your broody girl was a hybrid or pure breed.  I have heard that hybrids don't make good mums as they can give up part way through.

Joyfull - thank you very much for the advice.  It's great to read books and I've scoured my Hayne's Chicken Manual on this one but sometimes it's better to get advice from people who've been there and done that themself.

Think I will try her with some fertile eggs then if she is broody and not ill!

Thanks again.

[Tazzy]

Ah, that bit I didn't know - mine's a hybrid, so I'll keep my fingers crossed that she's ok as tying her to the nest box seems a bit extreme 

[joyfull]

Most of my broodies are hybrids 
Last year my black rock (hybrid) and also my cuckoo maran (pure breed) and this year my silkie crosses (x 3 - 2 of which hatched by last years cuckoo maran) and my cuckoo maran again.
It just depends on the individual hens 

[Foghorn-Leghorn]

That's good to know - I'm happy for her to try and join your girls in showing that hybrids are good mums too!  I'm sure she'll do a good job - she's always seemed a mother hen type but that's probably me just assuming so because of her build (she's a big girl!).

[Tazzy]

Olive wasn't huge - but now looks like she's been steamrollered as she's flattened herself right out over the eggs - she's on a dozen  I figured that the eggs would be like sowing/planting veg - not every one will be successful, so I'm hoping for at least half to hatch.

[Foghorn-Leghorn]

I must admit Imelda looks like she'd make a lovely hat at the moment she's that large and fluffed of feather and wing.

Fingers crossed you get a good hatch rate from your dozen eggs, I think I'm going to try for slightly less as a first attempt.

Imelda is going in her new broody coop this evening with some sacrificial eggs from the other girls for a day to make sure she's still into the idea and then I'm going to put some fertile eggs under her.

Good luck to us both!

[Tazzy]

Hi Foghorn - yes fingers crossed for us both, love to hear how you get on with yours 

[TeaPots]

just put some mixed silkie eggs under my cuckoo silkie today too, I'm hoping its not too hot for them.

[Foghorn-Leghorn]

Fingers crossed for TeaPots too!  I'd love to hear how everyone gets on 

[EJCTM]

Foghorn,
Just to give you some comfort, I have 5 sex-linked hybrids (RIR/Light Sussex cross) and one went broody last year. We got some duck eggs and she hatched and raised the ducklings fantastically. They need 28 days incubation compared to chickens 21 days so it took an extra effort for her.
This year, the same hen went broody (never any of the others!) and we have got some more duck eggs for her to hatch. She is such a good mum! I also take her off the nest twice a day to get food and water as she is so reluctant to leave the eggs. She spends 10 mins running around, has a quick dust bath and settles back down on them rosey away!
Even her own mother was no good as a broody, as the breeder uses his Silkies to hatch all the eggs.
Just goes to show that the instinct can be really strong, even when humans try and breed it out of them.
Good luck with your eggs - I am sure she will do a good job!

[nicky d]

good luck with your hatching eggs,   you can have fun now deciding wot breeds to get,   keep us posted and some piccys please.   nickyx

[Foghorn-Leghorn]

Thanks EJCTM, we're now on day 10 and Imelda is still sat tight.  I have to lift her off twice a day as she won't budge otherwise.  She runs round like a mad thing, making bizarre noises, generally manages a bit to eat and drink, has a frantic dustbath, pecks or jumps at the other hens (she'd make an awesome kickboxer), has a good stretch and flap or two and then it's back to her eggs!  Nature is fabulous and I can't believe how many more quirks hens have that I wouldn't have had the privilge of seeing had she not gone broody.