CitricPrincess
In the Brooder
- Apr 15, 2021
- 2
- 1
- 29
I've only had experience with one broody hen in my so far measly 3 years of chicken keeping. This was my favorite hen Banshee, a splash old english game bantam who I sadly lost a couple months ago to an unknown predator. She went broody at around 6-8 months old (don't remember exactly) with no warning what so ever, just one night I found her sleeping in the nest instead of on the perch with the other birds, and she stayed there till the eggs I put under her a couple days later out of curiosity hatched. She lost the first clutch due to my noobish mistakes, went broody early the next spring to hatch a clutch of guinea eggs that she sadly lost in the Snake Wars when she almost lost her own life as well to Nemesis the Black Rat Snake and his bull snake accomplice (there's a whole saga here, but I digress), managed to raise the 4 hatches of her 3rd nest to adulthood later that year, protecting them so fiercely she had the whole coop of non-bantams cowering under her pigeon-sized glare, and then tried to brood another nest in mid autumn which I broke her from because it was getting way too cold to bother with chicks. All this is to say, so far my experience with broody hens has been straight forward and fairly simple, and for that and many other reasons I miss that beloved hen dearly.
One of the eggs she raised successfully, though, was her own, and Singer (Buff Orp roo x OEGB hen) has grown into a beautiful little hen, carrying much of her mother's character if not quite as brave or sociable. When I lost Banshee, I put out a few fake eggs in hopes of convincing any of my hens to go broody early enough to hatch the last few Banshee eggs I have, especially hopeful that Singer would pick up this trait from her pedigree. The Banshee eggs have ceased being any good to put under someone, but I leave the fake eggs there because I'll put other eggs under any hen that does want to hatch some. These last couplefew days I've noticed Singer hanging out in the next box on the fake eggs at odd hours, often late in the evening well after any laying has stopped for the day. I usually see her sleeping up in the rafters, as she normally does, if I check late at night, and when I get home from work and let them out for a couple hours of free range, she's right there with them. It's been two or three days since I've gotten an egg from her, not long enough to say she's stopped laying, but I do usually get an egg from her every other day.
Is this pre-broody behavior I've seen mentioned, like she's thinking about it? Is she 'broody' but really bad at it? Other/ None of the above? I'm hopeful she is broody, so that trait may continue in Banshee's legacy, though the timing is laughable as I did just order a number of OEGB chicks to arrive in early may in hopes some of them may be hens with personalities comparable to Banshee's.
Sorry for the long-winded post, I do tend to ramble, but I'm curious about Singer's behavior as Banshee was much more 'Either I'm brooding or I'm not', none of this think about it or false alarm antics.
Singer in nestbox late this evening.
Singer being a loner rafter bird, as she normally sleeps.
One of the eggs she raised successfully, though, was her own, and Singer (Buff Orp roo x OEGB hen) has grown into a beautiful little hen, carrying much of her mother's character if not quite as brave or sociable. When I lost Banshee, I put out a few fake eggs in hopes of convincing any of my hens to go broody early enough to hatch the last few Banshee eggs I have, especially hopeful that Singer would pick up this trait from her pedigree. The Banshee eggs have ceased being any good to put under someone, but I leave the fake eggs there because I'll put other eggs under any hen that does want to hatch some. These last couplefew days I've noticed Singer hanging out in the next box on the fake eggs at odd hours, often late in the evening well after any laying has stopped for the day. I usually see her sleeping up in the rafters, as she normally does, if I check late at night, and when I get home from work and let them out for a couple hours of free range, she's right there with them. It's been two or three days since I've gotten an egg from her, not long enough to say she's stopped laying, but I do usually get an egg from her every other day.
Is this pre-broody behavior I've seen mentioned, like she's thinking about it? Is she 'broody' but really bad at it? Other/ None of the above? I'm hopeful she is broody, so that trait may continue in Banshee's legacy, though the timing is laughable as I did just order a number of OEGB chicks to arrive in early may in hopes some of them may be hens with personalities comparable to Banshee's.
Sorry for the long-winded post, I do tend to ramble, but I'm curious about Singer's behavior as Banshee was much more 'Either I'm brooding or I'm not', none of this think about it or false alarm antics.
Singer in nestbox late this evening.
Singer being a loner rafter bird, as she normally sleeps.