Oh my, what on earth have I gotten us all into???

[aliris]

Hi all - seems this is a whole new world to learn about. I have a nearly 4yo buff orpington who goes broody all the time, and is so right now. It's really hard to break her so I decided to see what she could do, purchasing 7 eggs yesterday.

And now - yikes, I realize I know _nothing_ about this! Reading some of all the many things that can go wrong I am really wondering what on earth I was thinking. Well anyway, this die is cast....

I didn't isolate the broody, she's just in the middle of three boxes and the others have been laying around her with no fuss so far.

Someone on a thread mentioned a "daily constitutional" - will the broody get up and pee/poop and eat daily? I tried to feed her even some special treat yesterday but she was having none of it. I actually took her off the nest this morning so she's eat and pee but she ran back in less than 3 seconds. So I realize it's not as if I have any idea and maybe she does so I should just leave her alone. Is it possible she could starve herself??

She has definitely moved/rotated the eggs because they're very neatly lined up in a row whereas yesterday I just stuff them underneath her so I very much doubt they wound up in that nice, neat row from my efforts.

When I got the eggs from the breeder they were quite cold and I was surprised they had not been left in any insulation. I brought a insulated bag but don't think that helped too much. ¿How long can eggs be "cold" without trouble? I gather reading elsewhere this may depend on their development. These are presumably newly-laid eggs so... maybe it will be OK?

¿Should I move the eggs+broody into a separated, isolated setup? I have an old commercial coop that could function well, I could close its door and just keep the other eggs out. Would that be better?

I'll read through the articles in the pinned section. Any other suggestions for good ways to get up to speed?

¿Would it be better just to move the broody and eggs inside the house altogether? Because when the babies hatch they'll be so teeny, how to keep them safe from toddling and falling? The nest is up a ramp and they'd just fall off its ledge I'm afraid, once born?

tia!

 

[Perris]

OK, you've got a steep learning curve to climb. I suggest you start here
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...hatch-a-long-and-informational-thread.457488/

 

[Debbie292d]

Hi all - seems this is a whole new world to learn about. I have a nearly 4yo buff orpington who goes broody all the time, and is so right now. It's really hard to break her so I decided to see what she could do, purchasing 7 eggs yesterday.

And now - yikes, I realize I know _nothing_ about this! Reading some of all the many things that can go wrong I am really wondering what on earth I was thinking. Well anyway, this die is cast....

I didn't isolate the broody, she's just in the middle of three boxes and the others have been laying around her with no fuss so far.

Someone on a thread mentioned a "daily constitutional" - will the broody get up and pee/poop and eat daily? I tried to feed her even some special treat yesterday but she was having none of it. I actually took her off the nest this morning so she's eat and pee but she ran back in less than 3 seconds. So I realize it's not as if I have any idea and maybe she does so I should just leave her alone. Is it possible she could starve herself??

She has definitely moved/rotated the eggs because they're very neatly lined up in a row whereas yesterday I just stuff them underneath her so I very much doubt they wound up in that nice, neat row from my efforts.

When I got the eggs from the breeder they were quite cold and I was surprised they had not been left in any insulation. I brought a insulated bag but don't think that helped too much. ¿How long can eggs be "cold" without trouble? I gather reading elsewhere this may depend on their development. These are presumably newly-laid eggs so... maybe it will be OK?

¿Should I move the eggs+broody into a separated, isolated setup? I have an old commercial coop that could function well, I could close its door and just keep the other eggs out. Would that be better?

I'll read through the articles in the pinned section. Any other suggestions for good ways to get up to speed?

¿Would it be better just to move the broody and eggs inside the house altogether? Because when the babies hatch they'll be so teeny, how to keep them safe from toddling and falling? The nest is up a ramp and they'd just fall off its ledge I'm afraid, once born?

tia!

Just some pointers:

A hen sitting on eggs will generally get up at least once a day, on her own, poop, eat, drink.

She can be left in the same place with the other hen boxes until they start hatching. Our nest boxes are several feet off the ground with a ramp the little ones learn, but then the mother hen is down below and it's too far for her to go back to the nest to sit in the remaining eggs. Thus, we put a cardboard box on the floor right below her or nearly. It's on its side. I put some straw in there and make a makeshift nest, then put the chick waterer with marbles in it, and starter/grower feeder right outside the box. When she's got most of them hatched, after a day or so, then I move her and her chicks, and the remaining eggs provided they are viable (candle them) in the nest I made. She hustles about making the nest how she wants it and she's happy. The little chicks can wander out to get a drink or eat and be close to mom. I've done this many times right in the coop with the rest of the flock coming and going.

After another day, she'll start walking around with the chicks. She and the rest of the flock can eat starter/grower, but the chicks shouldn't eat theirs. I've replaced the main feeder with starter/grower while the chicks are growing up. I make sure the other hens have oyster shell as the chick food doesn't have enough calcium for hens. Candle any remaining eggs but most likely they can be tossed.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I didn't isolate the broody, she's just in the middle of three boxes and the others have been laying around her with no fuss so far.

That's what I do. Did you mark the eggs? I use a black Sharpie and make a couple of rings around the egg so I can quickly see if it belongs or not. Then every day after the others have laid I check under her to see if there are any eggs that don't belong and remove them. You can still eat them if you check every day.

Someone on a thread mentioned a "daily constitutional"

That is a phrase I use. I've had a broody hen leave her nest twice a day for over an hour each time to eat, drink, and poop. I had a hen that got up every morning for about 15 minutes, that was enough. I've had several hens I never saw get up but I knew they were leaving the nest to poop since they did not poop in the nest. Each hen is different but A good broody should never poop in her nest. I let mine decide when they want to get up.

Is it possible she could starve herself??

You never know for sure what will happen with a living animal but my broody hens have never starved to death. Hens have been hatching eggs since before they were domesticated and never went extinct from starving themselves. Many people with broody hens worry about this, especially the first time they have a broody. I never have.

These are presumably newly-laid eggs so... maybe it will be OK?

A hen can hide a nest and lay eggs for over two weeks before she starts incubating them. If they were refrigerated too cold or heated too hot you might have problems but from what you describe I would not worry.

Should I move the eggs+broody into a separated, isolated setup? I have an old commercial coop that could function well, I could close its door and just keep the other eggs out. Would that be better?

Some people do. I don't.

The nest is up a ramp and they'd just fall off its ledge I'm afraid, once born?

Do you have a photo of the hen on that nest? One of the ramp wouldn't hurt either. I figure there is about a 95% chance you don't have to worry but that's not zero so I'd like to see what you are working with. A lot of people on this forum really worry about that, you are not alone.

We all do these things different ways. Some people are very controlling and want to micromanage everything. As much as I can I leave things up to the broody hen.

How much room you have and how your coop is set up can dictate certain things. If you have a fair amount of room I'd let the broody hen hatch with the flock and raise the chicks with the flock. If things are tight then you might need to isolate her during incubation or after hatch. So information on the size of your coop and run could be helpful.

Good luck!

 

[aliris]

Just some pointers:

A hen sitting on eggs will generally get up at least once a day, on her own, poop, eat, drink.

She can be left in the same place with the other hen boxes until they start hatching. Our nest boxes are several feet off the ground with a ramp the little ones learn, but then the mother hen is down below and it's too far for her to go back to the nest to sit in the remaining eggs. Thus, we put a cardboard box on the floor right below her or nearly. It's on its side. I put some straw in there and make a makeshift nest, then put the chick waterer with marbles in it, and starter/grower feeder right outside the box. When she's got most of them hatched, after a day or so, then I move her and her chicks, and the remaining eggs provided they are viable (candle them) in the nest I made. She hustles about making the nest how she wants it and she's happy. The little chicks can wander out to get a drink or eat and be close to mom. I've done this many times right in the coop with the rest of the flock coming and going.

After another day, she'll start walking around with the chicks. She and the rest of the flock can eat starter/grower, but the chicks shouldn't eat theirs. I've replaced the main feeder with starter/grower while the chicks are growing up. I make sure the other hens have oyster shell as the chick food doesn't have enough calcium for hens. Candle any remaining eggs but most likely they can be tossed.

Thank you!!! So helpful!

 

[aliris]

That's what I do. Did you mark the eggs? I use a black Sharpie and make a couple of rings around the egg so I can quickly see if it belongs or not. Then every day after the others have laid I check under her to see if there are any eggs that don't belong and remove them. You can still eat them if you check every day.


That is a phrase I use. I've had a broody hen leave her nest twice a day for over an hour each time to eat, drink, and poop. I had a hen that got up every morning for about 15 minutes, that was enough. I've had several hens I never saw get up but I knew they were leaving the nest to poop since they did not poop in the nest. Each hen is different but A good broody should never poop in her nest. I let mine decide when they want to get up.


You never know for sure what will happen with a living animal but my broody hens have never starved to death. Hens have been hatching eggs since before they were domesticated and never went extinct from starving themselves. Many people with broody hens worry about this, especially the first time they have a broody. I never have.


A hen can hide a nest and lay eggs for over two weeks before she starts incubating them. If they were refrigerated too cold or heated too hot you might have problems but from what you describe I would not worry.


Some people do. I don't.


Do you have a photo of the hen on that nest? One of the ramp wouldn't hurt either. I figure there is about a 95% chance you don't have to worry but that's not zero so I'd like to see what you are working with. A lot of people on this forum really worry about that, you are not alone.

We all do these things different ways. Some people are very controlling and want to micromanage everything. As much as I can I leave things up to the broody hen.

How much room you have and how your coop is set up can dictate certain things. If you have a fair amount of room I'd let the broody hen hatch with the flock and raise the chicks with the flock. If things are tight then you might need to isolate her during incubation or after hatch. So information on the size of your coop and run could be helpful.

Good luck!

Oh thank you for offering not be be bored with my posting pictures, lol! In fact, their ramp is really long and pretty steep so it's likely not going to be so good.

Debbie's suggestion to wait until they start to hatch and set them on the floor of the coop makes sense to me.

 

[aliris]

Oh thank you for offering not be be bored with my posting pictures, lol! In fact, their ramp is really long and pretty steep so it's likely not going to be so good.

Debbie's suggestion to wait until they start to hatch and set them on the floor of the coop makes sense to me.

I think you can see the space? I can see that down below will be good. I can probably snuggle them into the back corner -- I just wonder if an animal might menace them from outside at night. There were 3 possums here last night and it's possible one was trying to squirm in under the mesh. I suppose I could even exclude the big ones from indoors at night, close their doorway and let the little ones have the upper berth and they'd just have to perch outside (it's animal proof).

That's what I do. Did you mark the eggs? I use a black Sharpie and make a couple of rings around the egg so I can quickly see if it belongs or not. Then every day after the others have laid I check under her to see if there are any eggs that don't belong and remove them. You can still eat them if you check every day.


That is a phrase I use. I've had a broody hen leave her nest twice a day for over an hour each time to eat, drink, and poop. I had a hen that got up every morning for about 15 minutes, that was enough. I've had several hens I never saw get up but I knew they were leaving the nest to poop since they did not poop in the nest. Each hen is different but A good broody should never poop in her nest. I let mine decide when they want to get up.


You never know for sure what will happen with a living animal but my broody hens have never starved to death. Hens have been hatching eggs since before they were domesticated and never went extinct from starving themselves. Many people with broody hens worry about this, especially the first time they have a broody. I never have.


A hen can hide a nest and lay eggs for over two weeks before she starts incubating them. If they were refrigerated too cold or heated too hot you might have problems but from what you describe I would not worry.


Some people do. I don't.


Do you have a photo of the hen on that nest? One of the ramp wouldn't hurt either. I figure there is about a 95% chance you don't have to worry but that's not zero so I'd like to see what you are working with. A lot of people on this forum really worry about that, you are not alone.

We all do these things different ways. Some people are very controlling and want to micromanage everything. As much as I can I leave things up to the broody hen.

How much room you have and how your coop is set up can dictate certain things. If you have a fair amount of room I'd let the broody hen hatch with the flock and raise the chicks with the flock. If things are tight then you might need to isolate her during incubation or after hatch. So information on the size of your coop and run could be helpful.

Good luck!

lol - the eggs are all very colorful and distinctive, no need to mark! Though they are as well. Today I discovered... a wooden egg in there. smh. Those got banished from the hen house. So funny. It had the place of honor smack dab in the middle, even!

 

[aliris]

That's what I do. Did you mark the eggs? I use a black Sharpie and make a couple of rings around the egg so I can quickly see if it belongs or not. Then every day after the others have laid I check under her to see if there are any eggs that don't belong and remove them. You can still eat them if you check every day.


That is a phrase I use. I've had a broody hen leave her nest twice a day for over an hour each time to eat, drink, and poop. I had a hen that got up every morning for about 15 minutes, that was enough. I've had several hens I never saw get up but I knew they were leaving the nest to poop since they did not poop in the nest. Each hen is different but A good broody should never poop in her nest. I let mine decide when they want to get up.


You never know for sure what will happen with a living animal but my broody hens have never starved to death. Hens have been hatching eggs since before they were domesticated and never went extinct from starving themselves. Many people with broody hens worry about this, especially the first time they have a broody. I never have.


A hen can hide a nest and lay eggs for over two weeks before she starts incubating them. If they were refrigerated too cold or heated too hot you might have problems but from what you describe I would not worry.


Some people do. I don't.


Do you have a photo of the hen on that nest? One of the ramp wouldn't hurt either. I figure there is about a 95% chance you don't have to worry but that's not zero so I'd like to see what you are working with. A lot of people on this forum really worry about that, you are not alone.

We all do these things different ways. Some people are very controlling and want to micromanage everything. As much as I can I leave things up to the broody hen.

How much room you have and how your coop is set up can dictate certain things. If you have a fair amount of room I'd let the broody hen hatch with the flock and raise the chicks with the flock. If things are tight then you might need to isolate her during incubation or after hatch. So information on the size of your coop and run could be helpful.

Good luck!

I ended up taking her off bc I do not think she had left all day. And her vent was just pulsating like crazy. As soon as she hit the ground she did poop, then ran inside to eat ravenously. It's funny to watch her attack the food; it's not as if anyone was keeping her from it earlier. My goodness. She takes her responsibilities very seriously. I can see how micromanaging this isn't a great plan but if she's not going to do any "self-care", as the kids say, I should think this isn't really sustainable. She might need to learn how to mother a bit too.

I guess she must have gotten up at least once to scoop that wooden egg in and under!

 

[aliris]

That's what I do. Did you mark the eggs? I use a black Sharpie and make a couple of rings around the egg so I can quickly see if it belongs or not. Then every day after the others have laid I check under her to see if there are any eggs that don't belong and remove them. You can still eat them if you check every day.


That is a phrase I use. I've had a broody hen leave her nest twice a day for over an hour each time to eat, drink, and poop. I had a hen that got up every morning for about 15 minutes, that was enough. I've had several hens I never saw get up but I knew they were leaving the nest to poop since they did not poop in the nest. Each hen is different but A good broody should never poop in her nest. I let mine decide when they want to get up.


You never know for sure what will happen with a living animal but my broody hens have never starved to death. Hens have been hatching eggs since before they were domesticated and never went extinct from starving themselves. Many people with broody hens worry about this, especially the first time they have a broody. I never have.


A hen can hide a nest and lay eggs for over two weeks before she starts incubating them. If they were refrigerated too cold or heated too hot you might have problems but from what you describe I would not worry.


Some people do. I don't.


Do you have a photo of the hen on that nest? One of the ramp wouldn't hurt either. I figure there is about a 95% chance you don't have to worry but that's not zero so I'd like to see what you are working with. A lot of people on this forum really worry about that, you are not alone.

We all do these things different ways. Some people are very controlling and want to micromanage everything. As much as I can I leave things up to the broody hen.

How much room you have and how your coop is set up can dictate certain things. If you have a fair amount of room I'd let the broody hen hatch with the flock and raise the chicks with the flock. If things are tight then you might need to isolate her during incubation or after hatch. So information on the size of your coop and run could be helpful.

Good luck!

Ridgerunner, I put some photos in above but not any real explanation. The flock is 5 hens. They have a protected house + smallish run, and that's inside a much larger run where I let them in the mornings, but not wanting them to charge off and lay elsewhere I usually leave them penned until around noon, then they have free use of the yard at large which is, dunno square footage, but large. They've eaten all my husband's plants, lol. The old commercial silly-house (shaped like a stereotypical barn) is inside the bigger open run (the run attached to the house is predator proof; the bigger run is not). There are three nesting boxes off to the side of the house, which is elevated. You can just see her brooding in the middle nest. Bupping away - why do they do that??

So in terms of room - there's a lot of it, sort of.

 

[aliris]

OK, you've got a steep learning curve to climb. I suggest you start here
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...hatch-a-long-and-informational-thread.457488/

OK, 2,938 pages and counting... I guess you're right, lol.