Broody Hen Thread!

[TAMMACLEAN]

You can not hatch eggs that have been in the fridge. Sorry.

I'm pretty sure that there is a thread on here about people hatching out Trader Joe eggs. As well as eggs from the fridge.

 

[ANNAS MAQSOOD]

IF YOU WANT TO BREAK A BROODY . TAKE A SPRAYER AND SPRAY A LITTLE WATER TIME BY TIME . THIS BREAKS BROODINESS , I HAVE TRIED AND SUCCESSED IN IT

 

[broodyhen2]

Hey guys
How often do buff orps go broody
Thanks

 

[foreverlearning]

Quote:
Yup, here are a few:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...cery-store-egg-hatching-club-are-you-a-member
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/628411/experienced-trader-joe-hatchers
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/633722/hatching-store-bought-eggs-whole-foods-vs-trader-joes

When I had my first broody I wanted some of her eggs as she was my best hen but I had put them in the fridge the night before she went broody. When I read threw those threads I decided to pull them out, let them get back to room temp, and hatch.

 

[chickenkeeper12]

I got chicks from TSC and I have a broody. Should I put them in during the day or overnight.

 

[jammyjammy2112]

would a silkie cross go broody better than a silkie itself becouse i bought a silkie cross today he said they are better to hatch chicks with

 

[korlia]

Our due date is Friday!! Can absolutely NOT wait! I've give my broody cochin bantam 6 buff orp eggs, keep fingers crossed!!

 

[fisherlady]

Well... we have more broody news.... we have a total of 5 broodies right now... Rosie has her 3 week olds... Frannie is due next week... Gracie is waiting for eggs and Connie and Bess hatched Friday night to Saturday morning.
Fertility was a major issue with the breeder's eggs I had gotten for Connie and Bess (he is replacing them for me though when we get more broodies, so all is good).... so they each hatched 2 Silver Pencil Rocks and 1 black mix.

Connie and Bess were raised in the same clutch by one of our broodies last year. They were only 8.5 months old when they went broody themselves... Bess first, then Connie a week or so later. We gave them their eggs at the same time though and set them into their own little area... This little corner allowed them more quiet time than the main coop area, but they shared it with Rosie and her chicks and the other birds would frequently visit to see what goodies the broodies were hoarding.



Eventually we had hatching and of course they were adorable...
Connie

Bess

As you can tell from the picture above the hens were close together and frequently we heard them 'chatting' back and forth during their brooding time...
Connie's little ones were a few hours ahead of Bess's and hopped out of the nest on their own a bit early to explore.


I guess the little blonde chipmunk figured she'd head to the neighbors to see if they had better snacks... . Bess was happy to share... and the little black chick was trying to figure out if it was OK to play or not...


DH and I were glad to see the lack of aggression and lack of 'freaking out' with the hens... we knew both were calm birds... but broody hormones aren't to be underestimated.... their tolerance of each other's chicks was making it look like coop accommodations would be easier to figure out.


So... DH went out to open the coop this morning and check on the babies... and came rushing back in asking for the camera... so back out we went, camera in hand while he is telling me about finding.... this....


I guess the easiest way to handle chicks roaming back and forth between nests is to just join nests!! They were happy as can be with the chicks running around between the two of them! But their area really wasn't very large, and since Rosie moved to the main coop area with her little ones we decided to move Connie and Bess to the broody hut. Thankfully these two hens are very cooperative and used to us silly humans doing things... so we moved them and all of the babies into the broody hut and within a few minutes we had this...




and now... hours later... they are still happy as can be... though Mindy is a bit bummed because her view isn't nearly as good now!


and DH says... 'if I'd known they were going to do this I would have gone to Tractor Supply and gotten them more chicks!'....

 

[foreverlearning]

I got chicks from TSC and I have a broody. Should I put them in during the day or overnight.

You want to add them at night but keep in mind that not all broodies take fosters. I would suggest to add a heat lamp area near mom just in case she doesn't keep them and tosses them out. If they can still get to a heat source then they have a better chance and you can bring them inside to brood yourself.

 

[fisherlady]

would a silkie cross go broody better than a silkie itself becouse i bought a silkie cross today he said they are better to hatch chicks with

Only reason I can think someone would consider them 'better' is maybe if they are larger than a regular silkie they could cover and raise a few more chicks per clutch.... and may be better able to defend them from other flock members if needed.
I don't know that they would be any better in the actual 'mothering' part of it though...