There are times when a hen wants to be a mother. When this happens, they go broody. Broody hens try to hatch their eggs. Sometimes, they'll steal others' eggs. They don't really care who laid the egg; they just want to be moms! This is Nipper. She is a good example of a hen gone broody. She hid 11 eggs from us in a wooden box that is safe from predators. We found out that she was broody when we thought she was missing. It turned out that she wasn't missing; she was just sitting on her eggs. Nipper is fluffed out to cover her eggs and keep them warm. She's also flattened out because she's hiding. In this picture, you can see how fluffed out and flat she is. She will sit on her eggs for 21 days, which is when they will hatch. Even if eggs are laid before others, they won't start growing until a hen sits on them. The eggs will only hatch if they are at the right temperature--it's can't be too cold or too hot or the baby will either not grow or die. She will use her beak to roll the eggs over a few times a day so the babies don't stick to the inside of the egg. While turning them, she smells them to see if any are rotting. If one is rotting, she will get it away from the other eggs. A rotting egg is packed with bacteria. If she were to leave it, the bacteria from the rotten egg will get into the other eggs and kill the baby. Most likely, not all of the eggs will hatch. This is because of a few possible reasons: it's not fertile, developmental issues, the egg is contaminated, the baby wasn't strong enough to hatch itself, the temperature or humidity weren't right, or mama accidentally cracked a shell. She will stay on the eggs almost all the time. She will only get off of them to go potty, eat, and drink. Some broody hens will not get off their eggs at all, not even to take care of their own needs. They take being a mother very seriously. When she gets off the eggs, she doesn't stay off for long. Chicken mamas are very protective! If a predator gets too close, she will first roar at them to try to scare them away. If it doesn't leave, she will peck at it and bite it. When she roars, the roosters will come running to help her. Sometimes, sadly, they fail and the eggs or babies get eaten. Usually, though, through teamwork, everyone is kept safe. When the babies hatch, we'll have an entire entry about them for your enjoyment!
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Just two brothers
Nanners & Mashers are brothers who just want to share their birds with the world. Archives
April 2016
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