Broody Hen Thread!

[Selsley]

I have some eggs from this AM on the counter. They have been in the 75 degree house since noon. Are they OK or should I wait for tomorrow's eggs? She went broody yesterday. Will she lay a few more herself?

eggs incubate at 99.5 - 103 degrees. so personally i would say yes
i also read the fresher the eggs the quicker they hatch, i think that was quoted on geese though where they take more than a week to lay their full clutch, but an egg that was layed 3 days after our hen started sitting only hatched 1 day after all the rest, so that statement does ring true for chickens also

the worry is having eggs hatch 3-4 days late, since the hen will start being active in the nest after a couple of days as she will want to start teaching the chicks to feed and scratch around. this can cause late eggs to break or deaths from being trodden on if the chicks are confined to the nest, it also removes their ability to keep warm if mum is constantly in and out the nest, so a small brooder might be a good investment for emergencies so late hatchers can be kept safe until the can run about, which is about 24-36hrs, after that they should be able to fend for themselves and follow mum. they can be put under mum after she settles for the night or just hand reared.

 

[gator75]

Everything I've researched today said even week old refrigerated eggs will hatch just fine. Sitting on the counter for a few days should be no problem. And all eggs take 20-21 days to hatch once under the hen, regardless of freshness.

 

[microchick]

Best way to keep eggs for hatching is to put them in an egg carton, pointy end down. 2 or 3 times a day place a rolled up wash cloth under one end of the carton and then switch it to the other end. Do this until you have enough eggs for hatching.

Good luck everyone and happy hatching!

 

[Honora]

Thanks Honora Sapphire is English Blue Splash Orphent...heading home from work right now can't wait to see who else has hatched while I've been gone

Mine is a Splash bantam Orpington.This is her second time going broody & she is a great mom.

She & her broody buddy are sitting in the coop with the other chickens & it is a bit crowded sometimes. There are a bunch of other chickens that keep sleeping in the nesting box with the broodies & pooping in there at night. :-( I just hope the others don't bother the chicks when they hatch, and after the hatch I will be moving them to a separate coop.

 

[fisherlady]

Mine is a Splash bantam Orpington.This is her second time going broody & she is a great mom.

She & her broody buddy are sitting in the coop with the other chickens & it is a bit crowded sometimes. There are a bunch of other chickens that keep sleeping in the nesting box with the broodies & pooping in there at night. :-( I just hope the others don't bother the chicks when they hatch, and after the hatch I will be moving them to a separate coop.

Do not let the other birds sleep with the broodies....just create a barrier to place in front of the nest box, it can be removed each morning and replaced each afternoon before the other birds come in to roost. You can make a simple picture frame out of scrap wood and staple chicken wire to it or with hardware cloth you can just cut a piece to the size you need , put small screws 3/4 of the way in at the top corners of the nest box and hook the wire over it.
A blockade doesn't need to be fancy to be effective and it will greatly reduce the chance of eggs being broken or contaminated with chicken poo from the other birds.

 

[Dani4Hedgies]

So Sapphire Mama now has 3 fluffybutts cuddling up to her but she still isn't up off the nest so maybe more are finishing up their hatching so exciting they are all pretty little yellow chicks though the youngest has done brown banding so maybe a EE she did have 5 EE 1 cream brown and one dark brown egg so tomorrow we shall see which eggs are left in her nest. Here are some pics not the best im afraid as i don't want to bother her too much.

 

[fisherlady]

So Sapphire Mama now has 3 fluffybutts cuddling up to her but she still isn't up off the nest so maybe more are finishing up their hatching so exciting they are all pretty little yellow chicks though the youngest has done brown banding so maybe a EE she did have 5 EE 1 cream brown and one dark brown egg so tomorrow we shall see which eggs are left in her nest. Here are some pics not the best im afraid as i don't want to bother her too much.

Congratulations on the hatch!

 

[gator75]

Hen been broody for 2 weeks and I'm putting eggs under her today. Will 5 weeks in the nest be too much?

 

[Dani4Hedgies]

Gator What I would suggest you do is place the eggs but in a week to 10 days go and pick up 3 day old chicks and that night after it is dark put them under her from the back and take back the eggs then she will break and raise the chicks you have given her. But this is just my thoughts as I would think 5 wks broody would be too much

 

[gator75]

Think I'll buy a cage and break her before I do that. I'll be giving the chicks away anyway.