Broody Hen Thread!

[holm25]

Is it possible for a hen to leave her eggs for 12 hours and go back and they still hatch

12 hours!! Where was she!! Your going to have til day 20-23 to see as the chicks might be stunted from the cold.

 

[n3kms]

Had two hatch under broody today. She seemed to be doing okay with them so when one of the incubator chicks hatched I added that one under her. She has two more eggs under and 5 in the incubator. Poor girl has been sitting for 5 weeks. Looks kind of rough so glad it's nearly over. All eggs but one spent the first week in incubator. Then I put three of the incubator eggs under Elsa with the one she had. I was surprised when both started hatching on the same day.

 

[Sambi89]

Quote:
Also how long had she been sitting on them? My hen would sit and lay her egg everyday for about a week then she didn't get up one day for more than 20 minutes.

 

[latenighter]

I just had a broody silkie on 6 eggs. Around day 18 my dog managed to get all but 1 egg. That egg pipped and died. Thankfully my hen brokw her own broodiness after the eggs were gone. Then i notice one of the other silkies is disappearing. Yep.... she had a hidden nest. She is sitting on 10 eggs. I did have to move her since she was where my dog could get her nest. She took a bit to settle down after moving, but is fine now. Im thinking we are at about day 5. Not real sure

 

[chickenlickin8]

Question. Curious if any of you leave your broody and chicks with the flock? I'm nervous the flock would kill the chicks or will they accept them? I usually separate mom and chicks so I don't have to worry.

 

[PheobeLover21]

Also how long had she been sitting on them? My hen would sit and lay her egg everyday for about a week then she didn't get up one day for more than 20 minutes.

Well my hen was about 18 days in and I wanted to move her into a more private cage so I moved her and she abanded the eggs so I felt bad and just moved her back into the other coop and gave her back her eggs. And she accepted them again, but she didn't sit on them over night. She has not gotten up since, since I seen but is there a reason possibility for them to hatch. The low that night was like 48-50 degrees

 

[casey197530]

My broody silkie was sitting on nothing for four week and would not stop so I gave her two sexlink/EE egger eggs one died but the other is going strong I did not mark it on the calendar so I am guessing due in like a week I am just not sure if it hatches if I should keep them with the flock? My other teenagers and adults can be pretty mean although last time she hatched an egg my silkie butters was pretty bad *****

 

[holm25]

Question. Curious if any of you leave your broody and chicks with the flock? I'm nervous the flock would kill the chicks or will they accept them? I usually separate mom and chicks so I don't have to worry.

I raise my any chicks that hatch on the farm here go right to the coop. The first time the hens were super curios but now its normal to them.

 

[Mandyj0458]

** Question **

Ok, I'm brand new to this whole egg hatching thing & need some help. I have one serama mama who was laying eggs all over my back yard so I read that putting a golf ball in the coop would possibly trigger her to lay them there instead.

Well, it worked!! Kind of. She's been sitting on that golf ball for a week... but now she's not laying eggs!! This is probably a dumb question but do hens continue laying eggs once they've began the sitting process? Do I need to remove the golf ball in order for her to start laying eggs again?

 

[holm25]

** Question **

Ok, I'm brand new to this whole egg hatching thing & need some help. I have one serama mama who was laying eggs all over my back yard so I read that putting a golf ball in the coop would possibly trigger her to lay them there instead.

Well, it worked!! Kind of. She's been sitting on that golf ball for a week... but now she's not laying eggs!! This is probably a dumb question but do hens continue laying eggs once they've began the sitting process? Do I need to remove the golf ball in order for her to start laying eggs again?

If u remove the golf ball she will keep sitting and no they dont lay after they have started sitting. At least not for about a month after she quits. What I would do is get her 1-2 fertile eggs. Make sure she can cover them since she is tiny.

Good luvk