Posts Tagged ‘laying flock’

Gone Broody

One of the coolest things ever just happened here.

We had been contemplating adding yet another handful of hens to the laying flock, and finally decided this was the weekend.  We inventoried the cardboard to-be-recycled pile and made sure there was enough duct tape to build a brooder.  Check.  Waterer, feeder, heat lamp?  Check.  Chicks from our local feed store, which has an awesome selection?  Check.  The will to raise chicks in the garage again… well, it had to be done.

Rewind to at least a month ago, when one of our hens became “broody”- decided she was going to hatch her eggs.  With no access to a rooster, there was no way that could work.  With others of our hens that have gone broody, we have simply removed them from the nest box several times over the course of a few days, and made sure to put them on the perch at night to keep them from sleeping in the nest box.  They would eventually give up.  With this hen, literally weeks have gone by,

and we have not been able to get her out of this pattern.  (Hens do not lay eggs when they are broody.)

I suddenly remembered having read about raising hatched chicks with a “foster” broody hen, and went online to do research.  It looked promising at first, except the main problem:  the chicks were not day-old (at probably at least a week old, the chicks could possibly have been “imprinted” on each other, and even worse, the hen might summarily reject them).  The other problem we had going was that we were just now building the little outside yard where the chicks would live (to be exposed to, but safe from, the larger chickens once they were old enough move out to the barnyard).  Matt once again retrofitted Sammy the dog’s old house, and built a way nicer enclosure than the crummy fence I had planned.  We realized at the last second that we should have done that a day ahead, so we could move the hen and her eggs into it the night before.  Pressed for time and realizing we may have ruined our chances, we put her in the enclosure for the afternoon – some eggs in the little house - then closed her in at night while the chicks basked in the heat lamp in the garage.  Late that night, we followed suggestions and one by one removed the eggs and replaced them with chicks.  The chicks immediately scurried for the warm feathered body – they were at least safe for the night.

Not long after sunrise the next morning, we stumbled out to check on their progress.  The chicks were pressed into a corner wondering what that big thing was, and the hen was pecking lightly at them, warning them they’d freeze if they didn’t get over near her.  She didn’t seem to be hurting them, so to keep them all warm, we closed up their little house and went about our business.  Within a few hours – success!  Chicks were cuddled under “mom,” who has done an excellent job of keeping them warm and happy.  And somehow  - I’m serious – they keep the feeder and waterer WAY cleaner than in an artificial brooder!