Are ex-bats supposed to go broody?

[Snadger]

Hi snadger,exciting times.Not sure how you've got things set up but once the chicks are hatched if you want to move her,she will go wherever her chicks are ,you'll have no problem.

Thats handy to know Jilly, thanks! Initially I intend leaving her where she is in a hut within a hut.
The other chooks will be able to see the chicks but not get near them and the small fine mesh run should contain them. I will be able to feed them chick crumbs without tuthers stealing it! After a couple of weeks I'll take the mesh away and hopefully they'll integrate ok with the help of Mum looking after them!

[Snadger]

Chickens aren't something I have a great deal of experience with, but I've read that sitting hens should be removed from the nest once a day, morning or evening, to be fed and stretch their legs, and put back in the nest after no longer than 10 mins so the eggs don't go cold.

The Poultry Club - Welcome to our Website - Hatching
There's some useful info on here And 'the other' magazine has a really good chicken section which was on about broody hens a couple of issues ago.

Good luck with them, I'll be waiting with fingers crossed for hatching news

Thanks SarzWix! She was rather unsettled at the beginning of her broodiness and was out and in the nest all the time.
I could lift her out, but I don't want to disturb her, especially as I know she's been out for food , a drink and as usual a big sloppy poo! She's also eaten the greenery I gave her.
The bantam eggs she's sitting on are tiny and I would imagine easily broken so I'm just going to hope and rely on her maternal instincts!

Up until now she's been fine as she hasn't, if you'll excuse the pun " Sh*t in her own nest"

[Snadger]

Just an update.....I am lead to believe that bantams have a shorter gestation period than normal chooks not 21 days but 19 days. This means they could/should arrive on 5th Oct not the 7th Oct as I first thought!

Today I was busying about in the chook house, mainly cleaning droppings from the night before and was making a little bit of noise! I heard her clucking angrily, when lo and behold, she got up off the nest, walked forward let out a whoopee cussion sound and dropped a big pile of stinking dihorea right under my nose. I think she must have been saying to herself.......... " You want to clear some crap? here you can clear this then!

I had to go out the shed for a few minutes to get my breath back and gather my senses to clear it! It's a shame, but this is the most notable part of her gestation that will stick with me for ever.......phew!

Anyway, when she was out, which must have been all of 30 seconds, she had a drink of water then returned to the nest. It's the first time I've seen the eggs since I put them under her and I don't know what I expected but they looked like...........well........eggs!

Six days to go so I hope she at least hatches one for all her hard work and patience!

[MaureenHall]

I was wondering how she was getting on but didn't like to hassle you. Thanks for the update. I'm getting eggsited waiting for news

[MaureenHall]

It's me again Only a few more days to hatch day isn't it!! Please can we have an update again? I'm getting impatient I know but I can't help it

[BrideXIII]

yep I'm hooked, Sunday is Chickday.

[lynda66]

ooooooo it's really eggciting, i think i need a broody chicken to hatch me some babies

[Snadger]

Ok folks, another update it is! She's still sitting but has now got a bit of a routine! Her routine is that whenever I start faffing around changing water and feed and cleaning up off the other chooks, she gets up off the nest, gives me a whistful look then lets rip when my heads within a couple of foot of her! As I've said before, it's as if she's saying " Here then, while your busy there you may as well clean this up"

Only managed a quick peek at the eggs until she got straight back on the nest!

We have had a lot of rain recently and I have aquired a leak in the chook house roof. The leak is directly over the boarded section of her broody coop and the water is running down the board and landing a bit too close to her nest for comfort. Rather than go patching up the roof which will make a heck of a racket and may force her off the nest, I have made a makeshift deflecting plank of wood held up with a brick. If it rains again, the roof will leak onto the board and run in the opposite direction to the nestbox..........hopefully.

A more pressing question is what am I going to do if and when anything hatches.
She will surely want to get outside if it's sunny after spending three weeks indoors but how can I feed her and her brood with chick crumbs and keep the rest off them?
I'm either going to have to do a Lynda trick with some pallets and make a chicken tractor, borrow a broody coop from my neighbour or I am at present working on another shed close by which could be secconded!..................... Decisions, decisions!

As usual I'll be at the lottie bright and early tomorrow, Saturday, and blag it one way or the other.

Suggestions on a post card please to Snadger care of................................

[MaureenHall]

Well from what I've read and what I've heard, mum will keep the babies close to her, so if she does go out they'll go with her. I think she and the chicks do need to be separate from the others though just in case there's any aggro and the other big ones won't be able to get at the chick crumbs.
Regarding your leaky roof, can't you chuck a tarpaulin over it and clamp it in place somehow? That's what I did as a temporary measure on my shed at home - 2 years ago!!! it's still (sort of) watertight

[Snadger]

Final update before estimated 'H (hatch!)' day tomorrow!

Normal trick of getting off the nest and leaving me a present again, this time in her food dish. She tipped it over first before doing her business in it.

Just in case........... I was listening for tweeting but none was forthcoming and by the time I got a chance to have a look in the nestbox, she was back in it.

Tush seemed a little bit houseproud today for a change and was turning around and rearanging her nest so hopefully she thinks the time is near as well.

Bought a Kilo of chick crumbs today and enquired about how much a 20Kg bag would be...........nearly £11.00! Mind you a Kilo of the loose stuff was £1.20!

Changed repair tactics for the leak in the roof as the board I put over broody/nestbox was used a s a roost last night by tuthers and I don't want them dumping in the broody coop.

Screwed a plastic fertiliser bag to the inside of the roof over the leak which at least deflects the drip into another area with a washing up liquid bowl weighted with a brick underneath. Seems to work fine as it's been chucking it down all day (no pun intended)

I'm not bothered about seeing any babies tomorrow but I would like to hear some cheeping!

[BrideXIII]

oooh i am getting all excited now, will be looking in all day tomorrow, and the next day ............ and hopefully no longer!

[MaureenHall]

It's chucking it down here this morning, all the runs are puddy muddles, and if I was a chick in a egg I think I'd stay there for a bit longer! But I'm not a chick in a egg, I'm an eggsited Nanna and it'd be really lovely to hear a bit of cheeping. Thanks for all the updates Snadger, keep em coming Fingers crossed

[Rosie.]

Ooh this is so exciting,
makes me wish my girls could have some more, but know i dont think i would be a good idea. i'm sure the cockrel would traumatise their ex-battery selves.
i will be checking this thread again tomorrow to see if the hatching was a succcess
good luck!

[lynda66]

anything happening??? i feel like an expectant granny lol

[shirlthegirl43]

I suspect Snadger is at the lottie hoping to hear cheeping

If I remember rightly, mum will start to make funny noises when the chicks are preparing for escape. Tis a long time since we had broody hens but I think that is what happened.