The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Clarebelle on June 21, 2014, 05:41:30 pm
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One of my little brown hens has gone broody. She didn't come home to roost wed night and I thought she might have been taken by a dog as I couldn't find her anywhere. Anyway, came home at lunch time Friday and she was in the garden but disappeared again a while later.
After searching for hours in my overgrown field I finally found her Sat on a nest in a clump of nettles. Now I have found her I don't know whether to move her to a broody coop or leave her be.
I want broody hens and am really chuffed she has gone broody but I worry whether the chicks will be ok when they hatch with the other chickens.
Is it really worth risking her not sitting on the eggs again if I move her? Should I just let nature take its course?
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question 1, do you have foxes around you?
question 2, is there any shelter where she wants to sit?
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No, there are no foxes.
She is in a big thicket of tall weeds and grass next to a dry stone wall
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id be tempted to leave her chickens have been hatching eggs where ever they feel like for 1000's of years!!!
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I usually prepare a broody coop (I've used pallets, puppy crates, fruit boxes ....) set the eggs in it and added the broody just before dusk. I leave her with water and food and don't go near her until I swap the pellets for chick crumbs in readiness for hatching.
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You have no foxes lucky you. If her eggs are of value to you Can you not pop a broody coop over her that's what I would do better safe than sorry. Best of luck.
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Thanks everyone for the advise. If she manages to hatch the eggs then I'm definitely going to put her and the chicks in a broody coop but I think I will leave her for the time being. The eggs arnt valuable particularly, the chicks will go in the freezer when old enough and I'm on my own and can't lift my broody coop that far, good idea to plonk it on top of her though.
Fingers crossed everything goes ok for her
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Little update for you - my little broody stayed safe in the nettles and this morning she hatched 10 out of 12 eggs. I've scooped them all up and put them in my broody coop :) :chook: :chook: :chook:
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thats ace :)
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Excellent result :trophy: :chook:
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That's made my day..
Thank you have a nice day.
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aw, that's great. Good hatch rate :)
Another fortnight on ours - can't wait!!
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wow, that's great. :thumbsup:
gives me hope for mine - one of my brown hens has just gone broody too, I have no cockerel but hoping to get some hatching eggs for her to sit on tomorrow.
I think I'm going to leave her where she is (safe spot) having read that thread.
EDIT: sorry about the double posting (now removed), phone shenanigans!
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All well that ends well.
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Excellent. Clever girl. I was hunting for a water stopcock in some thistles the other day when I heard broody cluckings. I peered in to the undergrowth and finally saw a hen pheasant with a good clutch of chicks, a few of them riding around on her back like our chickens do. She's gone now and 1 unhatched egg remains with about 10 shells. I think the lesson is to leave them be if they want to do it their way. There is a risk but it's worth taking.
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Broodies are reputed to give out a scent which confuses predators such as foxes. We also have badgers, stoats, weasels and, polecats on the farm so I prefer to have them safe inside a coop. We had a wild pheasant on a clutch of eggs in what seemed a very safe spot between two compost bins and under a curtain of clematis and she laid every afternoon. When she finally sat on the nest the fox took her that night. We borrowed a broody and raised the poults ourselvees before releasing them, but that's another story .....
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and my broody has hatched 5/8 so far-will leave the others in there for now and see if we get anymore. I am well chuffed, look like nice chicks and 4/5 of them are girls :)