Got a hen that's done gone broody!

[artemis]

I considered it for a short bit, and have decided to let her raise up a clutch of eggs.  


Had this happened a few weeks ago, I would have discouraged this, but her babies will arrive within a week of the hatchery chicks I ordered, AND the weather is going to be decent for my hen to have little chicks running around her.  (I am zone 5.)  


The father is a silver Wyandotte roo, and she's a buff Orpington.  She's actually the dominant hen in the corral (as it were).  These could be really pretty birds!  (I saw a photo of the offspring of the reverse parentage, and the offspring roo was handsome beyond belief...)  

Right now, she has three of her own eggs, and I put in another egg of a different shape - so she's brooding 4.  My thought is that in a few more days I want to remove any NEWER eggs she may lay so that these chicks aren't hatching out over two or three weeks, but within five days of each other.  

I'm marking the eggs she is brooding with magic marker - with their date of appearance in the nesting box.  Hers are with black marker; any I might give her from elsewhere in the hen house will be teal (as I have 4 breeds of hens here).  

Thoughts and your own experiences???  THANKS!  I do have 11 hens, so I am not going to go bereft of breakfast eggs here!  

[maryellen]

When its time for them to hatch keep an eye on her, some broodys dont make good mothers...some do. So knm e will kill the chicks as they hatch..you also have to keep an eye on the flock too so that they dont kill the chicks

[dawg53]

I've only done that once. I usually order chicks from a hatchery as well.
I had a Light Brahma go broody once and for the heck of it, I put 6 eggs under her to see if they would hatch. The eggs came from the main flock where a Black Australorp rooster was boss over about 15 hens.
Since it was in the summer time and very hot, I had to pull the broody Brahma off the nest at least twice a day to eat and drink, she also pooped giant turds. She didnt like being disturbed and she always screamed at me but never pecked me.

I didnt count the days and time passed. Then one day I went out to clean her small coop as I did every morning. I saw something small and black running behind the hen and I thought it was a mouse. It startled me and I banged my head real hard on the ceiling inside the coop!
Then I realized that it mustve been a chick that had hatched!

I lifted the hen up and saw 3 black chicks that had hatched. The hen was walking on them, so I removed the chicks and put them in the brooder in the garage.
There were still 3 unhatched eggs in the nest. I let the hen set on them for 3 more days, then I cracked them open. They were infertile eggs.
I had to remove the hen and isolate her to break her broodiness. It took about 10 days to break her.

As far as the chicks were concerned, they grew up nice and healthy. One of them turned out to be a Barred Rock/Black Australorp mix rooster. He had full black and white barring.
The other two chicks turned out to be pullets. One was Easter Egger/Black Australorp. She looked like a black Easter Egger, full muff and she was a beautiful bird and laid brown eggs. She was my favorite. "Squirt" would fly up on my back every time I went into their pen.
The final pullet looked like a Black Australorp hen, but short on the wattles and comb. I have no clue which hen was her mama because I didnt have any black hens at the time. She was a friendly hen as well and she looked like a Crow. So, that's what I named her, "Crow." Both of them had imprinted on me.
I ended up donating the rooster to the feed store. Even as a hatched chick, he became skittish of me, unlike the two pullets.

Here's pics of them: "Crow" & "squirt" in the first pic. Unnamed rooster in the 2nd pic.

[artemis]

Thanks Maryellen and Dawg. Great thoughts and photos...

My hen Idril now has 8 eggs under her, 5 of them are apparently her own. She is leaving to eat, but the eggs remain warm. I will let her get one more tomorrow, and will remove any extras that may or may not appear. Nine should be enough. Plus I don't want them hatching over too many days.

I do have an in-basement brooding area if she (or if they, without her) so need.

I was hoping that I could use a Buckeye egg from one of the hens just to see what they will look like, but what I think is the buckeye egg laid today was way too dirty to have Mama brood over. (Washed, and in fridge.)

I hope that Idril being the dominant hen from the get go will help her to keep her chicks safe, but of course I'll start watching out as the 3 weeks rapidly move along!

[seminolewind]

I think you'll have a lot of fun! Buff Orps make excellent mothers. Good to hear you're into hatching now!