The Poultry Keeper

Belladonna · Joined: 04 Feb 2006 Posts: 140 Location: Swansea

i am SO excited! Both Doris, my Bovans Nera, and Rubella (dont ask!!) my Wyandotte bantam, have gone broody overnight! Very Happy

neither will leave the nest boxes, and as both were sat on one egg each, i have put a few extra eggs by each of them, which they have tucked carefully under their tummies.

having never done this before, i have a few questions. firstly do they keep laying while they are broody? secondly both nest boxes are 3 foot long, and in each of them all the girls lay in one corner. of course, Doris and Rubella are each occupying the laying corner of the respective nest boxes. Do i leave them to get on with it and hope the oothers find new lahying places? or will the others put them off sitting? also most of mine have the annoying habit of roosting in one of the boxes too, despite my attempots to dissuade them, so i am not sire what to do about that either. Confused

any advice would be lovely! Smile

George · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 5661 Location: London

mojo · Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 4:50 pm Post subject:

bella some advice to take or discard as you like.....a crisp box or similair with the end out make a lovely broodys box.........get a soft lead pencil and put a big x each side of the eggs there now and x and date any further eggs you let them keep....about 8 eggs each is a good number for a hens first hatch.........put food and water containers close to broody box so she has a short distance to come out ........if she is a friendly bird already stroke her every time you visit .....if flighty leave alone.....remember nature is the best chick raiser in the world so try not to interfir and dont worry if she takes at least up to 25 days to hatch the eggs .......some breeds are slower than other..........just remove any broken egg shells you se.the best of luck.........ask again if you want help.........mojo

summayah · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 4289 Location: luton

If they're truly broody they will sit no matter what. But you might want to put them somewhere like mojo says in a box of their own so that they have somewhere 'private' as it were for the chicks. They (the broodies) can be very agressive to the other birds once they have chicks ~ also to other chicks other than their own. So you may need to separate them. Having said that I have read somewhere of someone who had 2 broodies who sat together throughout ~ had chicks at the same time and then shared the duties of looking after the chicks.

CP · Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 6:23 pm Post subject:

I think you should keep them somewhere separate too.
As summayah said, some can get quite aggressive with new chicks around.
Also, if the others keep laying eggs in the broody's nest, you will have a very staggered hatching. Sometimes if the broody hatches some chicks, she will then abandon the rest of the eggs to look after her new babies. Rolling Eyes

They don't all make good mothers. Embarassed

Itsybitsy · Joined: 11 Feb 2006 Posts: 1452 Location: Leicestershire

My broodies are sitting in a rabbit hutch and a guinea pig hutch, both scrounged I hasten to add - but both are excellent as they have a dark end and a light end where the food is. I've also found that straw or hay is best nest material - I did try woodshavings as that is used for bedding but you can make a nice nest shape with straw or hay which holds the eggs in place. If you keep them in the nest box you will need to mark the eggs with a pencil and remove the new ones each day, I have done that in the past but it's not ideal, especially when you discover that you've removed a marked egg half way through the brooding, At the moment I've a broody awaiting some eBay eggs, she is sitting on some of my other eggs and I give her new ones every day so the embryos don't start to develop, they are fine to eat as long as you don't leave them too long. If you get somewhere new to house them, move them in the evening and darken the new house by putting bags over any light source and they will hopefully settle. They will stop laying if they are broody & any eggs you may want them to hatch - put them under at the same time not staggered over several days. Hope this helps. Look at eBay under hatching eggs for some exciting possibilities. Smile

Itsybitsy

Belladonna · Joined: 04 Feb 2006 Posts: 140 Location: Swansea

thank you all. unfortunately my 4 year old thought it would be a good idea to remove all the eggs from under the nera and put them under the wyandotte. i dont know how she did it but when i went to check on them, the eggs had moved and neither bird has been back to sit. i am very very peed off at daughter and sorely disappointed that the chooks have stopped sitting. Sad

Itsybitsy · Joined: 11 Feb 2006 Posts: 1452 Location: Leicestershire

They will be back - have no fear about that, I've had a French Copper Black thinking about it for days now and she finally committed herself yesterday, if they got off so readily they weren't really broody and you could've wasted some good eggs. Once they get the feel of those eggs by their breast they are hooked, if nothing persuades them to move then they are broody my FCB was there all day for 2 days but came off every time it was feeding (mine get fed in their hut at night) and didn't go back, this was the middle of last week and yesterday she was there all day and she didn't get off, she's now in my guinea pig hutch. If you want to hatch a few (it's addictive) then get somewhere to put them sorted - my hutches all came from the tip for little or no money. Are your own eggs fertile? Smile

Itsybitsy

Belladonna · Joined: 04 Feb 2006 Posts: 140 Location: Swansea

mine personally?? i bloomin well hope not!! lol

all 13 hens have been running with a cockerel for a month or so now, so i hope the majority of the eggs are fertile. is there any way of telling?

Itsybitsy · Joined: 11 Feb 2006 Posts: 1452 Location: Leicestershire

Only by putting them under a broody or in an incubator, after about a week you can candle them, that is in a dark place hold them with a torch or bright light shining through them - you need to stop the light coming round them as well cos it dazzles you, if they are fertile you will see veins radiating from a central dot, if they aren't fertile they will be clear. I was just thinking of the hours I spend trawling the hatching eggs on eBay seeing what I fancy that was all. - Sorry to have asked you such a personal question Laughing

Itsybitsy

Belladonna · Joined: 04 Feb 2006 Posts: 140 Location: Swansea

Doris is back on 8 eggs! Very Happy

3 warren, 3 white star and 2 banties. i'm planning to move her to the spare ark tomorrow night because she is in the nest box again. fingers crossed!

Heather · Posted: Tue May 09, 2006 6:57 pm Post subject:

Good Luck xx