- Jan 17, 2009
- 3
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I'm Linda, on the Mendocino Coast in Northern California. I have a mixed flock of hens from Murray McMurray last spring, their "rare, unusual all pullet" mix. So unusual I've never been able to figure out what some of them are. After the raccoon wars, I've got 11 hens & 2 roosters. right now I'm getting 7 eggs a day.
One of the white Langshans got broody about 6 weeks ago. I looked up raising chicks with a broody hen on the web and followed this advice: I separated her from the flock into a warm, dry, dark, quiet place. I replaced the eggs she'd been on with others I saved, so hopefully they would all hatch at once. I opened the eggs she'd been on & found 5 unfertilized &, sadly, 5 mostly formed chicks. Counting the days, I expected hatching to happen this coming Monday, 1/19.
Well, yesterday morning I heard cheeping & there was one chick & the mama. After checking her for a couple of hours, I noticed she was often off the nest with the active chick & the eggs were cool, so I removed the chick in its own brooding box.Since then, she's been back on the eggs full time.
OK, so here's my question - if the rest don't hatch (maybe because she let them get cold for too long) is it OK to give her another set of eggs to brood? She's already been brooding quite a while. Is it unhealthy for her to brood so long? She doesn't eat or drink much, although she's almost totally inactive in her brooding trance. Linda L.
One of the white Langshans got broody about 6 weeks ago. I looked up raising chicks with a broody hen on the web and followed this advice: I separated her from the flock into a warm, dry, dark, quiet place. I replaced the eggs she'd been on with others I saved, so hopefully they would all hatch at once. I opened the eggs she'd been on & found 5 unfertilized &, sadly, 5 mostly formed chicks. Counting the days, I expected hatching to happen this coming Monday, 1/19.
Well, yesterday morning I heard cheeping & there was one chick & the mama. After checking her for a couple of hours, I noticed she was often off the nest with the active chick & the eggs were cool, so I removed the chick in its own brooding box.Since then, she's been back on the eggs full time.
OK, so here's my question - if the rest don't hatch (maybe because she let them get cold for too long) is it OK to give her another set of eggs to brood? She's already been brooding quite a while. Is it unhealthy for her to brood so long? She doesn't eat or drink much, although she's almost totally inactive in her brooding trance. Linda L.
