Three of our hens went broody

[StepfordCuckoos]

Three of our girls went broody at the same time. Two are in the same coop and one is in a different one. It's so interesting to watch. Our silkie was the first to go broody. She's just about a year old and is really tiny. At first I just thought she wanted to sleep somewhere else (sometimes our silkies would sleep in a nesting box instead of the roosting bars) but then it became clear she wanted to hatch eggs. I exchanged out the eggs she was sitting on because that coop has no roosters and then a day or two later our Partridge Penedesenca decided to go broody as well. She literally kicked our silkie out of the nest multiple times (even after I put eggs in another nest for her). Ultimately I moved the silkie into an isolated brooder in their coop and she's comfier now. Our PP was broody back around Thanksgiving and actually hatched two eggs (one of the chicks didn't make it. Hatched and was completely healthy and chirping but we came out to check on her a few hours later and that baby was nowhere to be found) so we weren't expecting her to go broody this soon.

Then, shockingly, our Frost White Legbar went broody. Unfortunately, she's rude af and it's been hell trying to check on the eggs she's sitting on. Any time I try to do so she pecks at my hand.

Our PP and Silkie will be fine with their babies because the coop they are in is much more chill but I'm worried for our Frost White Legbar. The PP is originally from that coop but we moved her to the other because there was less chaos/no rooster. When the Frost White Legbar hatches her babies what would you say the best course of action is? We don't want the babies to get trampled or killed. I don't want to keep her cooped up inside with them because it will be hot (we'll be going into summer shortly). I don't want to take her babies away from her because that's cruel. If we move to the other coop, it will definitely be overrun. Do you guys have any suggestions?

 

[Cassandra Lana]

Do you have a garage of basement ?

 

[Chicalina]

Can you just put her in a catbox inside the coop to brood, and then just let her raise the chicks with the flock?

 

[sassychickens76]

How did everything turn out?

 

[StepfordCuckoos]

How did everything turn out?

Our black silkie is in the brooder in the coop with 5 chicks. She hatched 3 herself, but gave away two of them which left her with one. Then the other hens started hatching eggs so we'd take those babies and slip them in with her (because it was the safest place). Our Frost White Legbar stopped being broody suddenly on day 19, I think. Luckily our OE had also went broody and she just took those eggs over. Between her and our PP, they hatched seven. One of the PP (which was. FWLB/BA egg) hatched but I never saw the baby. So that brought us down to six. When the FWLB stopped being broody two of the eggs got left in the box and were not sat on for a bit of time. One of them ended up dying in the egg but the other survived- though it did need help hatching. It has a slipped tendon that we've tried our best to fix but just can't seem to get it right. That chick was brought inside to an upstairs brooder for special attention. So that takes us to five. Of those five three were placed with the silkie (who now has five chicks). One stayed with the OE and one stayed with the PP.

We thought we were in the clear on broody hens but two more of them have since gone broody. One being my white silkie (in the same coop as the broody mamas) and our barred rock (who has never gone broody in her life) who is in another coop.

 

[Chicalina]

Our black silkie is in the brooder in the coop with 5 chicks. She hatched 3 herself, but gave away two of them which left her with one. Then the other hens started hatching eggs so we'd take those babies and slip them in with her (because it was the safest place). Our Frost White Legbar stopped being broody suddenly on day 19, I think. Luckily our OE had also went broody and she just took those eggs over. Between her and our PP, they hatched seven. One of the PP (which was. FWLB/BA egg) hatched but I never saw the baby. So that brought us down to six. When the FWLB stopped being broody two of the eggs got left in the box and were not sat on for a bit of time. One of them ended up dying in the egg but the other survived- though it did need help hatching. It has a slipped tendon that we've tried our best to fix but just can't seem to get it right. That chick was brought inside to an upstairs brooder for special attention. So that takes us to five. Of those five three were placed with the silkie (who now has five chicks). One stayed with the OE and one stayed with the PP.

We thought we were in the clear on broody hens but two more of them have since gone broody. One being my white silkie (in the same coop as the broody mamas) and our barred rock (who has never gone broody in her life) who is in another coop.

that made my brain hurt

 

[StepfordCuckoos]

that made my brain hurt

We basically just shifted the chicks around after they hatched and most went to our black silkie.

 

[Chicalina]

We basically just shifted the chicks around after they hatched and most went to our black silkie.

TLR !! love it.

I've got currently:

1 broody silkie hen with chicks
1 broody polkie pullet with eggs
1 broody wyandotte on fake eggs as a backup to the polkie in case she turns out to be a bad mama, as she is unproven as yet.

And I'm not getting enough eggs to eat!

 

[StepfordCuckoos]

TLR !! love it.

I've got currently:

1 broody silkie hen with chicks
1 broody polkie pullet with eggs
1 broody wyandotte on fake eggs as a backup to the polkie in case she turns out to be a bad mama, as she is unproven as yet.

And I'm not getting enough eggs to eat!

Omg Polkie!! Do you have pictures? I'd love to see them.

Our silkie turned out to be the most fantastic mama. She's so sweet and just accepted all of the chicks we gave her. When we put our hands in her brooder and offer her food she comes over and starts calling for her babies to follow. It's so cute. I hope once these chicks grow up she'll go broody at some point again lol.

 

[Chicalina]

Omg Polkie!! Do you have pictures? I'd love to see them.

Our silkie turned out to be the most fantastic mama. She's so sweet and just accepted all of the chicks we gave her. When we put our hands in her brooder and offer her food she comes over and starts calling for her babies to follow. It's so cute. I hope once these chicks grow up she'll go broody at some point again lol.

Oh that's lovely!

Here is my little Polkie pullet mama.