Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[saracalderas]

Nice coop! So my girl's eggs never hatched. we got her a chick to raise though. Here they are.

 

[PuffyChick]

Aww cute I can't wait to get our chicks.

This is her first time Broody and I want to make sure she will take the chicks.
So I am waiting, but I am also weighing the heat, time befor it goes cold, the 2-3 weeks your supposed to wait to make sure she is good and broody.
Honestly I don't imagine she could get any more broody.

She is definitely NOT laying eggs.

She sure does love them white wooden ones tho

 

[groverlvchx]

I only wait 1-3 days for the broody to stick to put eggs under. For chicks it's probably a good idea to wait 2-3 weeks, though. I've been doing chicks this summer but now my source isn't hatching any more so i bought some fertile eggs from him yesterday because I have two more broodies (one is a second go this summer and she did great with her first batch). I have to learn about candling now. All the pictures I see seem so confusing that I don't know if I'll be able to tell, but when I let eggs explode the rest of the batch didn't make it so I have to learn. Any good advice? My plan now is to use a toilet paper roll, a bright LED flashlight, and check on day 10 and day 18 to remove duds. I think on day 10 I'm looking for veining and I'm not sure what I'm looking for on day 18. I really need to avoid the exploding rotten eggs, not only for the chickies' sakes, but HOOOOOWEEEEE what a stench!

I sure appreciate your advice and help and experience with this.

 

[sharol]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...g-candling-pics-progression-though-incubation

has lots of pictures day by day. The toliet paper roll and bright flashlight works well. I can see into my very dark Marans eggs with the 240 lumen one I got from Walmart for about $25. If you use painters tape to attach the toliet paper roll to the flashlight and then cover it with electrical tape or duct tape, it will work really well.

Good luck. The hard part is to leave them in the incubator between candles.

I only wait 1-3 days for the broody to stick to put eggs under. For chicks it's probably a good idea to wait 2-3 weeks, though. I've been doing chicks this summer but now my source isn't hatching any more so i bought some fertile eggs from him yesterday because I have two more broodies (one is a second go this summer and she did great with her first batch). I have to learn about candling now. All the pictures I see seem so confusing that I don't know if I'll be able to tell, but when I let eggs explode the rest of the batch didn't make it so I have to learn. Any good advice? My plan now is to use a toilet paper roll, a bright LED flashlight, and check on day 10 and day 18 to remove duds. I think on day 10 I'm looking for veining and I'm not sure what I'm looking for on day 18. I really need to avoid the exploding rotten eggs, not only for the chickies' sakes, but HOOOOOWEEEEE what a stench!

I sure appreciate your advice and help and experience with this.

 

[PuffyChick]

I don't have a source for fertilized eggs (cant have a Roo )

But honestly I read about you all hatching several batches of chicks.
What do you DO with them once they are hatched?

Are you all using them for meat?
If so do you self butcher?

I used to think I could but now I HAVE some and I LOVE them ...I don't think I could ever butcher them.
In fact I am rather going off chicken these days, My hubby is another story. Perhaps he needs to learn butchering skills.

The only reason I am doing chicks is so that I can make sure they are hens and I will be keeping them as layers/pets.

Anyone else decides they want to go all broody is getting cold baths (probably thrown in the pool!!) and kicked off the nest asap!! LOL

 

[chickydee64]

I don't have a source for fertilized eggs (cant have a Roo )

But honestly I read about you all hatching several batches of chicks.
What do you DO with them once they are hatched?

Are you all using them for meat?
If so do you self butcher?

I used to think I could but now I HAVE some and I LOVE them ...I don't think I could ever butcher them.
In fact I am rather going off chicken these days, My hubby is another story. Perhaps he needs to learn butchering skills.

The only reason I am doing chicks is so that I can make sure they are hens and I will be keeping them as layers/pets.

Anyone else decides they want to go all broody is getting cold baths (probably thrown in the pool!!) and kicked off the nest asap!! LOL

Hi,
I sell my extras on Craigs LIst and have a sign up at our local store. I am lucky with the cockerels, our feed store buys them for $5.50 each.
I do not think about what happens to them. Some I give away to people I like or trade for blueberries ect.

 

[perchie.girl]

I don't have a source for fertilized eggs (cant have a Roo )

But honestly I read about you all hatching several batches of chicks.
What do you DO with them once they are hatched?

Are you all using them for meat?
If so do you self butcher?

I used to think I could but now I HAVE some and I LOVE them ...I don't think I could ever butcher them.
In fact I am rather going off chicken these days, My hubby is another story. Perhaps he needs to learn butchering skills.

The only reason I am doing chicks is so that I can make sure they are hens and I will be keeping them as layers/pets.

Anyone else decides they want to go all broody is getting cold baths (probably thrown in the pool!!) and kicked off the nest asap!! LOL

Oh there are many reasons to hatch chicks:

To replenish the flock
To make money selling chicks
To breed for a breeding program
To enjoy them while they grow up
To have a breed you couldnt afford any other way

The only way I could butcher my own is if I raised up Meaties. Those grow to butchering weight in six to eight weeks. Cornish crosses of some sort. If I had experince processing my own meaties I dont think I could have a problem processing a Mean Roo of any breed now and then.

BTW I CAN have roos.... LOL. and up till about five days ago I had six. Sadly someone left the gate open and coyotes got my Whole flock. every last one. Sigh.

deb

 

[emmapal]

HI,
I do things a little different.I keep broody and chicks separated for a few days then let them join the flock.....
As far as when the broody is through, my experience is it depends on the broody..some cut them lose in about 6 weeks, others hang on for a long time.
Even roosting together for weeks.............In my case , I let the hen decide............she will start roosting without them, laying again ect.
We had one silly cockerel that insisted sleeping with his mom.head under her tummy, until he was way bigger than her............

Good Luck...............

I would let them out, but my concern is that my hens are in a pasture with my pyrenees dog (whom I do not yet fully trust with something as tempting as chicken nuggets), but especially my barn cats. They attacked one of my older chicks recently, about 3 months old, although typically they are afraid of the chickens. Again, chicken nuggets are an easy target. My pyr doesn't let the cats in the pasture, but they go in if he is napping, and the chicks can run right out of the sheep wire into the jaws of waiting cats. Since I have 3 broody, I am not sure if I can put them in my old coop all together for fear the other mamas might attack the babies (it is a tractor, so about 12'x5' floor space).

There is not a practical way to get runs for all 3 mamas to keep them safe from the cats and possible doggy treat.

Tonight I pulled the hens out of the boxes, and they hopped right back in and attacked the hens that hopped in with them for the feeders. So perhaps I will try letting them out every few days to see if they are desperate to be back with their babies or are happy to wander off. Then I can coop/tractor all the chicks together since they are all the same age.

 

[chickydee64]

I have another broody...I don't know where to laugh or cry
She is a very sweet English Orp..............first time broody.and I cannot stand to have them not be able to hatch little ones..................
Oh...................I have no eggs for her.....grrrrrrrrrrrrr Don't know how I am going to handle this one.
Have three broodys right now........................two due Wends.................am going to steal a couple of chicks for the third one, her eggs did not hatch.

 

[PuffyChick]

For those of you experienced with this Broody thing...

If I take my girl off the nest ( I had to roll her off the nest she refused to budge that much LOL) and she sat there thinking what she was going to do now?
Until she saw the other 2 girls going for a fat juicy bug and then she was off in a flash.

Now, the other day I did this, same way but because we had just built her a new little hatching coop I "put" her back on the nest,
so she would know where it was.

What if she doesn't go back on the nest on her own? I mean after about 2-3 hours or more.
Does this mean she would "forget" about having chicks if I graft some to her? Even tho she stays on the nest once I put her on it?