I have been wanting to hatch my own chicks for a long time. Due to a very cheap incubator and my family not being quite on the same page as me, the eggs never hatched, in fact, many made it to the fridge or to the breakfast table instead of in the box…
Well as luck would have it, my favorite hen, an EE X, is now broody and sitting on a clutch of eggs – 14 of them! Sadly, only one of the eggs is hers; the other 13 belong to Red Sex Links and Crested Polish. Anyways, I’m going to try hatching chicks via broody method. I figure who would know what’s best better than the instincts of a mother hen, right?
This is my absolute first time hatching!!! I'm so excited and a bit nervous, lol.
I did have a problem with “mama hen” and want to know if I did the right thing. Our coop has a couple nesting boxes and other areas to lay; however, one of the RSL hens chose to lay in the same nesting box as the broody. Of course, “mama hen” stole those eggs to sit on. Before I knew it, she even accumulated all of the Polishs’ eggs too (how that happened, I have no idea – they layed in a different area… ???). I did read a bit through the Old Fashion Broody Method Thread and to keep from stealing more eggs, I let her keep what she had taken, and ended up moving her and her nest. Currently she’s sitting in a dog kennel/crate. She seemed very upset about the fact that I had moved her from her original nesting spot and out of the coop in general. I’m just wondering if this was a mistake to do on my part. I ended up locking her in for the time being until she gets use to being in there with the eggs (will remove the door so she can get out to eat/drink once she settles). I’m a bit afraid that moving her shook her from the broody state since, even though she went to sit down, she didn’t tuck all of the eggs under her… (She’s still puffs up at you when you check up on her).
Will she snap back and care for the clutch or did I accidentally ruin all of this?
Anyways, if all goes well – the first chicks should hatch the second week in May! I’m very excited and nervous – definitely praying and keeping my fingers crossed that we get some babies.
I know I shouldn't 'count my eggs before they hatch' but I would like the chicks to become imprinted on people. All of my chickens, including my roosters, are very people-friendly and I would like to make sure these ones will be too. My first bunch of chickens I got were chicks and they followed me absolutely everywhere, and even now, as adults, they are so sweet and allow you to pick them up and hold them. Is it possible to get chicks like this with the Broody Method or are they going to be super clingy to mama hen? I was planning on taking them once/if they hatched and keeping them in a brooder. If this fine or would it be best for mama to just have them and raised them herself?
Any help/advice/insight would be very much appreciated
Thank you in advance!
Well as luck would have it, my favorite hen, an EE X, is now broody and sitting on a clutch of eggs – 14 of them! Sadly, only one of the eggs is hers; the other 13 belong to Red Sex Links and Crested Polish. Anyways, I’m going to try hatching chicks via broody method. I figure who would know what’s best better than the instincts of a mother hen, right?
This is my absolute first time hatching!!! I'm so excited and a bit nervous, lol.
I did have a problem with “mama hen” and want to know if I did the right thing. Our coop has a couple nesting boxes and other areas to lay; however, one of the RSL hens chose to lay in the same nesting box as the broody. Of course, “mama hen” stole those eggs to sit on. Before I knew it, she even accumulated all of the Polishs’ eggs too (how that happened, I have no idea – they layed in a different area… ???). I did read a bit through the Old Fashion Broody Method Thread and to keep from stealing more eggs, I let her keep what she had taken, and ended up moving her and her nest. Currently she’s sitting in a dog kennel/crate. She seemed very upset about the fact that I had moved her from her original nesting spot and out of the coop in general. I’m just wondering if this was a mistake to do on my part. I ended up locking her in for the time being until she gets use to being in there with the eggs (will remove the door so she can get out to eat/drink once she settles). I’m a bit afraid that moving her shook her from the broody state since, even though she went to sit down, she didn’t tuck all of the eggs under her… (She’s still puffs up at you when you check up on her).
Will she snap back and care for the clutch or did I accidentally ruin all of this?
Anyways, if all goes well – the first chicks should hatch the second week in May! I’m very excited and nervous – definitely praying and keeping my fingers crossed that we get some babies.
I know I shouldn't 'count my eggs before they hatch' but I would like the chicks to become imprinted on people. All of my chickens, including my roosters, are very people-friendly and I would like to make sure these ones will be too. My first bunch of chickens I got were chicks and they followed me absolutely everywhere, and even now, as adults, they are so sweet and allow you to pick them up and hold them. Is it possible to get chicks like this with the Broody Method or are they going to be super clingy to mama hen? I was planning on taking them once/if they hatched and keeping them in a brooder. If this fine or would it be best for mama to just have them and raised them herself?
Any help/advice/insight would be very much appreciated
Thank you in advance!
