First 2020 set broody

[KimChick]

Today, when I put the hen out, she had a bit of a walk around. After a few minutes, another hen approached her. The other hen was greeted with a warning of puffed out feathers. The other hen turned and walked the other way. I would say both hens handled it very well.

[captivakennels]

very interesting this topic...I have put a bitch with a false pregnancy and full mother instinct ...gave her 2 rescues. Timing is quite different in dogs but would have a hard time with putting a hen on a different clutch when she left her own....mind
you most of my dogs whelp in my bedroom so what do I know... :)

[Farrier1987]

Just set Blackiewackie on a nest in one of my maternity nest boxes. Had built a bowl shaped straw nest there and set the eggs in. Checked this morning, and she is off the nest. Dang! I thought,and reached into the next to see how cold the eggs were, and they were gone. She had moved them about 2 feet away and was on them there. Didnt like my decorating scheme I guess. Seems to be a woman thing.

[Killerbunny]

Here is the reason I didn't miss any of you too much! My girl Sister, a 6 year old hen hatched on Saturday. She is a great Mum and came from eggs that @windwalkingwolf sent me all those years ago. I just love this girl.

I did hear a kerfuffle when Frank went to congratulate and ask who the Dad was. Not sure he understood there were 2 Dads and neither was him LOL!

[Killerbunny]

A week old. Sister is teaching them life lessons.

[KimChick]

Oh that is so cute!
June 1st is hatch day for my broody hen and her 2 eggs.
I hesitate to take her off the eggs today to stretch her legs. She just had a broody hen the day before yesterday.
The other thing that has come to mind is how and when to let her out with her chicks.
Right now, her nesting box is in a small enclosure, in the barn, that was actually meant for a sick hen. There is no way for her to get in and out unless I take off the plywood lid and she jumps up, but then her chicks wouldn't be able to follow her. I will have to lift out all of them and open up the big barn door for them to take a walk outside together, not with the other hens.
Someone.... please chime in with your expertise!

[Farrier1987]

I dont know about expertise, but what i would do, is keep her in the barn for a couple days with her chicks. Make a nest or something in a safe corner. That first couple days without the whole flock seems to do a lot of good for everyone. Yes, today, probably lift her off and have a ten min run, food water, then she should be good til hatch would be my guess.

Good luck to her. Broodies and babies are so wonderful.

[KimChick]

Thanks, Farrier, but since "today" has passed, I will leave her alone. I doubt she has much to since she has not really eaten much of anything in the last couple of days. She is in the barn with no distractions, but in a small enclosure that is attached to a wall. Yes, I will keep them there after hatch, but after that, I will need to physically lift them out onto the barn floor. Then I can open a big barn door and see if she takes them outside.

I do have a funny story, though! One day, when I let her outside at the front of the barn which faces the road, I put out a wee bit of scratch for her. For a couple of minutes, she did not move. Then, all of a sudden, she took off at a sprint, around the corner, which is around the outside chicken pen, pooped along the way, and went straight to some dirt and had a dust bath.

[Farrier1987]

Yup. When you put them down and it wasnt their idea, it takes a short time for the setting trance to break. A dust bath is an important thing for them when they are sitting, because there is so much time for lice and bugs to go wherever they want. Food, water, dump, dustbath. All very important life functions.

[KimChick]

No chicks evident yet. Today is definitely hatching time, if not late yesterday. I'm thinking if I don't see any action by tomorrow morning, I may have to take her off. What do you think?
This is the 4th day that the hen has been left alone for lockdown and not taken off the eggs.
And she has been eating a bit.