A heat wave is coming in next week and I have 3 broodies!

[talkinboutchickens]

If you have power in the coop, add a small swamp cooler. Not only will it circulate the air, but the water in the reservoir cools the air as the water flows through the unit. Keep the reservoir full.

I'm in Michigan so not extreme heat regularly, but in extreme heat.. I use fans, one to exhaust hot air from coop, one to intake fresh air into coop. And if I see hens panting in the nest box (hot box) I will face a fan towards them, set on low and oscillate if that's an option. And fresh water available of course.

Warning!! ....((use caution here with this next tip))
I've also frozen water bottles and bury them in the nest box bedding along the sides. I place these so they are not in direct contact with the hens and buried in bedding. My nest boxes are bigger than most at least 14" lxwxh. I'm saying use CAUTION here to avoid shocking their system by suddenly laying on ice in heat. I place one in each box along a side in deep bedding to give them the option of moving closer or away (like chicks with a heat lamp).....think of it like you want to 'cool the bedding'.

**Disclaimer ensues !! **
I've tried to be as thorough as possible with my explanation. If this is questionable here... don't do it, I take all responsibility with my own hens, no one else's.

Unfortunately I don't have power in the coop

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Yes I marked all with a pencil, I'm not sure about the sharpie because wouldn't the ink leak into the egg?

I use sharpie. The hens can buff out the pencil from their feathers rubbing the eggs

 

[talkinboutchickens]

Do not start any more eggs incubating, at least until you get these sorted out and hatched. Fertile eggs do not have to be hatched. You can just eat them. If they have not been incubated, there will not be any visible chick inside them, and using them will be just like using any other egg.

All of the eggs under the broodies have babies in them. The oldest ones may be a week old or so...

Candle your eggs to get an idea of how developed they are, label them so you know which group is which, and sort which ones are under which broodies. Give the most developed eggs to the broody who has been sitting longest. Discard any eggs that do not show development if they have been under a hen for at least a week (compare with a freshly-laid egg or an egg that has not been incubated, to see what 'no development" looks like.)

I should candle again today and instead give the most developed ones to my white Plymouth rock then.... I didn't know who to give the most developed ones to so I gave them to my brahma since she isn't heat hardy and the heat might effect her the most so that once her chicks hatch she can be out of that coop ASAP.
I will also candle again today to make more prominent marks on each egg, because I only used a colored pencil and it didn't work well.

For future, you can collect eggs for up to a week and then start them all incubating on the same day (under a broody or in an incubator). That way they will all hatch about the same time. Just let them sit somewhere safe in your house while you are collecting them, NOT under a heat lamp. They can just sit with no development if they are at the right temperature (between about 40 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit is the "right" temperature for storing eggs before you incubate them.)

Oh don't worry I didn't put the ones that I just collected from the coop under the heat lamp, I put the ones that had tiny embryos in them under the heatlamp. I know it was a very dumb idea but I didn't know what to do with them

Thank you for your input and suggestions!

 

[Auntiejessi3]

Yes I marked all with a pencil, I'm not sure about the sharpie because wouldn't the ink leak into the egg?

No, that's all I use now is a fine point sharpie so I don't have to remark eggs

 

[Auntiejessi3]

brahma since she isn't heat hardy

My brahma does particularly well in the heat, she's 4. Where abouts are you located?

 

[klb25]

Hi!
I currently have 3 broodies....
1 black Australorp, Phyllis, who hatched chicks last year
1 white Plymouth rock, Rose, who also hatched chicks along with Phyllis (they co-parented)
And a light brahma named Dottie who is brand new at this.

A heat wave is coming to my area, it's going to be about 95 on next Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and the high eighties the rest of this week.
We have all the windows open in each coop but it is still hot in both coops!
And Dottie the light brahma is not heat hardy and she is refusing to drink. She is so stubborn! Is there any other way I can keep them cool??
Plus, some eggs are different ages than the others, I'm very worried that if those older guys hatch then the hen will continue to incubate those other young eggs until they hatch so she will stay in there with the chicks for a long time until the rest hatch.
What do you suggest? What should I do with the young eggs? Just leave them?

Thank you!

How are your broodies?

 

[talkinboutchickens]

How are your broodies?

Thanks for asking! The chicks hatched and are doing okay, thankfully today was cool. I've had 2 deaths. One that had just hatched died because it's mama wasn't there to keep it warm. The other one died because the mama either left it to freeze or because of it's partially unabsorbed yolk sac.

 

[TJstalik]

If you want to try and break the broody...give the hen a cool bath! I cool mine down for about 5-10 minutes ruffling their belly feathers, and they snap out of it. They don't go back to sitting, but they sure are bitchy for a few days!!

 

[TennCoop]

Unfortunately I don't have power in the coop

I don't have power in my coop either. I found these solar fans on Amazon:

Solar Powered Exhaust Fan, 10W Solar Panel + 6" Ventilation Vent Fan for Outside Greenhouse, Chicken Coop, Shed, Pet House Brand: blessny​

They are less than $40 and seem to work pretty good. They are exhaust fans, so I set the grid on the outside so the air is drawn into the coop. My birds seem to like to hang out under the breeze. Of course the fans only work when the sun is shining but that is when I need it most. I originally ordered two but after I installed them I liked them so much I ordered three more for other uses.

 

[talkinboutchickens]

If you want to try and break the broody...give the hen a cool bath! I cool mine down for about 5-10 minutes ruffling their belly feathers, and they snap out of it. They don't go back to sitting, but they sure are bitchy for a few days!!

Who knew that doing such a minor thing will break a broody! Thanks so much for the tip!