Using hens for hatching

[StoneyRidge]

This is my second year of hatching eggs. My skills of using an incubator needs way more improvement. LOL. So far I have only tried an incubator for hatching eggs. I am wondering does anyone use hens for hatching thier eggs? Perhaps using nature I will get better results. What breed or breeds would work best? I would be happy to hear other peoples experiences in using hens for hatching eggs.

 

[Bat Cave Silkies]

Whenever its possible---I prefer to let my girls do the hatching. I raise Silkies, and a good percentage of my customers, are those buying hens to incubate eggs (ANY eggs).

I have good results using an incubator, I just believe the eggs/chicks do better when they're hatched/raised by a hen. I see a world of difference in the behavior and abilities of my chicks who were raised by a hen, compared to those who grew up in a brooder.

I've even taken eggs OUT of my incubator, when one of my Silkie girls goes broody, and let her finish the job.

I know I'm prejudiced, but Silkies make the BEST brooders and moms. Cochins also do an excellent job.

 

[pfmoore17]

I have 8 hens and 2 of them went wicked broody. I am a novice and I experimented with them.

When "#7" went broody, I collected 5 eggs and placed them under her. I was nervous cause you can never tell whether they go broddy for 3 days and stop.
After testing for a week, #7 was full blown... I used her to hatch 3 chicks plus I got a bunch of chicks when she had her's and added them in one night. She woke up to have 12 chicks! #7 was a excellent Mom for 6 weeks to various chicks. But finally, I seperated her and after 10 dasys, started laying again.

"#1" hen just had 9 chicks, sort of. She sat on 8 eggs and hatched 6. I had 3 Dorkings pip in my bator and I moved those out during the night and she is okay with them. Mom and babies are doing fine.

 

[mistyfeather]

i have been told the buff orpingtons do excellent as brooder hens and make very good mothers, i am getting 2 more for my new flock so i can use them to hatch eggs

 

[Mom2Cool]

My buff orpinton hens are best incubators & brooders one could ever have. I let them do their thing & try to interfer as *little as possible* i.e. I don't take eggs out & candle etc. what hatches hatches & what does not does not. I do keep an incubator on hand for the end because if some hatch first mom will stay on the nest for a time but eventually she's going to leave that nest & so if there are eggs on there that just haven't finished I'll then pop them into an *already to go incubator* & finish them there. But my Orpingtons are mom enough that I can slip more in (always at night after dark of course) & she'll just accept them. I've slipped in already hatched chicks & I've slipped in fertile eggs etc. It's pretty special to watch eggs pop in the bator which I've had & yes it can be addictive.... But it just feels more natural to have my hen do the hatching & mothering. when they cold etc she swoops them under her & instant brooder.... I try to keep in mind all the temp fluctuations that happens when eggs/chicks are under a hen when I've got them in a bator because whi'e I've got my chicks in 90 degree heat a hen will have hers out free ranging the backyard when it's 70 out. I have a pic from last year some where and now here is 1 of those pics. In this pic the hen is still sitting on eggs & already had a hatched chick. My hens so far have not even just given up after a few days & actually I think they'd just continue to sit for weeks & weeks if there was no hatch, however they have gotten off the next & when coming back went to the wrong nesting box. When that happens I simply slip the eggs right back under her & I've always gotten great hatches with my hens when they decide to hatch.

 

[mistyfeather]

i love that pic

 

[Bantamfarmer]

First time ever we have had a broody, and she is a Brassy Back OEGB and she is a devoted mother! She gets up to use the rest room so she doesn't go on the eggs, and I put little bread treats in her dish to make sure she is eating and they are always gone by morning! I also heard that D'uccles are great mommies.

I only have experience with the Bantams! So not much help with the bigger hens. Have some RED sex linked but they choose to lay and get out unlike out bantams (same age) who find that its time to settle down

 

[stuckinthecity]

I just wish silkies came in Extra Large... the size of a buff hen... think of all the eggs you could put under her...watch out incubators, you've got competition.
...sigh.... if only!

 

[windyridgefarm]

I wanted to make sure to give my Salmon Faverelle the credit she deserves. I got her from the hatchery last spring and she has been a mother twice now, in the fall and again now. She has been a careing and attentive mother to her own chicks and has adopted many others without question. I have five other hens (astrolorp, partride rock, silverlace whyandotte and two auraconas) sitting on eggs now and will be happy if they are half as good a mother as she is. To be fair the chicks she adopted were from my other Salmon Faverelle hen who was a good mother until the chicks were out from under her. Then she attacked them as if they were after her babies. I will ask if anyone else has ever had this happen in another thread as i was curious about why it happened and if she would do it again or grow out of it.
And now I hear about the BOs being good broodies I guess it will be six more on eggs soon. Where am I going to put all these moms? lol.

 

[mistyfeather]

time to build some little broody mom pens

just big enough for mom and babies with their own seperate little runs