Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[BlackBart]

Very nice Broody box.
I don't know if there is a way to encourage hens to become broody. I have the opposite problem.
I have 9 broody hens right now and my other chicken owning friends have none.

Today a BCM hen did a gigantic broody poo in the nest and walked off her eggs. First time that has ever happened. I can't blame her, it reeked. She is a newbie so I don't think she has figured it out yet.
Her door was open too, so she could have got off and done it.

I really like all the pictures of the hens with their chicks

 

[clio]

Here's a general question about broody cochins ... both cochins are first time broody

We think we have another cochin who is going broody, as of yesterday/today ... she does walk around, eat, etc., but sits for loooong periods of time where she /and others usually lays/lay her/their eggs. Tonight we had to pick her up from the hay shed and put her in the coop.

I have a cochin setting on 8 eggs since April 4, probably due to hatch this weekend or early next week.

So, IF this second cochin is broody, if I take three of those eggs from broody cochin #1 and set them under broody cochin #2, would it be OK? Am I going to ruin those eggs by changing them from #1 to #2? Would #2 be ready for eggs that may hatch in just a week (remember, she's just becoming broody!)

Steph,
How did your broody do with those eggs that you placed under her?

Thanks, Everyone

 

[mrsmaonaigh]

We got our first hatched chick on Saturday, two more hatched Sunday morning. Mama hen is still sitting on 7 unhatched eggs. Is it normal for her to sit this long without any more hatching? She hasn't kicked any out. Also, I put some older chicks under her too that didn't have a mama and she adopted them quite well. I hope this didn't mess anything up but the temp dropped here and they were peeping loudly even with the heat lamp on so I figured it would be best to get them under her.

 

[chicknmania]

It's normal, some of them won't quit setting....I'd give it another couple of days, til Wednesday or so, and if no more hatch I'd take the rest of the eggs away from her and assume they're probably duds. That way she can concentrate on her babies.

 

[Miss Lydia]

that happened with my first broody a couple weeks ago she hatched 2 then kept sitting on 3 but after a couple days she moved the eggs away from her and the chicks, then I knew it was time to toss them. This is her second year as a mama, not sure how a first time broody will act. I had my next broody to hatch yesterday, but so far no chicks she is on 3, So either their all duds, or with having 6 broody's at one time I have gotten confused on hatch days

hopefully it's me and she won't be disappointed.

And I like that broody house Hillybilly Hen.

 

[Carol.in.WV]

I just found this thread and decided to join in after spending the morning reading posts about how to hatch in a Little Giant incubator. I have one broody/mama hen here in my bedroom that has hatched out 3 since last night....she has 3 more to go. She is in a small dishpan filled with sawdust because she does her poop where she is sitting and I grab it and flush it several times a day. Yesterday was day 21 by my reconing and she never gets off the nest for more than a minute or so but she does so all day long.....not like my other broodies who eat and poop once a day. Two more broody hens are in the coop, now converted to a nursery where the other hens that hatched chicks this year are. I had a bunch of extra eggs after getting all I could under these three hens so yesterday I put 50+ eggs in the incubator which will no doubt drive me nuts as I like to check on the progress of the eggs frequently. She is still shuffling the unhatched eggs around. Will that delay or prevent them from hatching? When I get time I will go back to the begining and read all the posts so that ? may have already been answered.

 

[mrsmaonaigh]

Well she got up late this morning and have taken the chicks into the yard. The rest were duds. I candled them and they were empty. I'm kinda bummed but the three that did hatch are uber cute.

 

[annaraven]

Well, I'm hoping things work out for us. Buffy the Broody mixed up the nests yesterday after her 10 minutes out and sat on an egg that was just laid. I moved her back to her nest. Hope it wasn't too long of a break - the eggs were still warm...

We're due Cinco de Mayo so it'll be a while before we know.

 

[angidee]

So, IF this second cochin is broody, if I take three of those eggs from broody cochin #1 and set them under broody cochin #2, would it be OK? Am I going to ruin those eggs by changing them from #1 to #2? Would #2 be ready for eggs that may hatch in just a week (remember, she's just becoming broody!)

I am no expert....
but I have read that chickens cannot count. So it may work out just fine if she sits on eggs for just a week. As soon as she hears the peeping of the chicks in the eggs, that's when she starts to get ready to be a momma...not by how many days have past.​

 

[mrsmaonaigh]

Anna, that happened several times with my girls. I moved them back to the correct nest and everything was fine. Good luck on your chickies!