Broody Hen Thread!

[vpatt]

When i went to feed I heard a few peeps. I cleared the coop and fed Olivia some turkey which she devoured.

More peeping but no sightings, yet!
:/

 

[SD Bird Lady]

How exciting!! I bet u have at least one

 

[vpatt]

I had just checked on Olivia and could only see a small piece of shell. While I was feeding the other ladies I heard Olivia making a commotion. When I went to check she was out of the nest calling three little ones to her. They had not gone to her when I closed the door. In the bottom photo you can see the last egg. It has a cracked area on it, but I didn't see any movement. The others were all peeping so I couldn't tell if there was sound coming from the egg. I will try to control myself now....lol. She was showing them how to eat the chick starter, but I don't know if they ever followed her out. When can I clean the nest out? Will tomorrow be ok? Dare I touch them, ever? The nest is messy and these eggs were not that clean when I got them, either. But I was afraid if I washed them it might damage them for hatching. I have no idea what breeds are mixed into these little ones.....the lady who gave them to me did not seem to know. I knew they would be 'mutts', but that's ok. I hope the other one hatches....I guess we will see. I am so happy, lol. Thanks to everyone who has listened to me go on about them for days!

 

[TeaChick]

When i went to feed I heard a few peeps. I cleared the coop and fed Olivia some turkey which she devoured.

That's great news!!!

 

[TeaChick]

I had just checked on Olivia and could only see a small piece of shell. While I was feeding the other ladies I heard Olivia making a commotion. When I went to check she was out of the nest calling three little ones to her. They had not gone to her when I closed the door. In the bottom photo you can see the last egg. It has a cracked area on it, but I didn't see any movement. The others were all peeping so I couldn't tell if there was sound coming from the egg. I will try to control myself now....lol. She was showing them how to eat the chick starter, but I don't know if they ever followed her out. When can I clean the nest out? Will tomorrow be ok? Dare I touch them, ever? The nest is messy and these eggs were not that clean when I got them, either. But I was afraid if I washed them it might damage them for hatching. I have no idea what breeds are mixed into these little ones.....the lady who gave them to me did not seem to know. I knew they would be 'mutts', but that's ok. I hope the other one hatches....I guess we will see. I am so happy, lol. Thanks to everyone who has listened to me go on about them for days!

Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So happy for you!!!
I can't answer any of your questions. I, personally, would base when I clean the nest on how likely I think the chicks are to get sick from whatever's in there. If it's dry, then I would leave it alone. If it's wet/damp, then I would wait until it starts smelling "yucky" (not strong, just like things are starting to grow in it, I wouldn't wait long if it smells and is damp).

I hope someone with some successful broody hen experience answers these questions for you! =)

 

[mymilliefleur]

I had just checked on Olivia and could only see a small piece of shell. While I was feeding the other ladies I heard Olivia making a commotion. When I went to check she was out of the nest calling three little ones to her. They had not gone to her when I closed the door. In the bottom photo you can see the last egg. It has a cracked area on it, but I didn't see any movement. The others were all peeping so I couldn't tell if there was sound coming from the egg. I will try to control myself now....lol. She was showing them how to eat the chick starter, but I don't know if they ever followed her out. When can I clean the nest out? Will tomorrow be ok? Dare I touch them, ever? The nest is messy and these eggs were not that clean when I got them, either. But I was afraid if I washed them it might damage them for hatching. I have no idea what breeds are mixed into these little ones.....the lady who gave them to me did not seem to know. I knew they would be 'mutts', but that's ok. I hope the other one hatches....I guess we will see. I am so happy, lol. Thanks to everyone who has listened to me go on about them for days!

When she is ready she will leave the nest with her chicks, at least mine always do. I wouldn't worry about the mess, my latest hen that hatched, had eggs explode under her, so all the other eggs were coated in rotten egg mess, but they hatched just fine. I always hold at least one chick when they hatch. I don't think mama will mind too much if you hold a baby for a few seconds. you probably will not be able to resist. they are definitely adorable.

 

[TeaChick]

(Double post warning)

My hen seems to be taking to brooding alright.

If she just gets on and off of the nest throughout the day and she doesn't really stay there, then how long should I give her of doing that before I just let her out?
I mean, she's spending time on the nest, and she's getting off more than a few times a day for food and water, and the looks around.
She laid yesterday, but that was her first egg after not laying for three days (she had been laying one every other day before I put her in the brooder, sometimes two days in a row; and everyone else is picking up from the sky having been overcast here for over a week).

I don't want to keep her confined any longer than necessary to find out whether she wants to brood these eggs. I also don't want to let her out too soon and end up losing the eggs.

(Just so everyone knows, I wouldn't keep her in there if she seems like she really didn't want to be in there, and I wouldn't keep her in there if it seemed like it was getting unhealthy for her.)

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I had just checked on Olivia and could only see a small piece of shell. While I was feeding the other ladies I heard Olivia making a commotion. When I went to check she was out of the nest calling three little ones to her. They had not gone to her when I closed the door. In the bottom photo you can see the last egg. It has a cracked area on it, but I didn't see any movement. The others were all peeping so I couldn't tell if there was sound coming from the egg. I will try to control myself now....lol. She was showing them how to eat the chick starter, but I don't know if they ever followed her out. When can I clean the nest out? Will tomorrow be ok? Dare I touch them, ever? The nest is messy and these eggs were not that clean when I got them, either. But I was afraid if I washed them it might damage them for hatching. I have no idea what breeds are mixed into these little ones.....the lady who gave them to me did not seem to know. I knew they would be 'mutts', but that's ok. I hope the other one hatches....I guess we will see. I am so happy, lol. Thanks to everyone who has listened to me go on about them for days!

Congratulations on your hatching!

Momma will know what is best for the little ones, so don't worry about them. They'll figure out her cues and be coming shortly to her. They need to learn to obey her, so interfere with them as little as possible (I too always hold at least one for just a few seconds) It's very important that there are no blind corners or areas for a "stupid chick trick." They are experts at getting themselves stranded and peeping away but not figuring out how to get back to momma. They can chill very quickly in cold weather, so make sure there are no small holes to squeeze into, ledges to drop down into, etc. Even a couple inch nest insert can be insurmountable the first couple of days as mom settles on the other siblings and the dumb one peeps and peeps outside the nest box.

Right now, I would try to observe but not disturb because you have one unhatched egg. Watch what momma does with this egg, if she attempts again to sit on it for hatching. I typically make a quick pick up of the broken shells, and quick scoop of poop if I can do so without interrupting any process, usually because the broken egg shells tend to draw little ants which I do NOT like crawling over my chicks. But its winter time, so I often leaves things as they are except for any big poop mess. BTW if you use timothy hay bedding over pine shavings for the nest material, it makes for really easy clean up as it gobs around the poo. I buy the small animal package at the pet store. Not cheap, but you only need a little.

I am careful to not disturb any unhatched eggs, but depending upon the situation may do a very gentle quick check to see if I hear a chick peeping or see pipping, and replace it exactly in the same position as I picked it up IF mom has left the nest. My hopes are not high for this egg as mom has determined to get off the nest, removing herself from that last egg, and call the hatched chicks to feed. Usually that means she has abandoned the last egg because she knows it will not hatch. (It is AMAZING how they know.)

If you do decide to check, you may hear peeping, but the chick is likely not strong enough to hatch and will die in the shell. I usually allow that to happen as the hatching process is part of the life process and most likely those that cannot make it out of the shell will never live long as chicks. I have only done one assisted hatch to save a partially hatched chick when I knew I had disturbed the situation and caused a shrink wrap (membranes drying out due to change of humidity).

If this egg has not hatched by tomorrow, definitely by 2 days from now. I then do a final check for any peeping. If no peeping I will crack the egg. I have always found either a slush or a dead chick in some state of development. If peeping, but momma is not attentive, you have a choice of putting it in the incubator to try to finish it out, or letting nature take its course with momma.

Congratulations again on your new 3 little fuzz balls.
Lady of McCamley

EDITED TO ADD: One last tip on unhatched eggs...in winter time you have a safety zone as it generally is too cold for eggs to explode from being bad. However, you could have a bad egg, and you don't want that exploding over the babies. So when you check today, see if it is oozing at all. That is a sign that this is a bad egg. Tomorrow, you can gently pick up and inspect. By day 2 of post hatch time, a gentle shake will usually tell if the egg is bad...any slush thud feel means it is a bad egg. I then open it inside a baggie so that if it explodes I don't get splattered with any possible disgusting gunk inside. I find anything from raw scrambled egg yolk, to green slime expanding inside the membrane which is the really rotten stuff. No slush thud generally means a dead chick at some final point of development.

FINAL THOUGHT: But wait it out for the next 24 hours unless you see signs of spoilage! It is not uncommon for one last chick to hatch a bit later IF momma acts like she wants to sit on it.

 

[ChickyChickens]

Got some pics of my 2 broodies May (white) and Millie (Brown)

 

[vpatt]

Chickychicks what great pictures!