Broody hen are a fact of life during fountain and summertime in the chicken coop . Here ’s a looking at at one hencoop and the five unlike reflective biddy types that the generator experienced and that you ’re potential to encounter at some point . Mary be given to several of her young chicks .
1. The “Come Hell or High Water” Broody
Because of one component or another , our 4 - year - old hen , Charlotte , has twice had to endure summers of being on the nest for more than 40 day each time — never slacking in her desire to raise chicks . The first metre was obviously because the spermatozoon of our then 4 - year - honest-to-goodness rooster , Friday , was n’t quite up to previous standards . So we had to put her with a younger , more virile roo . The second time was because of Charlotte ’s own misjudgment .
When I open her hencoop one cockcrow , I discovered she had spent the entire night keeping a sole egg outside the nest warm . terror - stricken , I then lifted her off the isolated egg and plopped the female parent biddy back into the nesting box . On day 22 , Elaine candle the “ primary ” egg and found that , as we feared had befall , the eggs contained dead embryos .
Nevertheless , both summertime Charlotte persisted , at long last being able to raise the chicks she ’s hard - telegraph to grow — hail hell , high water or isolated eggs . The stress of incubation can sometimes have feather loss in a hen . Here , Mary establish her offspring the joys of dusting .
2. The “Brawling” Broody
One outflow , we had three hen become broody at the same fourth dimension : Charlotte , her mother Mary and a hen we named Ethyl , also one of Mary ’s offspring . Fortunately , we have two fenced enclosures , so Elaine and I moved the other hen and roosters to the adjoining rivulet picture the triad could process thing out among themselves .
The determination prove disastrous . The hens tolerated each other reasonably well during the incubation period , although Ethyl “ growled ” any time her two peers wandered near her nest or even entered the henhouse . But the goodwill rapidly dissolved after the dame hatched . It was whole Ethyl ’s fault . Elaine and I set up multiple feeder and waterers so there would be no rivalry regarding the provisions . We also positioned the feeder and water boy around the run .
Mary and Charlotte were more than content with this situation . I even noticed that some of the biddy cheat back and away between the duo , and sometimes the two hens even brought their biddy to the same confluent at the same clip without any issues .
Mary tends to several of her young chicks.
However , Ethyl was n’t satisfied with the arrangements . She went out of her way of life to make abstract attack on her two fellow mother . On one of her maraud , several chick were trample during the scrimmage . I witnessed the skirmish and the plight of the chick and realized that for the sake of all the little unity , Ethyl could n’t stay in the enclosing .
Upon Ethyl ’s removal , Mary and Charlotte quickly adopted their oppressor ’s skirt and harmony was restored . woefully , though understandably , for two weeks Ethyl pace back and forth along the barrier between the two adjoining campaign essay to find an entree and find her chicks . She never went reflective again . We’ve been rosy to have some corking mother hens such as Mary and Charlotte .
3. The “All The Eggs Are Mine” Broody
People who have never experience a broody hen may not know that the eggs a biddy posture on almost sure as shooting wo n’t consist solely of the 1 she has lay . When a biddy goes pensive , she collects / rolls bollock from other nesting boxes to hers with her beak . Usually , the prospective female parent end doing this at some point . From our experience , it ’s somewhere between six and 12 eggs . I would guess the reasonableness for 12 being the maximum is that number equates to the one that a hen can physically cover with her rump and keep warm .
However , chickens ca n’t reckon or at least one we make Six could n’t . So nominate because she was the last of a half twelve that hatch one summer , Six obsessively steal eggs from other hens until she had accumulated 20 of them . Apparently , in that chicken head of hers , she had settle that 20 was the right number . Thus , she spent much of each day judge to keep all 20 eggs under her and strong at the same prison term — an inconceivable endeavor .
This Sisyphean labor continued for about a week before Elaine and I , justly or wrongly , decide to step in . fear that none of the eggs would think of and that Six would spend the entire summer on the nest , we took aside all 20 of her orchis and replaced them with four recently set one . We then gave Six ’s original eggs to a friend who agreed to brood them . As we had pretend , none of Six ’s original clutch hatched , but 21 days after the “ big switch , ” she was the gallant female parent of four chick . We created a birthing room in our basement where our hens could hatch and raise their chicks in peace .
The stress of brooding can sometimes cause feather loss in a hen. Here, Mary shows her offspring the joys of dusting.
4. The “I’m Not so Sure About This Baby Chick-Thing” Broody
A hen we named Daisy waxed hot and cold over grizzle her egg . Some Day she would dutifully spend all day pose on them with the requisite reprieve to eat , drink and wander about the rivulet a bit . But on other day , she exact to spending what we felt was far too long an absence , or as Elaine say , “ She ’s just putzing around . ”
On day 20 , we moved Daisy and her nest to what we call the “ giving birth way , ” which is an enclosure we assemble in our basement for hens and their offspring . We have learned that the other hens will kill new hatched chicks no matter how ferociously the mother hen tries to protect them . The mammy simply ca n’t fend off the other hen while they are assail the little one . And since the other hens and cock were already in one enclosure , and Charlotte and Mary worry the other with their young stack , we simply had to take Daisy to the basement .
Upon arrival in the birthing room , Daisy abandoned her nest . We observed her for over an 60 minutes merely wandering around the small enclosing and ignore the nesting box and bollock . She spent the Nox away from the nest and she never returned to it during the mean solar day as far as we observed . We then put the eggs into an incubator , but after several days and candling was attain , it was clean that Daisy ’s earlier walkabout had proved fateful to the evolve chicks . Like Ethyl , Daisy never became broody again .
We’ve been fortunate to have some great mother hens such as Mary and Charlotte.
Broody Hens: Basic Necessities
Once you ’ve install your broody hen hen in her own place — be it a henhouse , a incubator or a large credit card tote — be sure to give her what she needs for a three - week stoppage .
Broody hen expend most of their Clarence Day in a trance state . biota tells them to set the eggs and now and again deform them , and that ’s what they do almost 24 hours a mean solar day . They do , however , get up now and then to use up and drink and shit .
Do n’t be horrify by the size of it of abroody poop . Just equip your incubator with plenty of absorbent material do it or , even better , scoop it out daily to keep your hen ’s nesting place clean-living .
We’ve been fortunate to have some great mother hens such as Mary and Charlotte.
Offer stack of bracing water and check that her self-feeder is topped off . You might require to increase her protein ratio right now , as change state her torso into a miniature oven to decent heat up her grasp aim a lot of energy . If you live in a insensate region and the weather is dusty , conceive offering your broody hen hen a safe heat source , such as a ceramic - panel fastball , to keep the brooder ’s temperature ambient .
5. The “My Way or The Highway” Broody
The “ my elbow room or the highway ” position is another property of Charlotte . She ’ll only sit on eggs in the far left snuggle box seat in our 2d coop . Once when I assay to move her nesting box and eggs to the basement ’s birthing way , she give off squalling sounds that I can only distinguish as caterwauling . dread another Daisy - corresponding situation , I assent to her need and returned Charlotte to the second takeover where her egg dream up on docket .
A continuing complainer about everything the repose of the year , but a great mother , Charlotte possesses other peculiarities . Many hens only take tutelage of their offspring for six to eight week , but not Charlotte . She volitionally nurtures them to 10 to 12 weeks of age , settling difference of opinion between young , hormonal - chargedcockerels , belting out the food clucking , and quick shepherding them away from some comprehend threat .
Another personality trait is that Charlotte has no interest in running after treats and competing with the other hens and cock for tidbits . Elaine and I have long savor saying “ looky , looky ” and then sky bread or veg bits into some corner and look out our chooks charge the Zhou dynasty . Charlotte , instead , marches like a shot toward us with the expectation that we agree back some delicacy just for her , and she ’s right ; we always do . persevering mother hens , such as Charlotte often nourish their wench longer than six to eight week .
We created a birthing room in our basement where our hens could hatch and raise their chicks in peace.
Of course , I guess Charlotte has become accustomed to a little pampering . When hen go contemplative , I always make it a point to take refreshful blueberry to them at least once a sidereal day . I think on some grade , they appreciate the motion , and I believe that the wet and nutrition that blueberries possess must be good for a creature undergoing three week of maternal stress .
That subheading good discover the position of Mary , the best brood hen we ’ve ever had . She had small interest in interact with the other hens , racing after tidbits , or dealing with amorous roosters . Her whole role in life sentence seemed to be brooding egg and lift chicks . Mary is also the only hen we ’ve ever had that become broody twice in one year .
I ’ve often excogitate Mary ’s place in the pecking order . She was clear not the alpha , but I also never witnessed any of the other biddy bullying her as female chooks often do to each other . She just seemed to inhabit in this rarified universe where she was a da Gamma girl . The gamma female is not at the top of the hierarchy , but she is also not a victim of abuse . Mary simply conk out her own way , and that meant the whole year was a prelude to going meditative once again . Mary died the winter she turned five , and I believe she would once again have tried to raise a grip if she had outlast the strain of the cold weather menses .
Diligent mother hens, such as Charlotte often nurture their chicks longer than six to eight weeks.
If you are golden enough to have a hen or hens become contemplative , savor what is to number . The nesting geological period , the splendiferous mean solar day of hatch , the rearing of the young , a untried chick ’s first dust bath , chest - bumping wanna - be cockerel , and a host of other entrancing events are all part of the experience . And may you have setting hen such as Mary and Charlotte and not like Ethyl and Daisy .
This story about musing hens and their types was written for Chickens magazine . clack here to sign .
