Broody Hen Thread!

[earlybirdy5]

So I have an update on a post from a back in June, my broody black sexlink hatched 4 chicks out of 8 (2 were not fertilized and 2 quiters) and all are well.
Well anyway... We had another black go broody with 12 eggs, I left her to do her thing, 1 hatched and then she got off the eggs. Should I count them as all goners or can I do something to help them finish developing? She just got off of them this morning. I feel awful that she ditched the rest of the eggs. I unfortunately don't own an incubator

 

[stuckinthecity]

Wow what a silly girl. I feel for you, early b. I would be frustrated. Hope someone chimes in with helpful tips

eta: Fingers crossed that next time things go more smoothly for black #2.

 

[phryan]

Technically not one of 'mine' but she is raising them on my land. The second hen I have seen with chicks this year, the others are quite a bit older.

 

[microchick]

Phryan, great movie. I LOVE wild turkeys.We have a large flock of over 30 birds that feed and nest in our timber. We haven't seen any babies yet but I look forward to seeing the flock in our front yard in the winter feeding on corn I put out for them.

Earlybird5. It is very easy to make your own emergency incubator out of things that you have laying around the house. I made one out of an old cooler. There are lots of plans out there. Some folks just use a heating pad for a lat hatching egg and put a damp paper towel over the egg for humidity. You want the heating pad just warm enough that you can put your hand on it. Welcome to the thread/forum, BTW.

 

[woodlandsprite]

Phryan, great movie. I LOVE wild turkeys.We have a large flock of over 30 birds that feed and nest in our timber. We haven't seen any babies yet but I look forward to seeing the flock in our front yard in the winter feeding on corn I put out for them.

Earlybird5. It is very easy to make your own emergency incubator out of things that you have laying around the house. I made one out of an old cooler. There are lots of plans out there. Some folks just use a heating pad for a lat hatching egg and put a damp paper towel over the egg for humidity. You want the heating pad just warm enough that you can put your hand on it. Welcome to the thread/forum, BTW.

Jumping in..Thank you, good to know...My broody hens and a duck are hatching out chicks...Someone didn't believe me but I have 6 chicks,different stages that my duck hatched..She started hatching in April..I took one away, the other 2 passed away in the pool..Then she hatched 3 more that are in the brooder..And 2 more hatched last week..

 

[the poppster]

Orphaned single chicks....such cute, poor little babies....what a royal pain in the you know what! I have spent the last three nights with a little brown orphaned chick wrapped loosely into a towel and tucked close to me in bed....in order to Shut the little bugger up! As I suspected none of the broody moms will have anything to do with the little stranger...it was a choice of me culling it or letting the broody cull it...or doing what I am doing....mothering the chick, until I can integrate it into the flock....I'm not going to get myself into this again! Hmmmm???...there seems to be an echo in here?

 

[microchick]

Jumping in..Thank you, good to know...My broody hens and a duck are hatching out chicks...Someone didn't believe me but I have 6 chicks,different stages that my duck hatched..She started hatching in April..I took one away, the other 2 passed away in the pool..Then she hatched 3 more that are in the brooder..And 2 more hatched last week..

No problem. Here is the link to the plans I used:

http://www.stormthecastle.com/how-to-make-a/how-to-make-a-homemade-egg-incubator.htm

I wouldn't try to actually 'incubate' eggs in a home made but I've read about people who have had successful hatches out of one of these. I used mine for 'abandoned' eggs that have no other chance of survival. It is replacing my little cheapo Ebay bator that I bought earlier in the year. It worked in a pinch when my broody left the nest and two eggs that were pipping after hatching out 6 chicks. It worked. Both little ones hatched and are now 5 months old. I replaced it with a home made cooler bator simply because the little ones kept bouncing the dome top off it when they stood upright. I haven't had to use it yet, but thought it was a good idea to have one on standby.

Ahhh Come on Poppster. You know you love every minute of it!

 

[joannakginter]

Well, when I got down to 2, I did separate the other hens and now I see she isn't laying any eggs at all. I thought for sure the light creamy ones were hers, but I must have been wrong. Everything seems fine now except I never catch her eating or getting off the nest. The weather is hot so I hope she's OK. The water and food is right in front of her so... And she hasn't soiled the nest, so I hope to have at least 2 chicks in 7 days.

 

[the poppster]

Good idea. This is also what I would do. Give them their own space. I have lost some chicks due to fighting over whose chicks were whose when I let them hatch together. The boxes are a great idea.

I've seen too many chicks get Waffle Stomped by a frantic Momma...defending her babies...amazing how those chicks survive getting smashed into the bedding....that's another call for deep loose bedding! Yes! separate accommodations are a must in my book.

 

[the poppster]

So I have an update on a post from a back in June, my broody black sexlink hatched 4 chicks out of 8 (2 were not fertilized and 2 quiters) and all are well.
Well anyway... We had another black go broody with 12 eggs, I left her to do her thing, 1 hatched and then she got off the eggs. Should I count them as all goners or can I do something to help them finish developing? She just got off of them this morning. I feel awful that she ditched the rest of the eggs. I unfortunately don't own an incubator

This might be a little late....but in a pinch I have finished a hatch using a heat lamp in a box...line the bottom with a towel...place a cookie cooling rack over it....or not....place a regular old outdoor thermometer on the floor of the "Incubator" box...then suspend the heat lamp above the box.....adjusting the distance to achieve a temp of 95 to 98 degrees on the floor of the box... be sure to use a large enough box so the sides or box flaps aren't in danger of catching fire. I have used a large wooden crate with a hefty piece of hardware cloth supported on 2x2s and placed the lamp directly on the hardware cloth....being sure that the lamp bulb does not come in contact with the wire...set this up in a draft free area away from traffic...with the eggs centered under the light around the thermometer....check it frequently to be sure that the temperature stays close to the 95-100 degrees....if you feel you might need some humidity you could try putting a cookie rack in the bottom on top of a damp towel and place the eggs on the rack....this will change the temperature...so be sure to adjust for it. It's worth a shot! Like I said it worked for me.....but...who knows...