Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[CoopChick719]

Turns out the eggs i thaught were Bellas actually wernt, they were my Ancona bantams. But Bella did lay her first egg yesterday!, She was in the nest box but got out because i was giving treats out then she went and stood in the fiels for 10 mins and a egg dropped out! Its so rewarding getting the first egg after having her from day one!

Good Job Bella!! Congrats Johnn!!

I'm feeling a little sad tonight. I traded my Topsy and Fluffy, both silkies, for Davy, the silky roo I used to have. He was with a great family, but they couldn't keep him so I said I'd take him back. I've been considering changing to a large fowl layer flock and this was the perfect opportunity. The family the two girls went is a very sweet Christian family with two adorable kids. I know they will love those two like I love them. I am certainly going to miss them for a awhile, but at least now Topsy won't be constantly beat up by Smokey. I did warn her that Topsy loves to go broody.

Thinking of you Bobbie!

Hard to see your birds go to a new home! At least you know they went to a good family.

 

[dretd]

Hi everyone, what a great thread!

I am planning on getting some shipped eggs in May if my hen that went broody last year cooperates. I have had terrible luck with shipped eggs in an incubator and hope my luck will change with my broody.

Question: how did you all handle any shipped eggs to get a good hatch rate? Did you candle before setting, let them rest big end up for 1/2 a day like they recommend for incubation? How did you handle detached air cells?

I want to maximize my chances and would love to hear your voices of experience!

 

[CoopChick719]

I have new pics!!

Chicks are now 4 weeks old. They love to be outside! They certainly listen when the roo gives the warning call!

This is Chipmunk.


Flacco roosting


Pitch eating lettuce


and Spot in between Blue & Janice (the Momma)

 

[fisherlady]

Hi everyone, what a great thread!

I am planning on getting some shipped eggs in May if my hen that went broody last year cooperates. I have had terrible luck with shipped eggs in an incubator and hope my luck will change with my broody.

Question: how did you all handle any shipped eggs to get a good hatch rate? Did you candle before setting, let them rest big end up for 1/2 a day like they recommend for incubation? How did you handle detached air cells?

I want to maximize my chances and would love to hear your voices of experience!

Our eggs were shipped (from one state away)... when we got them we placed them into an egg carton with fat end up and placed them in a cool area (between 50 and 60 degrees) with a 3/4 inch stick under one end to tilt it slightly, about every 6 hrs or so we moved the stick to the other end and front to back, basically just changed the tilt from side to side and front to back. We did this from about 4pm Friday to 8 am Saturday. Then we moved the eggs into a room of the house which was in the 70s to start 'warming', we continued to change the tilt every few hours.
At about 4 pm or so on Saturday the eggs were given to Gracie. We had been 'practicing' with her many evenings by placing dummy eggs in front of her as she sat on her nest... she would just pull them under herself when we did this. So when we got the 'real' eggs we were able to do the same thing and she didn't think a thing of it, just took them.
We had 8 of 8 hatch.... don't know how we got that lucky with shipped eggs, but it worked for us. I don't know if what we did had any impact on it or if we were just lucky and Gracie did everything right. But this was all done in January.
We didn't candle before giving them to her, so can't say anything there about wonky air cells or such.

I have new pics!!

Chicks are now 4 weeks old. They love to be outside! They certainly listen when the roo gives the warning call!

This is Chipmunk.


Flacco roosting


Pitch eating lettuce


and Spot in between Blue & Janice (the Momma)

So cute! Glad to see them thriving and happy with the rest of the flock!

 

[bobbieschicks]

Hi everyone, what a great thread!

I am planning on getting some shipped eggs in May if my hen that went broody last year cooperates. I have had terrible luck with shipped eggs in an incubator and hope my luck will change with my broody.

Question: how did you all handle any shipped eggs to get a good hatch rate? Did you candle before setting, let them rest big end up for 1/2 a day like they recommend for incubation? How did you handle detached air cells?

I want to maximize my chances and would love to hear your voices of experience!

I've used shipped eggs for most of my broody hatches. I usually just open the carton when it arrives and inspect for broken eggs. Then I put the eggs under my broody the next day when I clean out the coop. In the past I've tried keeping the eggs in the carton longer, but I haven't found a significant difference in hatch rate to keep up that process. Then again I didn't conduct a scientific experiment, and my memory may be faulty.

 

[dretd]

Our eggs were shipped (from one state away)... when we got them we placed them into an egg carton with fat end up and placed them in a cool area (between 50 and 60 degrees) with a 3/4 inch stick under one end to tilt it slightly, about every 6 hrs or so we moved the stick to the other end and front to back, basically just changed the tilt from side to side and front to back. We did this from about 4pm Friday to 8 am Saturday. Then we moved the eggs into a room of the house which was in the 70s to start 'warming', we continued to change the tilt every few hours.
At about 4 pm or so on Saturday the eggs were given to Gracie. We had been 'practicing' with her many evenings by placing dummy eggs in front of her as she sat on her nest... she would just pull them under herself when we did this. So when we got the 'real' eggs we were able to do the same thing and she didn't think a thing of it, just took them.
We had 8 of 8 hatch.... don't know how we got that lucky with shipped eggs, but it worked for us. I don't know if what we did had any impact on it or if we were just lucky and Gracie did everything right. But this was all done in January.
We didn't candle before giving them to her, so can't say anything there about wonky air cells or such.

I've used shipped eggs for most of my broody hatches. I usually just open the carton when it arrives and inspect for broken eggs. Then I put the eggs under my broody the next day when I clean out the coop. In the past I've tried keeping the eggs in the carton longer, but I haven't found a significant difference in hatch rate to keep up that process. Then again I didn't conduct a scientific experiment, and my memory may be faulty.

Thank you so much for your advice. Looks like both of you set the eggs in the cartons overnight to rest then let the broody do her thing. Easy peasy!

Anyone else with advice on adding eggs to a broody with shipped eggs?

 

[Johnn]

Thanks to both of you who commented on Bellas egg pic

 

[ChristineMarie]

Hi everyone!

The answer to my questions may be in the 16247 replies on this thread, but I just couldn't scan anymore!

Can getting a new coop make a hen go broody? It seems like a weird coincidence that the very next day she got a super, nice new coop she started acting like this. I thought she just liked it so much, she didn't want to come out! But the signs are there: puffing up, pulling out feathers, zoning out in the nest all day.

She's the only one out there right now, (a hawk killed her sister a few months ago) and there's never been a rooster.

Should I do something to snap her out of it? Can it be done? I don't really care about the egg, it would be nice, but I just want her to be ok. Will she come out on her own? How long?

Thanks for any advice!

 

[delisha]

Thanks to both of you who commented on Bellas egg pic

Bella's first egg..how exciting!! Congrats ..first eggs are always exciting.

Hi everyone!

The answer to my questions may be in the 16247 replies on this thread, but I just couldn't scan anymore!

Can getting a new coop make a hen go broody? It seems like a weird coincidence that the very next day she got a super, nice new coop she started acting like this. I thought she just liked it so much, she didn't want to come out! But the signs are there: puffing up, pulling out feathers, zoning out in the nest all day.

She's the only one out there right now, (a hawk killed her sister a few months ago) and there's never been a rooster.

Should I do something to snap her out of it? Can it be done? I don't really care about the egg, it would be nice, but I just want her to be ok. Will she come out on her own? How long?

Thanks for any advice!

It might be stress..give her a few days. Chickens do not like change. She should be fine.

 

[gg706]

I might have my first broody!

She is almost a one year old Araucana. I went out this morning to let the chickens out, as soon as I opened the door. She puffed up at me and had her wings hanging out and down to the ground. VERY GRUMPY! She was walking around making a strange noise over and over again. She came out for a second then went right back into the coop. She is not sitting on a nest, more like pacing. I am going to put some golf balls in the nest, as there are not any eggs in there. How do you test to be sure she is serious?