Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[boomchicken]

Hi, my broody and I are new to hatching and I would like some advice.


1) Is 12 too many for a first time hen to sit on? She seems to be covering them all, but it's impossible to tell if the edge ones are the getting enough heat. I notice different eggs at the edges each time I look, so they are getting rotated. She's a full-sized black australorp, and although she's small, she really spreads out on the eggs!

2) is 72 hours too soon to start thinning the eggs? There are 3 eggs (#2,6,11) that look the same as they did after 24 hrs: clear with a small shadowy blob. Should I remove them in order to reduce the crowding?

3) I check every day in the morning and evening, basically when I let the flock out to free range and then let them back in. Is this too often? It doesn't seem to bother her.

 

[bumpercarr]

Hi, my broody and I are new to hatching and I would like some advice.


1) Is 12 too many for a first time hen to sit on? She seems to be covering them all, but it's impossible to tell if the edge ones are the getting enough heat. I notice different eggs at the edges each time I look, so they are getting rotated. She's a full-sized black australorp, and although she's small, she really spreads out on the eggs!

2) is 72 hours too soon to start thinning the eggs? There are 3 eggs (#2,6,11) that look the same as they did after 24 hrs: clear with a small shadowy blob. Should I remove them in order to reduce the crowding?

3) I check every day in the morning and evening, basically when I let the flock out to free range and then let them back in. Is this too often? It doesn't seem to bother her.

1. I think 8 is a better number, but if you think she's covering 12 okay, then it is up to you. You are the one seeing what she is doing, what she is covering, and are the best judge of how many she can cover easily. One thing to remember, if there are too many none of them may hatch because they don't get enough coverage. Is it worth the gamble? Only you can answer that question.

2. I think so, but again, it is up to you. If you feel like you are an excellent candler, and are confident in what you are seeing is an unfertile egg, then go ahead and cull the ones that you don't like. I am a lousy candler, therefore, once I've decided which eggs she is going to cover, I leave her alone until those either hatch or don't. But that's me and my lack of confidence in what I'm seeing when I candle eggs. If you feel like she has too many eggs to cover, then maybe culling these three would be a good idea.

3. If she's okay with you checking her eggs, then check them when you want to. Try not to handle them too much, you can inadvertently cause damage to the embryo. But, checking once a day to make sure that no other hens/pullets are trying to sneak a couple of extra eggs under her is a good idea. Just handle with care......you can do more damage than good with too much handling. Try to remember that this is mother nature at work and at its finest! Hens have been raising chicks since there were hens.....much longer than humans have been intervening in the process.

Good luck!!! Can't wait to see the pics of the young 'uns!

 

[MargaretYakoda]

I candled our broody's eggs today. I did it while she was off the nest, so I was as fast as I could go safely. I also did it in the afternoon, so my eyes weren't adjusted to low light. Nevertheless, out of eleven eggs, ten were very hard to see into and had a good sized air pocket. One was cold when I picked it up, and it didn't seem as well developed as the others. That one got a big penciled X but since I wasn't sure I went ahead and tucked it back into the nest.
Today is day fifteen for this brood so I think we're on target to hatch on Sunday or Monday.

Our girl is doing so well, especially for a first time broody. I'm VERY proud of her!

 

[wabbit1964]

Do most of you typically candle your broody eggs? I was assuming I'd just leave my broody alone and let her do her thing... Should I be doing something?? (first timer here)...

How can I estimate when she will be hatching she has been brooding for 3-4 days. I heard broody eggs take a bit longer than incubator eggs??

 

[Peach Mom]

I currently have 2 French Black Copper Marans hens sitting eggs due to hatch soon (one nest on Saturday and one a week from today). My little flock contains the FBCM's mentioned as well as some newer year old White Rock and Red Sex Link hens, as well as one tetra tint I got by mistake. The eggs are a mix of all three types, though it seems the one FBCM rooster rarely "visits" the White Rocks so I do not know how fertile their eggs would be. In my reading I came across information saying that it is not a good idea to further cross the mixes like the Red Sex Links as negative traits show up. Does anyone have experience with this? I love the personality and laying of my Red Sex Links and was excited to see what the mixed babies would be like. With days to go it is too late to turn back now, but was wondering if I made a mistake crossing hybrids?

 

[fisherlady]

Do most of you typically candle your broody eggs? I was assuming I'd just leave my broody alone and let her do her thing... Should I be doing something?? (first timer here)...

How can I estimate when she will be hatching she has been brooding for 3-4 days. I heard broody eggs take a bit longer than incubator eggs??

I don't candle till day 7-10, and then the intent is just to note any which look clear. Obvious clears are pulled and anything which looks like it is questionable is marked to be rechecked in 4 or 5 days. The second check I again pull clears or 'sloshy' (quitters) eggs. That is about the extent of our candling. I don't attempt to view great details and we don't bother the nest more than that. Once the eggs begin hatching we note the time and any which haven't pipped within 24 hours or so we will recheck to see if they still have a good air cell or an internal pip. .. but... we set our clutches all at one time. Choosing to pull eggs or checking them after hatch starts should be done based on when you knew the eggs started, so staggered hatches can change the time frames I listed for ours.

We have one broody who faithfully hatches on day 20, no matter what egg source or breed of chicks... most of our others have pipping and hatching start late in day 20 or by smack on the 21 day mark. But again... our eggs are all set at once so we have an exact start time to work with.

I currently have 2 French Black Copper Marans hens sitting eggs due to hatch soon (one nest on Saturday and one a week from today). My little flock contains the FBCM's mentioned as well as some newer year old White Rock and Red Sex Link hens, as well as one tetra tint I got by mistake. The eggs are a mix of all three types, though it seems the one FBCM rooster rarely "visits" the White Rocks so I do not know how fertile their eggs would be. In my reading I came across information saying that it is not a good idea to further cross the mixes like the Red Sex Links as negative traits show up. Does anyone have experience with this? I love the personality and laying of my Red Sex Links and was excited to see what the mixed babies would be like. With days to go it is too late to turn back now, but was wondering if I made a mistake crossing hybrids?

I don't have any specific experience with the RSLs... the traits which may show in their offspring would probably depend on their parent stock so unless you know what stock was used to create the RSLs in the first place there is no good way to know what the offspring would be. You could try posting under the genetics forum to find someone with more experience with the crosses and results with them. I know there are folks who do a lot of crossing breeds and using different parent stock to experiment with so they should be able to give you a better breakdown.

 

[wabbit1964]

My silly girl was in the nesting box on top of the plastic eggs instead of her nest of eggs... I put her back in the right box and she settled right in.... her box is now inside a dog kennel with food and water so she doesn't have another moment of confusion LOL

 

[fisherlady]

My silly girl was in the nesting box on top of the plastic eggs instead of her nest of eggs... I put her back in the right box and she settled right in.... her box is now inside a dog kennel with food and water so she doesn't have another moment of confusion LOL

I am glad your hen has moved so well for you! Nest confusion is not uncommon for hens, especially in a busy coop or if they are new at this.

We currently have 2 hens who are setting in the main coop, and these two just won't move without freaking... but they do leave their nests to allow the other hens to lay eggs and the younger of the two will have nest confusion and go back to the wrong one also. We were able to fashion 'verandas' for each of them which are enclosed with chicken wire. It allows them to stay in their preferred area and not be disturbed by other hens and not risk confusion. The veranda allows them room to get out for food and water (they each have their own food and water now) and a stretch their legs...but we open the fence for them each afternoon to allow them to run outside for a quick dust bath if they want and to move a bit more than the verandas allow. I would have rather put them into our designated broody area but some birds just don't tolerate moves and it this solution was simple and effective without stressing the hens.
This will ensure no other hens disturbing the hatching eggs and our younger broody not mixing up nests (she is only 8 months old and just won't give up, she has been broody for 4 weeks already). The added benefit is that we can give the broodies protein rich treats and not worry about the other birds robbing it from them!

 

[daniellea2912]

Do you all continue giving extra healthy food to your broodies after their eggs have hatched? My hen was getting egg, veggies, veggie burger pieces etc while she was sitting but now has a chick. I went to give her some egg today and she of course shared it with the baby first... If you do, what do you give that's ok for the chicks too?

 

[fisherlady]

Do you all continue giving extra healthy food to your broodies after their eggs have hatched? My hen was getting egg, veggies, veggie burger pieces etc while she was sitting but now has a chick. I went to give her some egg today and she of course shared it with the baby first... If you do, what do you give that's ok for the chicks too?

We do... everything the hen got as treats before we continue with the chicks once a day, we just run it through a food chopper to make sure it is all in little bits... the hens absolutely love it for being able to show the little ones how to eat and such. But we only give it once a day, and not in great quantity so it doesn't replace the chick starter. And our chicks are raised on sand, so they get grit every day just by pecking at the seeds we throw on floor for them (again, the hen likes to teach them how to scratch after about day 2)... but if you are raising chicks on other bedding you may want to get some chick grit (available at feed stores and Tractor Supply) and place it in their area so they can have it when they want it.