Fingers Crossed! broody BR!

[hundleychickens]

day 6....
she looks soooo bored!

 

[hundleychickens]

Day 10...
she is really pale... is there anyway to help solve this problem?

 

[ChookRanger]

Good luck! I have my fingers crossed for you and her!

 

[hundleychickens]

Day 14...
so close yet so far!!!
I haven't been able to candle the eggs, and i kind of don't want to. She is really aggressive when she is broody. if I get to close as i am changing her water or food she will go in for a peck.

I am hoping she is a good mommy and doest kill them as they hatch.

One week left!!!!

 

[bobbi-j]

Just read your updates. Sounds like everything is going as it should. I personally would not recommend candling the eggs. Especially if she's that protective. You may end up with broken eggs from her getting upset and trying to protect them. Also, when they're hatching - leave them alone! Don't keep looking and trying to see how many there are, or how the hatching is going. I know it's a hard thing to do. For me, that's the hardest part of having a broody - I can't look under her to see what's going on like I can with the incubator. Again, I think she's more likely to harm the chicks when she's being pestered than if you leave her alone. Wait until day 22 or even 23 before you try to look. I wait until day 22, then look for any unhatched eggs.

 

[hundleychickens]

Just read your updates. Sounds like everything is going as it should. I personally would not recommend candling the eggs. Especially if she's that protective. You may end up with broken eggs from her getting upset and trying to protect them. Also, when they're hatching - leave them alone! Don't keep looking and trying to see how many there are, or how the hatching is going. I know it's a hard thing to do. For me, that's the hardest part of having a broody - I can't look under her to see what's going on like I can with the incubator. Again, I think she's more likely to harm the chicks when she's being pestered than if you leave her alone. Wait until day 22 or even 23 before you try to look. I wait until day 22, then look for any unhatched eggs.

thank you

i do have a quetion i didnt think about this until last week. i have her in a cage with a top lid and no side lid when should i take them out after they hatch?

 

[bobbi-j]

Are you going to let the hen raise them? You could take them out that day, the next day, or whenever if they're with the hen. She'll protect them from the rest of the flock and when they're older they'll be fully integrated already. I was glad my first batch of chicks was integrated this way earlier this summer. They were orphaned at around 5 weeks old, but because they were already part of the flock, the other chickens pretty much just left them alone. They knew their manners around the older hens, and the older ones didn't pick on them.

 

[Outpost JWB]

Is it common that the brooder leaves the chicks that young? We just had chicks hatch under our brooder, her 1st hatch, and ours with a brooder. She is increasingly leaving them during the day when they free range. I assumed it was just part of the rearing, gaining independence, but they are only 1 month old. We did separate her because we have 8 roosters in the big flock.

And, by the way Hundleychickens, Best of luck to you!!! Our brooder is a Dominique or Barred Rock. We don't know....? She has been a good mommy though.

 

[bobbi-j]

Is it common that the brooder leaves the chicks that young? We just had chicks hatch under our brooder, her 1st hatch, and ours with a brooder. She is increasingly leaving them during the day when they free range. I assumed it was just part of the rearing, gaining independence, but they are only 1 month old. We did separate her because we have 8 roosters in the big flock.

And, by the way Hundleychickens, Best of luck to you!!! Our brooder is a Dominique or Barred Rock. We don't know....? She has been a good mommy though.

Yep, she's "weaning" them, so to speak. Teaching them to be more independent. I have a broody with chicks about the same age and they're on their own more and more, too.

 

[hundleychickens]

Are you going to let the hen raise them? You could take them out that day, the next day, or whenever if they're with the hen. She'll protect them from the rest of the flock and when they're older they'll be fully integrated already. I was glad my first batch of chicks was integrated this way earlier this summer. They were orphaned at around 5 weeks old, but because they were already part of the flock, the other chickens pretty much just left them alone. They knew their manners around the older hens, and the older ones didn't pick on them. 

i hope she raises them. I'm going to have to make their run really chick proof now. By the time I let the store bought chicks out they were 8 weeks or so and to big to fit through the cracks. Oh and I will have to make a ramp for their coop door since right now they have cinder blocks as steps