Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Miss Lydia]

Ok thanks for the input everyone. Sounds like I'll stay on course with what I'm doing and not go over 7days with my eggs. I should have some little fuzzballs for my birthday with my little hen that is sitting now and hopefully some of my other girls will jump on the band wagon!!!

we'll be looking for your good news!

 

[20736]

Here is our first batch of 2013 - with our broody Banty Blackie.
All are doing well.
We have four Welsummer eggs under our other broody hen, due to hatch Good Friday.

 

[Moni]

Here is my little Japanese hen that is sitting now. She is on eleven eggs. I'm going to candle as soon as it gets dark. This is the first time she has had this many eggs under her. I want to get rid of any bad ones early so that she is able to cover them more and have good success rate. This is her second hatch already this year. She had 7 eggs last hatch and all were successful. I always put my little broodies by thmselves to keep others from bothering them. Call me crazy but i think she appreciates it. She is never aggressive with me when i candle or handle her new chicks.

 

[Pennoppom]

HELP! This is my first time hatching eggs, and I am committed to using a broody. My orpington went broody as of today (Monday 3/25), but my fertile eggs won't arrive 'til friday. Will she abandon the nest before they hatch? I plan to separate her as of Wednesday night so that on Friday afternoon she'll be settled and I can switch out the dummies. Please make suggestions or advise

 

[Rorporp23]

HELP!  This is my first time hatching eggs, and I am committed to using a broody.  My orpington went broody as of today (Monday 3/25), but my fertile eggs won't arrive 'til friday.  Will she abandon the nest before they hatch?  I plan to separate her as of Wednesday night so that on Friday afternoon she'll be settled and I can switch out the dummies.  Please make suggestions or advise 

What I suggest is moving her ASAP so you know she won't break being broody. While you wait for hatching eggs you could put golf balls underneath her to keep her busy. Is this her first time going broody? My BO was on the best for almost 2 weeks before I got her some fertile eggs to hatch and they are due Thursday, so far so good! But she is almost 7 years old and has been broody many times over. If it's your hens first time, I suggest moving her as soon as you can so you can be SURE she's committed. If moving her breaks her, she probably wasn't that committed and that way you will have time to find another method to incubate.

 

[Debs55]

If you don't have golf balls you can also use boiled eggs underneath her

 

[Pennoppom]

This is her first time, so I will prepare her new home now and move her tonight...? My other BO went broody really quickly once (I have 4 hens sharing the nest), but when I took all but 2 dummies she broke and didn't go back.
Thanks for answering so quickly! I sure appreciate it!

 

[Moni]

Well I just finished candling my broodies eggs. I thought she had 11 eggs but she actually has 12. Ten look real good, one is an I'm not sure and one is a unfertile i think. I will recandle at the end of week and see where we go from there. I can't believe she is covering 12 eggs so well!!!!

 

[plumtownwingers]

She's probably eliminating the ones that were not viable. Some yolk won't be too bad. I'd leave her and them, but keep a nose on them and pull any stinkers.
My Vanilla Ice came from a yolk covered egg.

thanks for the info. I checked on her today and she broke two more eggs. I am down to 6 now. This is more stressful then I thought it would be. She will get some babies no matter what. The farm supply near me gets chicks the same week the egg are due to hatch and I will buy her some if she does not hatch her own. She is a 10 month old blue wyandotte, this is her 3rd time going broody.

 

[OffGridMAMA]

I'd really love to see exactly how many (and what color) eggs are under my broody but she won't let me :/ I let her keep the ones under her and added the rest of the non-pullet eggs collected that day... so I think she has about 10... but? Ugh. I'm so excited and this girl is not sharing LOL