Broody Hen Thread!

[nchls school]

Anyone have any advice on how to get a hen to hatch eggs? I dont have any broody girls and would really like to see if I could get some chicks this spring. Would love to have some Brahma babies. So I need to know how to make a hen brood. Also how long does it take for eggs to hatch?

Many breeds no longer have a broody instinct. However Brahma do. For best luck provide a brahma hen with a nest of her own that will not be disturbed by other birds. Leave the eggs in the nest, or replace them with dummy eggs as fresh eggs are laid. With some luck the hen will start brooding when the clutch is complete; 5 15 eggs. Chickens take app. 21 days to hatch.

 

[nchls school]

I leave on Feb 8th I will be back on the 22nd add 6 days to gather half a dozen stick them in the incubator and candle them so would guess by March 10th or so I will know. Once I have seen the development I will gather a dozen eggs and be sending them on their way to you. Or if that will be too long wait for you then may I suggest you pm chicken danz on here as she is who I got my turkey from and may have eggs already.

March 10 is fine; that gives me a month or so to get the hens to brood. One of the cross breed hens has two new eggs in her nest today so she will begin brooding in about 2 weeks. The other two should begin laying soon. Shipped eggs being what they are, I may contact chicken danz to get a second dozen. I have had shipped eggs result in nothing while other shipments have produced a number of healthy chicks; all a matter of luck...for the most part. No kind of packaging will keep the membranes intact if the mail carriers/handlers are careless and uncaring.

 

[nchls school]

I leave on Feb 8th I will be back on the 22nd add 6 days to gather half a dozen stick them in the incubator and candle them so would guess by March 10th or so I will know. Once I have seen the development I will gather a dozen eggs and be sending them on their way to you. Or if that will be too long wait for you then may I suggest you pm chicken danz on here as she is who I got my turkey from and may have eggs already.

March 10 is fine; that gives me a month or so to get the hens to brood. One of the cross breed hens has two new eggs in her nest today so she will begin brooding in about 2 weeks. The other two should begin laying soon. Shipped eggs being what they are, I may contact chicken danz to get a second dozen. I have had shipped eggs result in nothing while other shipments have produced a number of healthy chicks; all a matter of luck...for the most part. No kind of packaging will keep the membranes intact if the mail carriers/handlers are careless and uncaring.

 

[nchls school]

I leave on Feb 8th I will be back on the 22nd add 6 days to gather half a dozen stick them in the incubator and candle them so would guess by March 10th or so I will know. Once I have seen the development I will gather a dozen eggs and be sending them on their way to you. Or if that will be too long wait for you then may I suggest you pm chicken danz on here as she is who I got my turkey from and may have eggs already.

March 10th is fine. It will take that long to get the hens going broody. I may PM chicken danz; what with the way it goes with shipped eggs, I may get a second dozen to increase my chances. With shipped eggs, I have had both good and bad luck----and I really want these turkeys.

 

[twinsmom6]

I've had just as good of luck by using a standard wire pet cage. No bedding, just food and water in the cage along with a roost pole and set it so that air can flow under it at all times. Set it up on blocks or bricks. I set her so she is in with her flock, they can see her and her them. The important thing is that you have to have air flowing under her at all times. No drafts, just air, so you can set her in your coop or hang the cage. It takes about 3 days to break the behavior. If you take her out of the pen and put her with the flock and she immediately start clucking softly and fluffing herself up, back in the cage for another day or two and try again.

As posted, be prepared for her to go broody again in a month or so. Those hormones cannot be denied once they start working so you will be faced with breaking her again, getting her some eggs to set (they will be happy with 2-3) or if you do not want a broody, trade her for one who isn't. Many people would kill for a broody hen.

As for 'making' a hen go broody, it's a matter of debate if that works or not. BUT I have been able to get my Buff Orpington hens to go broody by putting a pile of fake eggs in a nest and just leaving them there. It switches them on like a light. I've seen it work twice for my hens. Generally,@Puranin, it's 21 days to hatch chicken eggs. Bantams can hatch in 19 to 20 days. Sometimes a stray chick will hatch at 22 or 23 days but that is risky as the hen generally leaves the nest when the first chick hatched is 36-48 hours old and will abandon any unhatched eggs in favor of the babies that need her care. It's very important to set all of your eggs at once. I have added an egg or two at 24 hours but even that is taking a chance of a staggered hatch.

Please feel free to ask questions. We all love to help.

And welcome to BYC!

thank you for your assistance. I will set up the cage and work with her.. shes already coming out of the nesting box more.. but still doing a little puff up and scorned look when I come near. I guess if we ever do decide to have some chicks I know who to recruit

 

[Dani4Hedgies]

Yes!!!! we have our first chick my son made us a video cause Im at work this has to be the one that started peeping away last night.

 

[nchls school]

Yes!!!! we have our first chick my son made us a video cause Im at work this has to be the one that started peeping away last night.

 

[microchick]

And quite a little fuzzy cheeked cutie at that! Congratulations! More pictures appreciated. I have a reaaaaallllllly bad case of spring fever. As it's February and I want it to be MAY!

 

[Dani4Hedgies]

Peep peep appears to be doing great other then lonely and crying up a storm about that. Don't know who its father was its mom is a Dominique and the egg it hatched from was tan, as my Dominique is from a hatchery so yea Peep Peep is a beautiful Calio Chick and also as we speak one of Spunky's my white EE green eggs are pipping so hopefully before too long Peep Peep will have a friend besides my super soft and furry hedgehog glove. As requested here are more pics of Peep Peep and a video...

 

[microchick]

Too cute to be legal! Darling little thing. I want peeps!