Broody Hen Thread!

[mamahenAtlanta]

I would Not set her again----I would break her(if you need help on how to do this---ask) let her get back to normal----she will go broody again. What you feel happened to cause her to not hatch?

Not sure what happened-- I don't have a roo, so I got 5 eggs (likely fertile) from feed store and set her the same day they were laid. Set up in a nice broody coop inside the tractor. Broody rarely got up off her eggs, but saw her several times out for a few minutes at a time. She kicked one egg out within first week, and I candled remaining four at day 14 (my first time ever so wasn't sure what I was doing....) but of the four, only one looked viable (I could see vein lines and a blob). Still no hatch at day 25 so candled it then and it looked very odd-- vertically, it was dark on one side and clear on the other. I tossed it ... didn't have to heart to open it and look. I'll give her a break for a while and try again. She acted like a crazed roo when she joined the flock - I turned them out to free range. She was chest bumping and pecking.... I guess she has to restablish herself? She also flew up onto a branch--not too high which I've never seen before. Just acting weird. Postpartum depression?

 

[PD-Riverman]

I got 5 eggs (likely fertile) from feed store and set her the same day they were laid.

How you know the eggs you got from the feed store were fresh and layed that day instead of 2 weeks old? I set eggs up to 10 days old(kept inside and turned) with great hatches. From what you are saying you seen----you had some early deaths from the eggs. I do not remember if you had her separated or not----answered to many post on here---LOL. I had a hen that hatched none of hers years back---but I recall going to check on the chickens late one night and she was on the wrong nest(if I had not checked on them I would have not known that----she would probably been back on her eggs in the morning)----her eggs were cold but I placed her back on them---she hatched none. I started moving EVERY broody to a private pen and to my knowledge----70 in the last year, many more years before these---ALL hatched---I can not think of one time that they didn't.

 

[James Beller]

Did you have any hatch? I hope you have better luck next time.

they were all dead one rotten.

 

[mymilliefleur]

About a week and a half ago one of my broodies got off her nest to eat, etc and got into the nest next door by mistake. I didn't think letting her sit in a coop with multiple nests would be a problem if only one nest had eggs in it, but it was. Anyway, when I discovered her off the eggs, it was 9:00PM and the eggs were freezing cold. I'm guessing she was off them for around 6 hours. I grabbed her and stuck her back on the eggs. They are due to hatch tomorrow. Last night I candled them (just to see if I could see any movement) and I definitely saw movement in at least one egg! Today I could hear a faint cheeping in one of the eggs. We will see how many survived. So for all those that have experienced the same thing, don't give up hope! Those little embryos are tough!

 

[mymilliefleur]

Quote:
That's too bad.

Next time I would suggest separating her so she has her own private place, and can't get into another nest.

 

[James Beller]

That's too bad.

Next time I would suggest separating her so she has her own private place, and can't get into another nest.

She new the eggs were bad. that is why she wasnt wanting them. she is on a new nest with brand new eggs!!! one off our hens actually had killed two clutches before she even got two hatch two little chicks(both roos) so she will be fine just sitting two terms.

 

[sharol]

About a week and a half ago one of my broodies got off her nest to eat, etc and got into the nest next door by mistake. I didn't think letting her sit in a coop with multiple nests would be a problem if only one nest had eggs in it, but it was. Anyway, when I discovered her off the eggs, it was 9:00PM and the eggs were freezing cold. I'm guessing she was off them for around 6 hours. I grabbed her and stuck her back on the eggs. They are due to hatch tomorrow. Last night I candled them (just to see if I could see any movement) and I definitely saw movement in at least one egg! Today I could hear a faint cheeping in one of the eggs. We will see how many survived. So for all those that have experienced the same thing, don't give up hope! Those little embryos are tough!

I am amazed at just how tough. We coddle our incubator eggs and fuss over a 1 degree fluctuation in temperatures. Broodies are off the nest practically every day, and I'm sure they aren't keeping the eggs completely consistent, and yet they hatch amazingly well.

I have an incubator with 24 eggs in it and a little true Araucana hen setting on 4 eggs. She is so tiny that she can barely cover the 4 eggs. I plan to sneak her another baby or two if her hatch isn't good. She tried last winter, but the eggs didn't hatch and she gave up when the last one died (how do they know)? If I have chicks in the incubator, she will get some to raise. She has really earned it. She goes out to eat and drink, and someone takes over her nest to lay an egg. She comes back in the coop and sits on the roost next to the nest box and curses at the intruder until she is through laying and leaves, and then she goes back in the nest. When I can catch her off the eggs, I clean out any that aren't the first original 4.

We are only about a week in, so I haven't tried candling yet. Can't wait to do that sometime after day 10 when she is out eating and drinking.

 

[Klay]

chicks are so funny.

 

[wolf-hen300]

I have a broody that is on three eggs and I am afraid that when the eggs hatch the other hens will kill them, so I wanted to know when the best time to move the hen and the eggs would be. The eggs are estimated to hatch on May 3rd and I am thinking of moving the eggs on the 27th. Is that a good time to move them?

 

[fisherlady]

I have a broody that is on three eggs and I am afraid that when the eggs hatch the other hens will kill them, so I wanted to know when the best time to move the hen and the eggs would be. The eggs are estimated to hatch on May 3rd and I am thinking of moving the eggs on the 27th. Is that a good time to move them?

I wouldn't move a hen that close to hatch....unless she is being bothered enough to put the hatch at risk I would just place a wire barrier in front of the nest the day before she is due and move her, chicks and remaining eggs to a new nest 24-36 hours after the first chick hatches.