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  1. bobbieschicks

    Broody Hen Thread!

    The I'd go ahead with your plan and see how they're developing in a week. :)
  2. bobbieschicks

    Broody Hen Thread!

    Depends on your weather and her size. My Shirley Jones is a tiny silky so she could cover at most 5 of hers or 3 LF. But I've had larger silky girls who could cover 7 bantam or 4 LF in the colder months. I've not had success mixing bantam and LF eggs under the same broody. Seems the varying egg...
  3. bobbieschicks

    Broody Hen Thread!

    I've had a girl sit who was 17 weeks and hadn't even started laying yet. She co hatched a brood then helped raise them. She finally started laying when the chicks were 4 weeks old. I wouldn't worry about her age, just don't give her too many to try to cover.
  4. bobbieschicks

    Broody Hen Thread!

    I said that about it being a cockerel because it seems every time I've caught a chick hanging out on top of a broody hen, it's turned out to be a cockerel! Lol.
  5. bobbieschicks

    Broody Hen Thread!

    Love it! That's your cockerel up on her back.
  6. bobbieschicks

    Broody Hen Thread!

    If she's not roosting at night and has stopped laying, most likely she's broody. If she's sitting on anything that doesn't move, including air, and attempting to hatch it, most likely she's broody. But the most reliable test of all is to reach into the nest where she is sitting and pretend to...
  7. bobbieschicks

    Broody Hen Thread!

    My best broody Smokey hatched out four broods last year and each time she acted slightly different. One time she pecked at her chicks way more than I thought she should, especially pecking them away aggressively at three weeks old. The next time she took longer to let them go and was far more...
  8. bobbieschicks

    Broody Hen Thread!

    Sad as it is, that is the way they develop strength to live. Like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon, you will not truly be helping if you interfere. Best to leave it alone under momma who will regulate temps and humidity and assist in the hatching if necessary. It can take a day or more...
  9. bobbieschicks

    Broody Hen Thread!

    Another option is to break her and let her go back to laying. I've recently broken my broody Bunny who was so determined last time that she sat for 46 days until I gave her chicks. We are maxed out with girls and need eggs too. After her being broody for a week, I put her in a temporary cage...
  10. bobbieschicks

    Broody Hen Thread!

    Just like the bator, after day 17 you shouldn't be messing with lifting up the broody since it can interfere with humidity and temp levels. That said, I've put eggs that were due to hatch under a broody and she hatched & raised them just fine. My Smokey was hatching her three eggs and she...
  11. bobbieschicks

    Broody Hen Thread!

    How do you know they partially hatched, were you peeking a lot? Also, what do you mean by 3/4 hatched? Are you saying they pipped and did not zip all the way out? What breed chick were they? Some breeds have issues with genetics that cause death to certain mutations. Were you lifting her up...
  12. bobbieschicks

    Broody Hen Thread!

    Since the eggs are due to hatch shortly I'd wait until they've all hatched and then do any moves if needed. How high is "up high" because she will probably keep the chicks under her for a couple of days while hatching and then move them down herself. My silky hatched her silky brood in the...
  13. bobbieschicks

    Broody Hen Thread!

    Give her some treats like scrambled eggs and dried mealworms along the way and make sure she's eating & drinking. She will lose some weight so feed her some treats every day. My Bunny sat for 46 days and in the end after trying twice she still didn't hatch anything. I finally gave her six store...
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