Quote: I don't count the days...I just look for broody mama's resistance to leaving the nest...and the funny look in her eyes when she can feel and hear the chicks in the shell trying to hatch.
Now, this hatch.....for July 7th....I didn't know if or when they would actually hatch. This OEGB hen seemed unsure of when she wanted to sit. Or even IF she wanted to sit. So she would sit for 6 hours...then get off and go back to normal. Or not sit on them for 3 or 4 days. Between her and her roo, they broke one of the eggs. When she FINALLY (!yay!) decided to get with it....only then did I number the calendar for 22 days. But because of her wishy-washiness, I really had no idea if they were even still viable.
So..I left it all up to her and Mother Nature. I didn't take her off the nest either. She left to do her business on her own schedule.
You will prob know when she is in lockdown when her behavior changes. They refuse to get up then...as the babies are hatching. They seem to know when 3 days are up too.....or...if any of the remaining eggs is still viable. Of course they do!
Mama knows best.
Just watch her and give her access to food and water. She may not even eat....they get so concentrated. I buy fresh grapes for my broodies. They seem like they will never turn down a fresh cold juicy grape. And...it gives them sugar and hydration. I save the juiciest tidbits for the broodies. They are the hens working the hardest during that time.
We learned from the previous hatch..May 1st. I had given both broody hens some eggs....and the OEGB wasn't ready. So I gave her eggs to her daughter pullet...who was ready. But, out of ignorance, I added fresh eggs. That made for a week long staggered hatch. And as a result one of the babies died. Of the 13 eggs under the pullet......9 were from the older hen....2 laid fresh from the pullet..and 2 laid from her same age flockmate. Of those eggs......they started hatching and took a week to finish. It was making the pullet nervous....as she knew the babies needed food, water and out of the nest. So the last egg didn't get what it needed. Heat. Turning. Whatever. That baby was the last to hatch and died 3 days later. It was too week to walk and keep up.
So.....out of 13 eggs. Of staggered development......2 of the original didn't hatch. Developed but died. 1 never developed at all. 3 of the fresh laid eggs hatched. We have 8 healthy juveniles left.
After that hatch.....I decided to not add fresh eggs to whatever was already being sat on.
This hatch......they hatched July 7th and 8th...being "due on the 10th (my calculations). I don't worry about it....my broody hens do a great job as mamas. I jsut stand back and observe, keep them dry and secure, and have food and water available.
Good luck with the hatch!! I'll be waiting ti hear the results!!
