My First Broody!!! (I think)

[Airilith]

Well I have a blue silkie hen, Chole, who just turned 28wks old yesterday. And I'm 90% sure she's broody. Last night when I closed up the coop she was in the nest box. I went over and petted her for a while. She didn't complain, just clucked quietly. This morning she was still in the nest box. A few minutes after I opened up the coop, she got up, ate, drank, and did a lap or two around the run. She then ran right back to the nest box and her two plastic easter eggs. And of course it's the only nest box that all 3 of my currently laying hens love.

My EE hen, Star, was the first one that needed to use it this morning. After a bit of shuffling she just crawled in the box next to Chole and laid her egg. My BR hen, Flitter, is not so nice. She flogged Chole until she left. Well Chole screamed loud enough to have me running from the other side of the farm. I held her until Flitter was done, at which point I took the egg and settled Chole back in.

My plan is to let her put up with this arrangement for at least another day while I get my smaller coop cleaned out and ready. At which point if she's still broody I will move her into her broody pad. Haha! If she yet again continues to sit on her plastic eggs I will give her some fertile ones. I have yet to figure out what to do about that. I have 3 roos in with all my hens, so I could just give her my mutt eggs, or I'm considering trying to find someone close enough that I could drive to for some. I figure it'll save me on shipping costs, and help keep those eggs as fertile/healthy as possible.

So what do you all think? Broody right? Any and all suggestions are extremely appreciated!

PS - Here's a picture of my little Chole!

PPS - Thought of another question already! How many eggs do you give a bantam broody?

 

[LarryPQ]

4 or 5 big eggs? I guess it depends on how banty-sized she is. My sizzle Doxer is sitting on 2 smallish-SF eggs, and a handful of pullet/banty eggs.

 

[Airilith]

Thanks Laree!

I went to check on her this evening and she still sitting in the nest box. I checked under her and she had laid an egg. I didn't expect that. I thought that when hens went broody they stopped laying. How long will she continue to lay?

 

[skeeter03]

could it be an egg from another hen?
i can remove almost an egg a day from under my broody lady (chicks due to hatch this week - heres hoping anyways)

 

[LarryPQ]

It takes them a few days to stop laying when they go broody. Some hens will hide eggs for a few weeks before sitting on them. She may continue to lay for a while before her clutch is "big enough" for her taste

 

[Airilith]

Nope Skeeter, it's definitely her's. She's the only banty I have. The other layers are a BR and an EE. They're eggs look very different, which comes in handy in figuring out who is and isn't laying.

Thanks again Laree. I didn't know that! I'm kinda upset that she didn't wait a week longer. I had just had her seperated from the roos for a week. And was going to put her with my silkie roo, so that she could hatch me some more silkies. Do you think that if she keeps laying for the next week I could still do that? Hmm well it's a thought

 

[Airilith]

Well I thought I'd update y'all.

She's still very, very broody. I moved her and her 2 plastic easter eggs this afternoon. I just went to check on her and she looks much happier. I think my BR hen was picking on her for being in the favorite nestbox. Having a whole coop to herself seems to be exactly what she wanted. She also has a small run full of yummy green grass that's all hers. Talk about the life! Haha! And yet she can still see and hear the rest of the flock, so I don't think she'll get lonely.

I gave her the same type nestbox that I use in the main coop. And I put food and water dishes right outside the nestbox, so she only has to take half a step to eat or drink. I smoothed the surface of the feed, so tomorrow morning I'll be able to tell if she's eaten/gotten up and stepped in the bowl. Do you guys actually put food and water IN the nest box, or just next to it? I'm worried that she may not be eating enough, as everytime I offer some feed in my hand she scarfs it down. I was thinking that a bowl of food in the nest box wouldn't be too hard, but the water could cause a mess.

Assuming she still sitting tomorrow, I think I'm going to go ahead and give her 4 of my mutt eggs. From what I've been reading on here first time moms can be a bit unpredictable, and I'd hate to waste ordered eggs. If she does well this time, then I'll know in the future and can order eggs as soon as I see the first signs.

I've been collected eggs since she first showed the signs of being broody. I marked them with the date, put them in an egg carton in our cool-ish shop, and have been moving them twice a day. And I plan on just using the 4 most recent eggs to give to her.

If anyone can think of anything I'm forgetting please let me know

 

[cochinbantam-lover]

What a cutie!!!

 

[Airilith]

Thanks Cochin! She's a real sweetheart.

Do y'all make your broody hen get up? If so, when's the best time and way to do so? I'm just worried that my lil girl's too dedicated. Though I suppose it could be that I've just missed her leaving the nest. I did see her get up the first 3 days, but the last two I haven't seen her move.

 

[RockyPhoenix]

if you KNOW shes not getting up i would take her off the nest for 15 to 30 minutes each day (at the same time each day, chickens love repetition) but i \\wouldnt worry about her too much because she has her chicken instinct and she will know if she needs to eat...they dont eat much anyway and it could be that she has been running out to that lush green run for some bugs greens and a dust bath and not bothering with feed...also when you feed it out of your hand she probably thinks its a treat if thats how you usually feed them treats....i currently have 6 broodies and ive seen them all get off their nests (of course my chooks are all food hogs...) anyway they have chicken smarts so they will know exactly when they need to eat...make sure u give her nest a dusting of DE because she might get mites if shes sitting 3 weeks...i had one broody get mites last year and boy im lucky we caught them in time because she hadnt been moved from the main flock of about 30 chickens....that wouldnt have been fun! any happy hatching and good luck! hope this helps!