The Poultry Keeper

kelseygirl3968 · Joined: 21 Mar 2008 Posts: 20 Location: Aylesbury

Can anyone offer me some advice pls. I have a bantam Wyandotte who seems to have gone broody (Sat on nest, wont move even with other chickens sat on top of her & pecking anyone who comes near).

This may sound silly but how and when do i put fertile eggs under her, we dont have a cockeral any more so dont think any she is currently sitting on will be fertile. Should i move her out of the main hen house and how many eggs should we put under her and do they need to be warm when we put them under her.

If i've missed any thing please let me know, many thanks Very Happy

Kitsune · Joined: 13 Mar 2008 Posts: 1406 Location: Manchester

Hi there, best plan is to move her to a seperate coop - if you keep her in the same one you'll have problems with other hens laying in the nest and when the chicks hatch possible issues with the other hens attacking them, especially if the broody one isn't top hen.

Leave her a day after you move her to make sure she stays broody after the move and then put eggs under her asap! They don't need to be warm when you put them under her - if you're setting bantam eggs then probably 6-8 large fowl probably 4/5.

jaydee67 · Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 11:17 am Post subject:

You may want to move her with her dud eggs to make sure that she continues to sit before putting fertile eggs under her - I had one that gave up after being moved.

Editted to say, sorry kitsune gave you the same advice! lol!

Woodburner · Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 11:56 am Post subject:

Mark the fertile eggs with a soft pencil, so that you can tell duds from the fertile ones, when you are swapping them, though the duds will ofc be nice and warm.
You don't need to warm them, the hen will do that anyway. Wink

kelseygirl3968 · Joined: 21 Mar 2008 Posts: 20 Location: Aylesbury

thats brilliant, many thanks will move her and dud eggs tomorrow. A friend should be bringing some fertile eggs over tomorrow eve, so if i let them settle and if she still broody then i'll put them under her on sat .

Should I leave any of the duds in there or just swap the whole lot over?

And one more question. Do i have to make sure she leaves the nest once a day to eat etc or will she do it anyway and will any harm come to her if she doesnt get off for a couple of days - other than she'll get hungry and be bursting for the loo !!! (sorry that was 2 questions)

Sandra Hilton · Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 8:32 pm Post subject:

I am only a newbie too, so can't call myself an expert in any way, but I do know that sometimes a broody will sit 24 hours a day and wont budge, so you have to physically pick them up and put them 'outside' so to speak to go to the loo and have something to eat and drink. They can really run themselves into the ground apparently, if you don't.

Goodluck
Sandra

Woodburner · Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 8:35 pm Post subject:

Don't leave any duds, a hen can only incubate so many eggs. (No more than she can cover.) The fewer she has the more reliably she can incubate them. (Although it's probably better to have more than just a couple, so they keep each other a bit warmer while the hen is off the nest.)

Keep an eye on her food levels to see if she eats every day. A good sitter won't get up for very long so it's easy to miss seeing her eat.

kelseygirl3968 · Joined: 21 Mar 2008 Posts: 20 Location: Aylesbury

Many thanks. Will see how we get on and make sure she gets up and about once a day. would love to see some chicks with their mum and watch them grow up as all ours have been incubated so far.

Thank you for all the help and advice Laughing

will let you know how we get on.

jaydee67 · Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 9:54 pm Post subject:

You can usually tell if a broody has been off the nest - the pile of droppings will look like a cat has been there!

Kitsune · Joined: 13 Mar 2008 Posts: 1406 Location: Manchester

haha! Yeah that's for sure! Smells like something died too!

Seeing chicks with a mother hen is fantastic Smile

I think the happiest time with my chickens was when I had a large flock with two broods of different ages with different hens, a rooster and all of them getting on with no fighting or other problems.

it was just brilliant Smile

Gilly C · Joined: 22 Jun 2006 Posts: 2623 Location: South Cumbria

a cat lol my silkies are nearly as big as the lab ! and the smell!!! she is in the greenhouse and my god it stinks !

vanessa · Joined: 24 Sep 2005 Posts: 1267 Location: Correze

How did she take to the move?

Yup, can concur with the elephant-sized poos, and the stink!!!!!!!!

kelseygirl3968 · Joined: 21 Mar 2008 Posts: 20 Location: Aylesbury

She wasnt impressed by her new house lol. kept shouting at us. She has been off the nest as few times since we moved her, mainly when the other hens visited, despite her new house being tucked away in a quiet corner of the garden. Laughing

Will have to see if she settles down again over the next day or two - fingers, toes etc crossed Laughing

EGirl · Joined: 01 Nov 2007 Posts: 1277 Location: Dublin, Ireland

Best of luck, hope she settles for you. Do keep us posted!

chicken tim · Joined: 19 Feb 2008 Posts: 5 Location: windsor

If you move them to a new place when can she and the chicks go back with the others. When do mum and chicks seperate?