Being mean to my mama hen

[@skyegibbins3601]

My 7 yr. old Buff Orpington went broody, much to my surprise. Our rooster had died, so she was going to be on unfertilized eggs. I got 7supposedly fertile eggs from a friend, but when it came time to hatch, none of them did. I quickly ran down to the local Tractor Supply store and got 4 day old chicks. There was a stand-off the first night, but by morning they were all under Buttercup staying nice and warm. She has been a perfect mom, and I'm so glad I gave her the opportunity to see this through. Perhaps it even bought her some time in her aging life!

[@southernyankeedoll1984]

I am so glad I found your Channel. My chickens are my life, both my boys and my girls. The more I watch your videos the more I see that the care you have for your chickens is above any chicken mama I have seen on KZbin or anywhere else. I treat my little ones, my babies, like I treat all of God's creatures, with LUV, KINDNESS & UNDERSTANDING. The longer I raise my chickens the more I see in other animals on my property that each and every little critter has a personality. Thank you for showing us how to be gracious and wonderful chicken mamas!

[@thefeatherbrain]

Thank you for your kind words, Dolly. You sound like a wonderful chicken mama too! :)

[@jeanlove8125]

I love that you showed feelings and tenderness toward your broody hen!, we should all learn a lesson from you!🌹❤️🥰🥰

[@hailanj]

I love your humility and honesty in this video, thank you so much for sharing. It's really helped me look deeper into my own flocks situations from their perspective. It's actually opened another avenue of how I can love my flock more and I love, loving my flock 🥹

[@thefeatherbrain]

Thanks so much for this comment! Sounds like you're giving your chickens a beautiful life!

[@Billiejeankingj]

Beautiful story

[@tracyhenry6241]

Oh my goodness, Call Me Chicken brought tears to my eyes. Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful link! Also thank you for giving us another perspective on broody hens. I will say that some broody hens are so determined to not leave the nest they don't eat and it becomes a problem In this situation I do end up putting the broody hen in another side coop for several hours out of the day to help snap her out of this extreme behavior.

[@thefeatherbrain]

I still tear up when I watch "Call me chicken," and I've seen it several times. :) I totally agree that in many cases breaking broody behavior is the best call.

[@PrettySunShines]

You are such an amazing human being. I respect you and admire you so much. I am in tears..Thank you for ALL the videos and the time and effort you put into it. I don't have chickens yet but I am educating myself so the day I do I know better. Love you!

[@thefeatherbrain]

Thank you so much for your kind words! Glad to hear you are researching instead of just winging it like most people do. Your chickens will be so much better off for it! :)

[@tanksithomas]

Great video! I have 2 orpingtons that get broody every summer. All I'm concerned about is that they get food and drink to stay healthy.

[@pattikemp-gettmann9646]

I had a broody who was my bonded chicken. She actually laid her first egg on my lap. And when she went broody, I went and got her two chicks. It was so wonderful. She was a great mom.

[@jamesriley9086]

I love this vid and all of them really. Would love to see a vid on all the individual little "tells" and indicators such as the beak wipe. The saucy little tail shake and other mannerisms. Thanks for the great vids.

[@thefeatherbrain]

Thanks, James. I've actually been thinking about doing a video on the "tells." In the scientific literature, they call these "comfort behaviors" and there's a whole slew of them. When chickens are upset and display these behaviors as a weird way of coping with or expressing their anxiety, they are considered "displacement behaviors."

[@jamesriley9086]

@@thefeatherbrain I think I have most pf then down to whete i am prettu wrll able to "understand" Them on a subconscious level but would love a "your style: vid giving the proper scientific explainations.

[@Kay0.3]

Wow I have never heard of a broody hen going to such extremes! 😧😢 poor speck

[@claudinedecarlisle8647]

I love your videos and have learned a lot from you, especially how to see things from a chickens' perspective. I had a hen go broody to the point of death. It's such a painful thing to witness. I went and watched Call Me Chicken, and yes, I cried. You have a beautiful heart. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience so that we can have better, healthier, relationships with our chickens.

[@thefeatherbrain]

Thank you for your kind words, Claudine, and I'm so sorry to hear about your broody hen. Some hens will give up and others won't. 3 weeks is the natural amount of time for broodiness (as chicks hatch in 21 days) - any longer than that is dangerous. Sounds like you have a beautiful heart too. Thanks for watching and commenting. :)

[@claudinedecarlisle8647]

@@thefeatherbrain Yeah, Addie was determined to raise chicks with no cock and no eggs after I removed them. I tried for almost three months, including a trip to the avian vet. She did what your sweet girl did, going crazy and being self destructive if not on her nest. Eventually the stress and not eating properly weakened her beyond saving. They're wonderful and amazing little beings, but just don't posess the awareness necessary for some situations. I so appreciate the respect you show your chickens.

[@thefeatherbrain]

@@claudinedecarlisle8647 That sounds absolutely horrifying, Claudine! I feel extra lucky I've never had to experience that and so sorry you had to watch that happen before your eyes. You're right - chickens overall are very intelligent animals, but when they really want something, and especially when they're under the influence of hormones, they can have one-track minds.

[@OnlyOneTruth25]

I watched the video, call me chicken. Thank you for that! I shared it with everyone I know. What a beautiful story! God bless you!

[@thefeatherbrain]

It still makes me cry. :)

[@77lases]

Love and so appreciate your view on this! Thank you for bringing this awareness to your audience. All creatures deserve our respect, empathy and compassion - especially those in our charge.

[@tammymcceig6518]

I went to Tractor Supply...You know the dealer... I went and got mine 4 babies to Momma.. My Momma told my Dad the same thing..

[@tammymcceig6518]

Second season as a chicken owner..Last year 2 of my girls went broody..so I got fertilized eggs off Amazon and a local guy.. 11 hatched...8 were boys...taking my chances with TS.. Those ladies didn't go..different girl.

[@pittylovinmom]

I love this! What a great perspective!

[@reggiBB]

Such a well thought out, articulated and edited video. Your vid always give me great insight and this one was especially impactful. I watched the video you recommend, "Call me Chicken" and was very moved. I really appreciate your content!🙏

[@jenluxy8264]

A friend was nursing a 3 day old sick chick with splayed legs. Trying to feed it. She said it might have been kinder to put it down. I immediately said if it made it through the night I would adopt it. Mobility is still limited but Terry McCluckin is now 3 weeks and getting stronger by the day. Terry also has a wheelchair to help get it's legs working.

[@thefeatherbrain]

Love to hear these stories with a happy ending! I hope so much she continues to improve! :)

[@MrSpinnerbug]

I totally agree with you!

[@laurab.8607]

I thought the other day that it was sad that broody hens are not given what they need.

[@JustACarnotaurus]

The Easter eggs made me crack up

[@CC-sj1bo]

What is your opinion when it comes to a hen that goes broody over and over again? Last year one of mine went broody 4 times. The second time I tried breaking but gave up when I saw how distressed she got, and how noisy (worried about neighbours), third time I gave her fertilized eggs, hoping that would be the end, but it wasn't. I ended up breaking her out of it the 4th time because I was worried about the health impacts (by locking her out in her own large outdoor area away from the coop until the others had laid, and then just closing the nesting boxes, and yes I definitely recognized the behaviours you mentioned, apart from doing things that made me worried about injury). Took 4 days.

[@thefeatherbrain]

Hi C C - please read my response to Michelle Barbour's comment above for some more info on this. Short answer: In nature, chickens go broody 1-2 times a year. I think it's probably okay to let your hens do that too - but don't let them go broody longer than the natural brood cycle of 21 days. (But if you think they're looking terrible, break them sooner.) It's also okay to break their broody cycle every time if you prefer that. Sometimes it can be easier to break them at the start of their cycle. Again, more info on the "why" behind this advice in my comment response to Michelle above.

[@CC-sj1bo]

@@thefeatherbrain Thanks for your input, and interesting counter-argument about the break from laying. I kept looking at it from the perspective that they only have so many eggs to lay in their life, that I figured the breaks mean she'll have more eggs to lay later in life, so spread them out a bit more (no idea if that's actually how it works). Funny enough, the 4th time when I broke her out of it, she took longer to resume laying than the first two when it ran its course. Just under a month break from laying the first two times, two and half months when she got to raise chicks, and 6 weeks on the 4th. But that's only one data-point to go on, so can't draw conclusions from that.

[@thefeatherbrain]

@@CC-sj1bo Below is a quote that comes from a poultry vet - (from a 'The Chicken Chick' interview with him): “As for her ‘lifetime’ supply of eggs, she is born with the number of possible ova (yolks) already set. These number in the hundreds of thousands and would take decades of daily egg production to deplete. A hen will stop laying because of old age (and therefore produce less eggs in her life) long before she would ever run out of ova to produce eggs.” Dr. Mike Petrik, DVM, MSc That's interesting about your hen's timing. Would be exciting if the correlation there was causation.

[@winniecash1654]

Omgosh she's so so sweet!! Is she an Easter egger?

[@thefeatherbrain]

Ameraucana/Easter Egger - take your pick. :)

[@winniecash1654]

@@thefeatherbrain I have one which looks almost identical. 😍

[@katemolly100]

Do you have a course regarding broody hens/mom hens etc? It’s my first time with chickens, I do have a rooster, who has 8 hens, one being a buff Orpington, who, as I understand it are known for being broody.

[@thefeatherbrain]

I don't have a course on that topic, but do hope to make some videos on it later this year.

[@marycarricaburu3683]

That is how bad she wants to be a mama. She thinks her babies are inside in danger. You sure did not give her any empathy.

[@heatherhollander664]

Thank you for sharing the other story too. I'm thr opposite I would like some of my hens to go broody and produce their own chicks, but not a single one did this year. I don't want a thousand chi ckens but I would like a few to raise their own. I am gad to hear about Michelle doing things to cool down her chicks, so they don't lose condition. I certainly don't want to watch them decline either. I love my chickens and their personality. I see each one as an individual. Some have comforted me on my worst days. Some have sought comfort if injured or lonely. Dare I say now that I work away from home they miss me. They follow me to the car in the morning and see me off. Come to greet me on mY return. Talk me follow me around. I am glad to have them in my life, they make me laugh,, smile,, cry,, and feel alive. They are the sometimes the best part of my day. On another topic do you have a preferred winter waterer? I'm thinking of going heated this year, I don't want them to go without.

[@thefeatherbrain]

I totally agree - they are such individuals and so emotional! I use the metal bell-shaped waterer and I put it on a heated base like this one - www.amazon.com/lifestyles-Poultry-Drinker-Heater-Chicken/dp/B08SWKH2BJ/

[@heatherhollander664]

Awesome Thanks.

[@kunob918]

Your videos are great, and you are more than a movie star. (... only stating the very obvious.)

[@tinab7791]

This is one of my bigger worries. I've tried to pick breeds that aren't known for this but I know it can happen anyway. I just know I'm going to feel bad telling her she can't have babies lol.

[@jorgecaballerocastillo2435]

Best chicken!

[@karenm261]

Thank you. I feel really guilty pulling my hen out of her nesting box. Now I'm just going to let her be.

[@thefeatherbrain]

Best not to leave her broody for more than about 21 days - that's how long it would take chicks to hatch in nature. Could be dangerous to let her brood longer than that. But hopefully your hen will either give up by then or be easier to break. I also don't allow them to stay broody for long if it's incredibly hot out - I worry they won't get enough water or nutrition to survive the heat.

[@karenm261]

@@thefeatherbrain well...a friend gave me 4 baby chicks. I tried introducing them one by one at night...then read not to do it at night...she is not adopting them yet...but she and the other Bantam Rhode Island red are not bullying them at least. They separate most of the time. Chicks and hens.

[@실카의하루]

im so sorry that rooster died...😭

[@brucemullis479]

I would have to order her some eggs.

[@tonyajohnson178]

Well I do appreciate and love your perspective I do think that you are being overdramatic it's a hormonal drive not a psychological one although once those hormones kick in I'm sure that they are primed and ready for motherhood because that's the way God intended it.. that is nature I have beautiful Calico Cochin Bantams and they go broody pretty regularly I pick them up gently caress them hug them kiss them tell them I understand it's hard and they will get through it and set them by the food and water just a little ways away so they can get out and get exercise but I am not fighting it those hormones have to dissolve naturally !!!

[@barbarawalker3620]

😢🤗

[@jafethtitosoto4005]

🎉

[@tinab7791]

I mean I am a little worried about the nuisance of it but I'm more worried about her becoming depressed or something because she is unable to fulfill her biological purpose.

[@jackielowrey3032]

I think it’s really heart breaking. Not amusing at all. It’s sad they want their unfertilized eggs to hatch.