Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Johnn]

Thought some duck lovers would like this, she managed to hatch 24 babies!
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4899029/Mallard-mother-duck-has-record-24-babies.html

 

[lawatt]

broody update: my first one (of four!) hatched two chicks on monday, but has been only half-heartedly paying attention to the remaining four eggs in her nest since then -- in her excitement to show the new babies stuff, the other eggs have gotten cool several times, and no sign of pips or zips -- i'm going to give them one more day, just in case, but i think they might be gone.

no shortage, given all the other broodies in action, but i feel kind of sad for those four eggs...

 

[cluckcluckluke]

I love the two top pics! I love it when sex links/Gingernut rangers/ Goldlines (the list still goes on of what people will call them) have babies! so cute!

Thanks. Yeah they do have a lot of names, I call them Sex-Links and have found that they are really not the best mothers.

 

[hotrodflash]

My broodies, 8 of 8 hatched today!


(the stain on her white feathers is from strawberries and her dustbathing)

 

[bumpercarr]

My broodies, 8 of 8 hatched today!


(the stain on her white feathers is from strawberries and her dustbathing)

They are beautiful! What breed?

 

[hotrodflash]

They are beautiful! What breed?

The first is a Black Rose comb bantam ( I think) and the other is a Light Sussex. They are hatching some mixed eggs from my flock. Most of the chicks are yellow, one yellow with a couple of black spots, and a black one. So we will see what we get when they start to feather out.

 

[kian]

Awesome! Congratulations!!!

 

[hotrodflash]

Awesome! Congratulations!!!

Thanks, I am pretty proud of them and myself too. The bantam is only 7 months old and the Light Sussex is a little over a year old so they are both fairly young as are all my chickens. These were all pullet eggs and all 8 chicks seem to be very healthy. We will see what tomorrow brings when they move them out of the nests. This was my first ever chicks to hatch and I tried to leave them alone as much as possible for them to do what they know to do by instinct.

 

[OHfarmerswife]

My broodies, 8 of 8 hatched today! (the stain on her white feathers is from strawberries and her dustbathing)

Congrats!!!

 

[OHfarmerswife]

Question? My broodie hatch 8 babies 3 weeks ago.
Tonight she wouldn't go into get pen with her babies.First she jumped up on the roost with the other chickens. The babies are too little to get up there. Then she jumped into one of the nest boxes, which had a few wooden eggs in & she clucked like crazy. All 8 chicks are in the nest box with her, 18" off the ground. It's going to go down to 34° tonight. I am worried about the babies!!