Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[fisherlady]

What kind of hens are those? I have a silkie cross bantam that has the same coloring.

I have a group of three red cochin bantams, a mom and two daughters, that kind of coop hatch The two girls sit on the eggs together (usually) and the mom takes the babies away and raises them lol


A year or two ago I had a turkey and a hen raise babies together. The turkey hatched them, both took care of them during the day, and they slept with the hen at night. It was so funny!

The are Silver Pencil Rocks, Large fowl

I imagine it made for some interesting sights with the turkey and hen pairing! LOL.... hopefully the poor red cochin sisters eventually get to do some of the chick rearing after all of their setting work! Sounds like mama cochin has figured out how to take advantage... get the kids to do the work and she gets to reap the rewards after the fact!

 

[jc12551]

The are Silver Pencil Rocks, Large fowl

I imagine it made for some interesting sights with the turkey and hen pairing! LOL.... hopefully the poor red cochin sisters eventually get to do some of the chick rearing after all of their setting work! Sounds like mama cochin has figured out how to take advantage... get the kids to do the work and she gets to reap the rewards after the fact!

I wonder what genetics result in that silver pencil color?

My goal in life is to be like Big Red (mama) and figure out how to have my kids do all the rough and dirty work.

 

[MargaretYakoda]

We just candled the eleven eggs under Bonnie the Broody and all eleven appear to have some development. No rings and no duds. Bob the Rooster sure did his job! We even saw some movement in two of the eggs. Heart? Maybe?

Anyhow, on a whim I decided to buy a dozen Jersey Giant eggs from Chickielady. I completely forgot I don't have an incubator. I asked around a little bit and no one in my immediate area had an incubator to borrow, so, while I did consider buying one, I also thought "Hey, maybe I can convince one of our other girls to get the Broody Bug" So I set up a second broody box just before sunset. Right away, one of our girls just walked in, sat on the placeholder eggs, and declared the box hers. And so far she's stayed there. We'll see what the morning brings, but ... She was tucking the eggs underneath her and talking to them already. She'll have her hands full with twelve Jersey Giant eggs.

Unless I can talk a third girl into setting?

Hrmmm.....

 

[bhj123]

One more week until I hatch my little OEGB babies!!!!!
Has anyone used a broody to hatch two groups of eggs? One right after the other?

 

[Sydney Acres]

One more week until I hatch my little OEGB babies!!!!!
Has anyone used a broody to hatch two groups of eggs? One right after the other?

There has to be enough time for the broody to raise the chicks before brooding again. If the chicks are removed there might be some hens that would repetitively brood, but you have to be careful that she doesn't lose body condition. Brooding can be hard on their bodies, so try to give her enough time to recoup her strength fully.

 

[MargaretYakoda]

The girl who decided to set last night is still at it. Furthermore, I set out a third broody box and one of our australorps got right in and settled down. I'm starting to think I should set out a broody box for everyone and just go with it. LOL.

But then the very small part of me that's still sane thinks maybe ten broodies is too many. Maybe.

 

[Sydney Acres]

The girl who decided to set last night is still at it. Furthermore, I set out a third broody box and one of our australorps got right in and settled down. I'm starting to think I should set out a broody box for everyone and just go with it. LOL.

But then the very small part of me that's still sane thinks maybe ten broodies is too many. Maybe.

It almost contagious!!!

 

[bumpercarr]

The girl who decided to set last night is still at it. Furthermore, I set out a third broody box and one of our australorps got right in and settled down. I'm starting to think I should set out a broody box for everyone and just go with it. LOL.

But then the very small part of me that's still sane thinks maybe ten broodies is too many. Maybe.

That's chicken math for you!

 

[bumpercarr]

I've really enjoyed reading everyone's experiences with their broodies. My broody, Winnie, was killed along with the almost all of the rest of my flock two nights ago by dogs. It looks like they got into the coop, then wreaked havoc, killing everything that they saw. I have one 8 mo old LF brahma pullet that looks like she MIGHT make it and one of her 6 week old offspring that I'm pretty sure will make it, although she'll be blind on one side. The older pullet is in pretty rough shape. Anyway, I'll probably unsubscribe to the thread since I don't have a broody anymore and probably won't get one for while.

The upside is that I have 10 in the brooder and 30 in the incubator, so perhaps it won't take me as long to rebuild my flock as it originally took me to build it the first time. The bad thing is that my silkie mix broody was the best, and they are very difficult to find. I'll start working on my search for another broody and then I'll come back.

 

[Sydney Acres]

I've really enjoyed reading everyone's experiences with their broodies. My broody, Winnie, was killed along with the almost all of the rest of my flock two nights ago by dogs. It looks like they got into the coop, then wreaked havoc, killing everything that they saw. I have one 8 mo old LF brahma pullet that looks like she MIGHT make it and one of her 6 week old offspring that I'm pretty sure will make it, although she'll be blind on one side. The older pullet is in pretty rough shape. Anyway, I'll probably unsubscribe to the thread since I don't have a broody anymore and probably won't get one for while.

The upside is that I have 10 in the brooder and 30 in the incubator, so perhaps it won't take me as long to rebuild my flock as it originally took me to build it the first time. The bad thing is that my silkie mix broody was the best, and they are very difficult to find. I'll start working on my search for another broody and then I'll come back.

Oh Bumpercarr, I'm so sorry. That is just horrifying!! Domestic dogs running loose are more dangerous that all the other predators. If you know who owns the dogs they are responsible for the cost to replace your flock, including whatever high price you might have to pay for a silkie mix, but nothing can compensate you for the loss you've suffered. Hopefully you were able to "take care of" the dogs in a way that prevents them from ever doing this again.

Have you contacted a veterinarian to ask for a prescription of anti-inflammatories (pain medications) and antibiotics for the survivors? If you don't want to take the birds in to the hospital, some vets will prescribe them without seeing the bird (they're not supposed to, but it never hurts to ask). Those injuries sound severe, and painful.