Used Omlet outdoor rabbit run Width 2.2m Height 2.05m Length 3.1m vgc.

[Angela & Ken]

We have a mottled Pekin bantam (Dolly) who went broody, bless. We felt so sorry for her, and she just wouldn't come off that nest, that we sent away for 6 blue Pekin bantam eggs. We've not done this before, as you will deduct very shortly!

 

Our bantam Barbu D'Uccle (Button) then plucked out her undercarriage feathers and joined Dolly in the nesting box.

 

Over the next 2 days our gold-laced wynadotte (Rosie) and our Barnavelder (Pickle) joined them, undercarriages plucked bare!

 

"There's a pattern going on" we suddenly thought! So we moved the other 4 hens, non-broodies, to another Eglu. Phew! Just the 4 to deal with then. However, those babies are due any moment and we've now realised we have no idea what we're doing and those 4 hens are all tucked into the nesting box together, sharing those eggs. Oh my word. What happens when and if they hatch? Will they fight over them? Should I move them? Will the bigger hens (the Barnevelder in particular) squash or kill the chicks? I think we have 2 days maximum before they might arrive.

 

Do we need a lamp? Should we move them to separate houses? Bring them inside? How do we share out the babies? It's just suddenly dawned on me.....don't know what I thought was going to happen! I won't sleep tonight!

 

Thanks for any advice you might give me!

[Shirl]

I think I'd pick a broody hen and move her with all the eggs (assuming there aren't too many) to a broody box. I'd shut her in with food and water and leave her there until they hatch. The others I'd start dunking and get them out of broody state.

[Angela & Ken]

Thank you so much, Shirl! Funny, my husband suggested the same thing tonight but didn't mention how to get the others out of the broody state. I hope it works! I feel so bad for them. I feel I should let the original hen be the mummy, the mottle Pekin. She's so tame too. Thanks again.

[Shirl]

There are lots of suggestions on here to get them out of broody state including putting them in a wire cage & dunking. You might need to try several as they've been broody for a while. Good luck.

[Angela & Ken]

Thanks so much!

[laurmurf]

1 broody on all the eggs somewhere quiet and dark and safe from the others: a rabbit hutch is ideal but if you use an eglu then take out all the roosting bars and settle mum and eggs on a bedding in the main body of the eglu, not the nest box (the sides are too high for chicks to get in and out of).

Don't share out the eggs/chicks and broody mums can get very agressive with each other.

You'll need to read up on what and how to feed them (very small saucer with marbles/clean stones in it to stop chicks drowning) and get chick crumb for them all (mum will need it to build up her strength after her broody phase).

Have you got a plan for the boys? What if all 4 hatch and are cockerels: do you have homes for them or would you be able/willing to dispatch them?

[Angela & Ken]

Thanks so much for all your advice.

 

The eggs went to day 25 and when hatched them ourselves they were all yolks, so that was terribly disappointing. However, we've learnt a lot about broodies and fertilised eggs!

 

No, we didn't have anywhere for the cockerels to go should we have had them and we wouldn't have wanted to dispatch them either. It's worth remembering for a possible next time.

 

We now have the problem of still having 4 broody hens! We've dunked them in freezing water and had to do that a few times but one of our bantams when into shock. I had to sit her on my knee, wrapped up for 2 hours before she came to life again. I will never do that again. It was horrible. And.......they are still broody!! We locked them out (although this was after dunking and they were far less concerned than they had been previously should we have done that) but they're back in there tonight, all 4, brooding. I don't know what to do now. Perhaps a wire cage.

 

We know next time. Separate them as soon as they get broody, before it spreads and before they get too used to it. Put in wire cage, that's the plan, or separate and put eggs underneath one sole hen at a time!

 

Thanks so much for all your help and advice!