Broody Hen Thread!

[ChickInDelight]

What I would do is fire up the bator and complete the hatch that way. But my bator is so unreliable.

I don't have a bator, and if I can get hens to hatch, I never will have one.

In general, I prefer to buy chicks. I have a menagerie of heritage breeds. My Ameracaunas (plus the roo) are not good examples of the breed and lay green eggs. (I SO wanted blue.)

 

[chickbrad24]

I totally understood your comment on what you would do----You said if it was your situation you would put them in your incubator----I said I would not Let that situation happen----I think you were thinking I was attacking you--------you and I were just 2 people expressing what we would do if that was our situation----But then you throwed a comment back at me---defending "yourself"---My Comment was not towards You at all--------I want to say Wooooooo, you and I are good----No problem with your comment at All!!

I totally agree with you. It was definitely me though who miss took what you said and i do apologize for that.

 

[ChickInDelight]

If You will Notice I used the word "Let" (Allow). Anyone can raise their chickens any way they want---its their chickens----I am just Saying for me-----to keep from having problems/staggered hatch, well developed eggs dying, etc """"I"""" will not "Let" eggs get added to my broodies!!

Things that are out of your control----you can not control like a broody leaving the set.

One of my hens went broody last winter. While I doubted success, I did value her right to try. I moved her to the chicken tractor, and she stayed a long while. Then, one day, she gave up and started acting like a prisoner in the tractor. This was a factor in my letting this next broody do her own thing where she wanted - the same spot my first broody chose. Dovey stays integrated with the flock this way. Her choice. I am just supporting it.

 

[chickbrad24]

I don't have a bator, and if I can get hens to hatch, I never will have one.

In general, I prefer to buy chicks. I have a menagerie of heritage breeds. My Ameracaunas (plus the roo) are not good examples of the breed and lay green eggs. (I SO wanted blue.)

I like buying chicks too. I get way to stressed when my hens go broody. It's very rewarding when they do it the old fashioned way but it stresses me out. Especially when i am not home when the chicks hatch.

 

[chickbrad24]

Just checked on her again now I have 3 baby chicks, 2 Buff Orpington +EE mixes and 1 Jersey Giant+EE mix. Hopefully the 3 EE eggs I put underneath her will hatch. 1 Broody down 2 to go. Hoping the other 5 EE eggs hatch underneath them.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Well, Nessie abandoned the rest of her eggs this morning and took the two little ones outside. I'm sure none of them were viable. So, Day 25 and she's done!

Congratulations Nessie, you get a gold star in above and beyond the call of duty...snake and everything...and still got 2 hatched. Good girl. Good momma.
LofMc

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Hatching Hens are No Problem and No worry for me. If I had enough of them going broody I would sell my Incubators. Last season I had 33 sets----some hens went broody 2/3 times during the season. Over 250 chicks hatched, I do not remember not one fertile egg that did not hatch, and every egg hatched usually in a 24/30 hr time period. No hen left any unhatched fertile egg(I do not candle their eggs for fertility till after they leave the nest).

Set your Hens just Like you would your Incubator----collect and set all fresh eggs under the broody at the same time, just like you would your incubator. DON'T add eggs or allow eggs to be added after the set day to your incubator or broody. This means for a broody----you either got to mark all the set eggs and remove any fresh layed eggs daily OR move your broody to a private place or fix her nest where no other hens can get into the nest.

Here is the way I look at it------we can go spend $100 + on a incubator and turner-----why not invest Less than that to make a broody pen---then when you get a broody---place her in the broody pen(properly)-----she will automatically turn the eggs, keep the temp and the humidity perfect through-out the whole 21 days----A Perfect incubator----not a worry in the world. Here is one of my broody pens----cost less than $100 to make----will house 4 broodies at the same time, but separately(has 4 sections)..

What breeds do you use for your broody hens?

Obviously you have a business type operation, and a really good set up to get the job done using broodies.

We are going to add better nest boxes to my broody hutch. It works now, and is dividable, but I'd like a better nest box that holds the eggs and bedding better...the hens keep disagreeing where they ought to lay in it and I think a better system would make that clearer....and a better roofing system for the grow out....thinking on plans for that now.

How long to you keep the broody and chicks in this? Do you have a grow out pen that is separate? Or if you only have a couple in it for the time, just grow out there?

Always enjoy your input.

LofMc

 

[chicksurreal]

Congratulations Nessie, you get a gold star in above and beyond the call of duty...snake and everything...and still got 2 hatched. Good girl. Good momma.
LofMc

She really is! I'm so proud of her.

 

[PD-Riverman]

What breeds do you use for your broody hens?

Obviously you have a business type operation, and a really good set up to get the job done using broodies.

We are going to add better nest boxes to my broody hutch. It works now, and is dividable, but I'd like a better nest box that holds the eggs and bedding better...the hens keep disagreeing where they ought to lay in it and I think a better system would make that clearer....and a better roofing system for the grow out....thinking on plans for that now.

How long to you keep the broody and chicks in this? Do you have a grow out pen that is separate? Or if you only have a couple in it for the time, just grow out there?

Always enjoy your input.

LofMc

LofMc, Thanks!! I do sell chicks/chickens on a small scale. My Main Broody hens are game hens---Old English game I have been told----I just call them hatching hens. Once they decide to go broody---they stay for the duration----Unlike my silkies---they might stay, might not. Usually because of the game being smaller than regular breeds I put 7/8 eggs under them. They stay in these hatching pens about 3 weeks after the chicks have hatched on average, but if I only got one or two broodies I will open the little doors you can see in the picture above towards the middle(one is open the other has a yellow piece in place--2 more doors you can not see) then the hen has 2 sections or 3 or all 4 if I had only one broody at that time.

I then have about 10 covered top round pens I move them into to free up the hatching pens. I also have several 10x20ft pens that are set-up for the chicks---I usually move them into these after they get old enough to take them from the hen----Then I might move chicks from several hens into one big pen.

During the colder months/winter I might move the chicks to what I call my "Mother Hen" because it has some heat for the colder nights.



3 and 4th picture is the Mother hen---outside and inside.

 

[mymilliefleur]

I've gotten a little behind on this thread lately.

I just had a young, 3/4 d'Uccle, 1/4 Barnyard game hen hatch some chicks the other day. This is her first time, so I wasn't sure how she would do with them, but she hatched all but one egg, and is a very good mother. I'll try to upload some pictures soon.

@PD-Riverman, I like those little round coops you have, very interesting.