Broody Hen's Broody Twin

Yes, that's right, an identical sister, except for blonde nails on her center toes. Well that and she's about a year younger, quieter and has been people shy since she was a chick. Hatched by Little Black Broody Hen herself, her twin is already showing the inherent bantam broodiness just two months after coming of age. For the past two days, she's been setting on her chosen nest at night and taking only one very short leisure during morning feed out before quietly clucking her way back to her nest. Less hurried than Broody hen, maintaining the same calm social stance instead of becoming distant and fleeting from the flock. She will displace only one hen's laying spot. I gave her my normal 2-3 day trial of commitment period while I collected suitable eggs. Then, with fingers crossed and much needed babying and attention for a distant and avoiding hen, hopefully she will transition into motherhood flawlessly and personable.

As for Lil Black Hen's latest hatch, a flop.

An egg exploded on her clutch early on, smothering eggs, spreading bacteria and death. This was a new endeavor with her in the Aframe while broody. She would sneak out in the quiet morning for her stretch before I was awake; Therefore I did not get a daily glace for cleanliness of her nest. Although a breath stopping stench clued me in. I changed and added new bedding, along with some fresh thyme and chocolate mint to freshen the air.

Late on the day of hatch, I looked over an unbroken egg in my hand. I feared for the chick inside, dark, cramped and seemingly alone, waiting to feel the heat retention of dry feathers. I clucked to the egg and pressed it to my ear. I thought maybe a single mercy crack would help. I found a small suitable stick, rethinking my actions at every moment: 'what if I hurt the chick?', too concerned for it's livelihood I give it a quick tap. The pressurized sound of that egg POP, immediately followed by the milky green ooze now covering my hands and splattered on my face were enough to make me nauseous. Obviously a learning experience I power-walked to the house, mouth tight in fear of tasting this vile sludge. Five hand-washes later and I could still smell the wrenching wreak of death. Either way, half of the clutch rotted into vile, verdant, liquid, pressurized bomb shells. The horror.

The next morning I opened the back of the Aframe to find a still damp chick, cast behind her, cold and limp. “What happened?” I exclaimed in a soft yet high pitched voice. Broody hen with sadness in her eyes looked back between me and the chick and gave a low growl. The next day another lifeless body. Three of the ten survived, my livelihood numbers are plummeting!

Currently thriving at just about one month are: A white feather-legged chick with black splashing, a quick growing all white and a red. The red's baby feathers are similar to nine roos I adopted just a few days after LBHen's hatch, seeminly RIRs. She however, would not take to this rambunctious crew of at least a week older, already scurrying, play-fighting, and tugging at her eyes and comb while her chicks stood as a new foal. She has already set them a place on the pecking order, right at the tip of her beak.

Today I stroked the very top of Broody Twin's head (if I choose better names I will only be saddened further by loss) and placed six good sized eggs under her alongside one of her own. I'll keep the clutch small in case this ends in forgetfullness.  Good luck and good ridden because her eggs are too small to sell, silly bantams.

Chicks Cheaping! Day 19 For Broody Hen

First pictures of these day olds.
First days of August broodiness.

First of all, what has transpired with this hatch so far?


Other Hens on the Nest.

After seeing a hen sitting on Little Black Hen's little broody head, trying to lay an egg in the same nest, I placed a curtain over the opening to her nest. This works great by the way; it keeps her mind on her nest and others out while she remains in the safety of the coop yet able to get out if completely necessary. Although, I do have to open the curtain each morning and anxiously watch her until she remembers her seemingly abandoned nest.

Egg Eaters

At 2 weeks with basket in hand to collect and candle her clutch, I let the chickens out and saw broody hen run out with the others. My heart jumped and I spotted the curtain hanging down because I didn't push the tack in far enough!!! How silly!!

All the eggs were covered in, yes you guest it, egg. Upset, nervous and disappointed, I rinsed the eggs and candled them anyway. I was more than worried, with no idea how long the hen had been off her nest, how horribly the remaining eggs had been viciously pecked and concerned for bacterial safety.
Mood swings:

How sad that they’re ruined. 

                              What horrible creatures eat their own eggs!? 

I knew I should have gotten out of bed earlier! 

Turns out the egg eating chicken, whoever it was, only ate one egg, which when candled at week one and looked infertile... not even a dark spot.

Candling showed 8 of 9 eggs looking normal, I suppose. Shadowing veins like inverted lighting revealed their web through thick shells. All seemed to have solid formed construction that floated with each turn of the egg. All except one, whose web drifted, torn and fluid in its shell.

My Forgetfulness

Now, on day 18, a horrible event happened. While in a rush to volunteer my time to pull weeds along a community side walk, so that synthetic chemical pesticides need not be sprayed, I forgot to let my chickens out of their coop today!!! Thank goodness there is ample space, enough for twice the herd size, but this horrible mistake didn’t hit me until my way home and I obviously, immediately became very concerned, very fast. Visions of early awaked chicks lying lifeless under a stampeding flock flashed in my minds eye.

I opened the coop door and heard broody hen clucking to life in her nest box, hungry for a meal and aiming to stretch her legs. I picked up a clean, warm egg and put it to my ear. The kissing chirp of a chick’s first words lightened my heart and settled my nerves. What a sweet end to a rough day.
Candling Eggs

To candle, I turn a reading light with a flexible arm upside down. Turn it on and let the fluorescent bulb warm up while I cut an oval hole in a piece of cardboard to place on the rim. This works perfect since the metal shade has a flat surface, therefore forming a good light seal. :P

Candling Websites that helped me get the idea of what’s happening and how to know when an egg should be removed.

Learn about Winners, Quitters and Yolkers at 4-H Embryology, Extension in Lancaster County, University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL)

Candling Pictures at shilala.homestead.com

Back Yard Chickens’ Candling Eggs Site

Find Vivid photos of candled eggs, inside and out at “Egg Candling and Break Out Analysis for Hatchery Quality Assurance and Analysis of Poor Hatches.” Cooperative Extension - University of California, Animal Science Department

Hats Off to My Broody Hen: a Two Hatch Wonder.

What went wrong with this hatch?
Pictures of hatched day old chicks.

With her chicks full grown and a casual climb up the social lattice after March’s hatch, this year’s broody hen has decided to have another go at motherhood.

A couple days ago Little Black Hen decided it was time to warm her feathers, bunker down and hatch me another batch of tweeters. After breakfast I was checking for eggs and she came running into the coop, straight up to a perch and stared into the nest box. She cackled, “Please, I thought I laid enough”, as she jumped into her nest and settled down (with no eggs). So I hand fed her some grain to show her no hard feelings and get her ready for some routine.

Even though I have been collecting eggs multiple times a day because of an egg eating outbreak she chose to sit on a nest for two nights and then yesterday all day without any eggs. This gave me just enough time to gather seven clean eggs. Unsure of whether she was serious I was anxious to see if she would be on her nest this morning. She somewhat disappointed me by charging out of the coop with the flock for breakfast. However, as soon as feeding was over she drank enough water to bloat her crop, proceeded to take the giant broody hen poop and then preened each one of her feathers, right down to her legs.  So I placed the seven marked eggs in her chosen nest and waited and waited for her to finish cleaning and find them.

When she came into the coop she jumped to the nest boxes and got a sharp peck on the head from a laying barred hen. Little Black Hen paused… frozen, eyes glazed over, standing just below her nest for five long minutes. “Do I really want to spend 21 days and nights sitting on hard lumps of calcium?” So I patiently watched for her decision. She took a peak into her box and a leap of faith into her nest for a nice end to August.

I hope these 21 days aren’t brutally hot and that raising chicks in September won’t be nippy. But for a hen that hatched chicks in March and raised them during freak snow storms, I give her love and all my luck (as little as that may be). Fingers crossed for all seven this time!

Little Black Hen's prior hatch:
First Hatch of 2011
2011 First Hatch Update

Hatching Chicks with Broody Hens