Broodies on eggs? Broodies with babies? Post here.

[gckiddhouse]

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My broody is not very high on the pecking order, so the other hens were being mean to her and not letting her eat, etc.. They were also kicking her out of the nesting box and laying more eggs. She started with 8 and when I moved her she had 18. So several of the others were kicking her out. Also, the nesting box was up off the floor of the coop, so I figured she couldn't safely keep babies up there.

I think she is much less nervous having her own space that the others can't get in.

We replaced all the eggs with eggs I ordered, so our due date is March 6th!

 

[gckiddhouse]

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Yay!!!

 

[gckiddhouse]

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Our due date is March 6th.

I have been trying to decide whether or not to candle. I really don't want to. I have read several places that hatch rates are much higher when candling is not performed. I sure do want the highest hatch rate I can get... but... I keep thinking about those 2 eggs I found outside her nest last week. I don't know how long they had been there. I did put them back under her. I keep wondering if that was the wise thing to do. I have no idea which ones they were now.

I also keep reading about these rotten eggs that explode!! Scary!! Some say that if that happens it will ruin your other eggs and none will hatch. Others say that it doesn't affect the hatch.

Oh, what to do...

 

[pasofinofarm]

Carol it is a delicate balance between letting mother nature do it's own thing and getting involved.

We would try to do anything that needed to be done while the Broodie was off the nest for the 'eat, drink, poop, stretch and dust bath that was part of her daily routien untli about day 17. You could candle about day 12-14 take out anything not alive and you chances of anything 'exploding' would be about 0.

M

 

[1mommahen]

gckidd, my broody is due March 7th and I haven't candled and don't plan to. I like the element of surprise! Plus I don't want to upset her by moving her.

I know she's gotten off the nest to eat and drink but I've never caught her while she's up so I'm leaving well enough alone.

 

[Beekissed]

Same here! This broody doesn't have to go far for food and water...right next to her nest...and I can't catch her off it. Even if I did, my broody pen is small and I think she would really be upset if she saw me touching her eggs. All the eggs under her were freshly laid, so they aren't old. Apparently she weeds out what eggs are undesirable to her. I'm going to trust she will do what is necessary to any eggs that are going bad.

This whole thing is so I can see nature at its finest. I'm going to let it happen....I already interferred too much by putting in only the eggs I wanted hatched. I think that's enough!

No candling for me!

On March 9th I'm going to go out and see if I can hear peeping....if I do then I will be ecstatic! If I don't I'll wait a few days more....

 

[gckiddhouse]

Well, that's the thing. I never see Penny off her nest either. She only gets up when no one is around. I would have to take her off to do anything. And it would have to be at night when we have any chance to see through the dark eggs.

Again, I just keep thinking about those two eggs i found outside her nest. It looked like she dug a hole to put them there. Or maybe the hole she dug was in her effort to get them back in the nest and she was not successful.

My guess is that I will get worried about day 14 and will cave. I think I will just candle the brown ones to see if I can find those two if they didn't make it.

Anyone know why an egg would explode? Don't most duds just sit there and be duds? Would it start smelling bad before it goes?

I am going out this morning to see if Penny has pooped. It has been 3 days again. If she hasn't, then I AM going to get her up to make sure she does that. I am not taking any chances with that. She is eating A LOT more than I would have expected. So she needs to poop! I mixed her crumbles with scratch and she dug out the crumbles and ate only the scratch. She made a huge mess. Silly hen.

The other night when I was checking on her, a mouse came flying out of her cage. Came straight for my face!!!

Probably came in there to eat her food. That is one BIG disadvantage of having them at ground level. I don't know how it got in. The coop is a virtual fortress!!

Melissa, I am so glad you are here!!

I have been following Mahonri's hatch. I am hoping that I will get a better hatch rate than he did. Just don't want to mess with the eggs if I don't have to. Knowing me, I would probably drop one... or two.

Has anyone else found that their hatch rate is better without candling?

 

[Teresaann24]

My broodies long awaited babies...

Partidge Chick

Odd colored chick I believe may be splash.

buff chick

 

[gckiddhouse]

Did you take them from mom, or do you leave them for her to raise?

What cuties!!

 

[gwennym]

Hi everyone.

I also am a newbie to broody hens, as the gals I have are only a year old!

I have also just let well enough alone, as Charlotte, my broody hen, does NOT want to be bothered. I haven't seen her off the nest at all for over a week, so I'm guessing that she's eating, drinking and pooping like normal. I'm also thinking that my other hen, Black Betty, has been laying an egg in Charlotte's nest while Charlotte is having her snack-break -- haven't seen one egg from Black Betty since Charlotte took to the nest.

I was worried about Charlotte yesterday --- I checked the coop in the afternoon and noticed that she was on the nest, but looked dead, i.e., her tail was flopped over, her eyes were shut, and she didn't look as though she was breathing. I petted her and she did make noise, but I guess she was just in a deep sleep. She's opened her eyes since then, and she's changed positions, so I'm gonna just leave her be. I will, however, keep an eye on her and the eggs just in case chicks start hatching and Black Betty and my 2 roos start bothering the baby chicks.

This is a pretty cool experiment for me as well !

Gwen