Babies, eggs, and broodies all over

[dancingbear]

I have 8 from one hen, 3 from another, and 3 hens sharing the 11 chicks. The chicks seem to be enjoying playing "musical moms". 17 keets came out of the brush with a pearl guinea hen a couple of days ago, there's 4 older guinea keets with a dark Cornish hen who raised them, and 6 older chicks, and a light Brahma hen with 1 keet and 1 poult. 6 more broodies are going, 2 have eggs that should hatch Friday, 1 just got a dozen new eggs tonight, the other 3 are setting on straw, trying to hatch it. I'll soon have chicks and/or poults to stick under them, and hope they adopt them. I have 23 eggs in the 'bator, had 24, one didn't develop, the rest looked good at day 12. They're due Friday, as well. Plus a friend is hatching some turkey eggs for me, they're also due Friday. I hope some of these broodies will raise most or all of the babies for me.

Another guinea hen in brooding in a big brush pile, she should be showing up with keets any time, now.

I think I've had more hens brood this year than I've ever had before. 15, so far. No, that's really only 14, one's brooding for the second time, this season. 2 quit, though.

 

[austinhart123]

sounds like how we were back in april, except for the guineas

, hopefully i will have some next year, this is alot of birds, do you free range? and i would love to see pics of the babies!


and also if you are planning on putting the incubator babies under the broodies, it would probably be better to let the broodies hatch the eggs, (unless there is a specific reson you cant do that), becuase there is a greater chance they will except the chicks if they feel and hear them hatching underneath them.


and i know im repeating myself but i would love to see pics !!!!

 

[dancingbear]

There are 2 reasons I'm not hatching the 'bator eggs under the hens:

1. They keep fighting over eggs and breaking them.

2. The turkey eggs won't be here when they hatch, I'll be going to pick them up the day after. No time before that, and I'm worried I'd mess up the eggs, moving them during the last part of incubation.

Hens often accept chicks anyway, if the chicks snuggle in under them. I've had very good luck with that. I have some extremely maternal hens, some who'll adopt anything.

 

[lauralou]

You have more broody hens than I do! And I thought I had the world's broodiest chickens. Nope. You do!

My chickens are good about adopting babies, too. I hope it all works out for you. It's so much easier to let the hens do the work!