Broodys all over the place!

[Cindlady2]

LOL It's finally spring here in southern Wisconsin! It was a late spring for us and as a result my girls decided to go broody within a few weeks! I have one that just hatched 11 chicks. I had 4 others go broody but one (young one) I got to break. Good thing, she was in the loft and hard to reach! Another one broke because one of the turkeys took her place! LOL guess a broody turkey trumps a broody hen! However I still have 2 stubborn hens I have to find space for! I also have 2 broody turkeys and a missing guinea hen.... wonder where she is and what she's doing! So, that's 5 broodys and a freshly hatched batch! I will soon be over run!

BTW.... I also have 5 cute kitties that just turned 8 weeks old! Anyone want a kitten?

Yes, it's spring is Wisconsin!

 

[Denim Deb]

I don't have any broodies, wish I did.

 

[Emerald]

Must be something in the air.. I have two black sex links that have been trying to go broody and one buff orpington.

 

[~gd]

LOL It's finally spring here in southern Wisconsin! It was a late spring for us and as a result my girls decided to go broody within a few weeks! I have one that just hatched 11 chicks. I had 4 others go broody but one (young one) I got to break. Good thing, she was in the loft and hard to reach! Another one broke because one of the turkeys took her place! LOL guess a broody turkey trumps a broody hen! However I still have 2 stubborn hens I have to find space for! I also have 2 broody turkeys and a missing guinea hen.... wonder where she is and what she's doing! So, that's 5 broodys and a freshly hatched batch! I will soon be over run!

BTW.... I also have 5 cute kitties that just turned 8 weeks old! Anyone want a kitten?

Yes, it's spring is Wisconsin!

Spring comes the same week in southern Wisconsin everu year. Chivkens are controlled in their cycles by light [day length] not by heat, Keep an eye on the bird trumped by the turkey, often they will just start a new nest. If you collest eggs early and often they are much less likely to go broody most eexperienced hens won't go broody untill they have enough eggs in their nest to make it worthwhile. Birth control for poultry is easly, just grab the eggs as they are layed.

 

[Cindlady2]

Yea, I know it has to do with the light, in part. I've had them start trying to brood in Feb. It's just easier to break them when it's cold. I usually have them stagger out their broods too. It's just everyone seemed to go "yup, it's time NOW!" Never had so many go all at once. So far the black one that was where the turkey is, is still walking around. But the one that was in the loft I saw setting there all day again. Too hard to get up there every day to get eggs :/ I may just leave her where she is and let her go for it. Got pens set up for the other 2. A Dominique and a Cochin side by side in a split pen.... looks weird. I sell eggs so they do get collected everyday, I just can't do it 2-3 times a day.

Deb, if I could get one to you I'd let you have one! I got 2 more girls I'm keeping an eye on because they are frequent brooders. Matter of fact I had to break them earlier this year. The one will go 2-3 times a year if I let her!

 

[Hinotori]

I feel your broody pain. I had and EE/silkie mix go broody 11 weeks ago. A possum got her on the nest two weeks in. Luckily I had a silkie that went broody a few day before that so I stuck the eggs under her for the last week. She raised them up for four weeks, then fed herself back up, laid a couple eggs and went broody again two days ago. I gave her four wheaten ameraucana eggs that should be fertile now that I've restricted how many girls the rooster has access to.

One of the younger silkies went broody a month ago. Her eggs are late. They are still moving and one pipped internally this morning and is zipping now on day 27. I don't know what went wrong. Right now I hope she gets a healthy chick or two to hatch.

One of my EE/silkie mixes decided to go broody this afternoon. She's very young so I'll see if she's serious before I give her eggs. I have plenty of fertile silkie eggs.

 

[Denim Deb]

When I get my broody pen set up, I'm thinking about trying to lock one of my young girls in there w/some eggs, and seeing if anything comes of it. I've tried getting the older girls to go broody by leaving eggs B4 but never had any luck. Or, maybe I won't lock them in, but get some store bought eggs (since I ain't going to eat them anyway) and put them in there, then see if anyone decides to go in, then switch for my good eggs. I can always feed those eggs to the chickens or the pig.

 

[piglett]

i had a silkie go broody in the middle of Jan.
the next week it was -10f most of the week
she hatched them all out
now here sister is broody all the time
i guess i should let her set & get over it
she sure is lighter than the other girl her same age

 

[rhoda_bruce]

I only have one araucana brooding right now and I gave her 5 goose eggs to work with. Sometimes I make them do 2 rounds of incubating before I let them hatch what they on. Not sure what I will give her to finish.

 

[Cindlady2]

Denim.... You realize that not all breeds go broody. and even the breeds that do, not all hens will brood. I have no experience with enticing a hen to go broody. nor have I heard of anyone who has. (Not to say it hasn't happen) If you want a good brood hen I would check for breeds that have a high rate of broodiness. The breeds that have brooded well for me are Australop, Dominique, Bared Rock and Cochin. I'm sure other good broodies are out there.

It's nice to have a couple broodies in your flock. I think it makes for better stronger chicks. A couple of my broodies are real good and let me pick them up without too much fuss. I think handling them when they are broody makes it easier to handle the chicks later.

Hino.... Too bad about your hen. I had a skunk tat was stealing eggs, but thankfully that's as far as it went. I worry about he one turkey because she is brooding under my bedroom window. Not real bad, but not too safe either. Hope you have good luck wit your hatches without another lost hen.

Good luck to the rest of you too!