I've got a broody hen - I think

[calismum]

OK you chook people - went to put them to bed tonight and Martha is sitting in the nest box with three eggs. She has plucked the feathers out of her chest.

So - - do I leave her in there? Move her and eggs into the ark? What will I give her as nest material? How do I look after her every little whim.

Oh, I'm so excited - hope she's still on them in the morning.

[smudgley]

Do you want her to sit some eggs?

If you do & they are fertile eggs, leave her well alone. She'll sit tight on them if she's broody & plucking her feathers.

If you don't then move her to another place, then she probably won't sit them.

Don't move her if you want her to sit the eggs, because this will often (not always though) make them go off being broody.

When she's sitting, leave her & she will hop off once a day for food & water.

In 21 days - surprise.... the eggs turn into baby chicks. :)

[calismum]

I'd love to have some chicks so she is on 3 eggs which would be fine.

Just wondered about leaving her in the general coop along with the other 7 hens and cockerel. That was why I wondered about moving her into the ark.

Thanks Smudgely.

[dandysmom]

Excuse me for what's probably a dumb question, but is the cockerel old enough that the eggs could be fertile? I know almost nothing about chickens sex lives, Grandma didn't have a rooster.

[angieh]

How lovely!

The only thing I know about broody hens when they are not wanted to be broody is the old fashioned dunking in a bucket of cold water. I thought that was barbaric, and I'm sure you'd never do that CM!

I'd be interested to know about how old a cockerel needs to be to fertilise eggs too.

[Tink]

Oh how exciting! I'd be interested to know too about the cockerel. Maybe one day I will have a nice sized bit of land so I can raise them too. Until then...I'll have to live vicariously through you :D

[smudgley]

She should be fine in with all the others for now, as long as you have plenty nest boxes, so she doesn't feel she is being pushed away from hers for the others to get in and lay.

We have a broody Orpington at the moment. Don't want her to sit any though, we've got bloomin' chicks everywhere here at the mo! :?

[angieh]

I've Googled and it seems that both hens and cockerels reach sexual maturity at around 20 weeks.

[dandysmom]

Next question: how old is the cockerel?

[calismum]

Well, she is still sitting tight this morning. There are three nest boxes but they tend to never use one of them so I'm a bit worried she'll be a bit bullied to move. She is 2nd top hen so that may stand in her favour.

The alternative is I move her to the ark - no idea if that would put her off or not.

The cockerel was born June so he'll be at least 40 weeks, he's been practicing hard :lol: so fingers crossed.

I never had it in my head to hatch baby chicks but the boy wasn't planned. If she sits and is happy on just the 3 eggs then we'll see what happens.

. . . smudgely, I need to see pics of all these chicks you have (so I'll be able to recognise them if I ever get that far)

[dandysmom]

How exciting.... Catsey chicks coming (maybe)!

[calismum]

Thought I'd do a quick update.

Martha was being bullied in the general coop so she was moved into the ark last wednesday. She had accumulated a few more eggs as the others were jumping in to lay when she had got off for food and drink.

I left the eggs she had until Thursday night to make sure she was still sitting.

Thursday evening I removed the selection she had and replaced them with 7 eggs - 2 each from Beryl, Matilda and Hilda and 1 from Mavis.

Have looked up feather colour and genetics on the net and it would appear that Black is dominant so as Jack is black I assume all the chicks will be black too.

SHe is siting tight, comes out now and again for a little break and goes back. Seems to be quite happy.

I have been worried she would overheat so have tied the parasol to the trees above the ark to shade her from the sun in the warmest part of the day. OH just walks about shaking his head.

Eighteen days to go!!!!

[dandysmom]

I suppose it's a bit daft of me to be so excited about this ... but I think it's soooo cool!

[calismum]

I suppose it's a bit daft of me to be so excited about this ... but I think it's soooo cool!

DM - I am trying to be quite adult and matter of fact about this but I am failing miserably - I can't wait!!!!

Just hope all goes well and she sits for the duration and the eggs are fertile and the chicks hatch out and they survive and ...........

So I am trying hard to keep it fairly low key. I do agree though it is so cool.

Do you know what I love just now? When she comes off the nest she chucks away quietly to herself the whole time. A totally different noise from anything I've ever heard her make before. It is such a contented sound.

[dandysmom]

All I can say is Awwwww! :)

[angieh]

AWWWWW with knobs on from me too - I wonder if you could get a photo of her sitting, CM???? Without disturbing her of course .............

[Tink]

Awww I'm really excited too!
When I was little we had parakeets and finches as pets and of course the eggs laid were unfertilized but I had a belief that if I kept it warm and talked to the egg and concentrated all the love I had on it, that it would hatch into something. My mom used to get mad at me for doing this so I would sneak an egg up to my room when I could and make it a nest complete with heating pad and I would pray for it to hatch. It never did so as you can see I am reliving my childhood here over the excitement of it all :lol:

[PoshPuss]

This is lovely news CM, and some thing I'm going to watch closely as we used to keep hens 20 odd years ago before we moved here. Ceri was into breeding purebreed birds, and I loved looking after them. Kept a little trio of Welsummers and another of Marans. Also, 36 warren layers for the egg harvest.

Good luck, soooo excited. Nice to have this to take my mind off my troubles :)

[alexgirl73]

I'd love some chicks, but not allowed a cockerel here (too built up lol). and dont have the funds for incubators and such, so looking forward to seeing these babies :D. On a plus note I am looking to get 2 more chickens soon, so hopefully will get some younger ones :)

[calismum]

OK folks here is the lovely lady herself. Don't think she was overly impresed with me poking a camera at her.

Martha
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd360/calismum/P5240042.jpg

Proud Dad
Jack
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd360/calismum/P5240045.jpg

Martha's des res
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd360/calismum/P5240040.jpg

[Mags]

Martha is a beauty, CM and she really looks like she's on a mission in that pic!:D
I'm getting excited about forthcoming chicks too ....... how long now?

Love the pic of Jack, he certainly has something to crow about! :lol:

[dandysmom]

Awww, Martha does look like a, well, a mother hen! So contented and maternal. Jack is a handsome boy; thanks for the pics!

How many eggs is she sitting on?

[angieh]

I wonder if that's where the phrase "sitting tight" comes from? She's a lovely broody! Let's hope Jack is crowing with purpose.

[Tink]

aww thanks for the pics so lovely :D

[Moli]

She is a beauty.....and looks to be quite comfy there...