Broody Hen Thread!

[karenerwin]

Help! I ordered eggs and 1 had broke during shipment. However another one has a bit of yolk and wood shavings on it. Is it safe to put in incubator? I'm afraid to clean it. I have a broody hen and only want to give her 1-2 eggs and put others in in curator. She's not top hen so they are always laying on her.
Any advice on the egg with stuff on it is my concern

[/URL]thank you in advance !! I have to have these eggs in incubator and 2 under hen in the next hour.

Others on here have said they have had success with using a spray bottle with warm water & misting the dirty egg & gently wiping it (them) off & still had them hatch successfully. I would clean it off as best as possible & then put it in the incubator. Good luck!

 

[chicksurreal]

Our coop is raised. I'm guessing it climbed up the ramp.

Actually, I stupidly let her nest in an outside nesting box. She refused to brood anywhere else, so we gave in and let her stay where she wanted to be. Thought it was secure, but the skunk actually tore the latch off the front of the nesting box. It got in with her and was trapped by the door (hinged at the top). It bit her repeatedly and possibly broke her neck in the scuffle. I hate learning lessons at the expense of a life (numerous lives, as it also ate all her eggs).

All of our other broodys are secured in raised coops and the ramps are taken down at night. Small comfort at this point, but I am dedicated to learning ho to care for chickens in this predator laden environment.

 

[Demidog]

I just candled the egg again and i heard tweeting!! So the chick is definitely in the air cell and close to hatching. The other two eggs still have a bit of space left between the air cell and the chick. I'm really hoping she sits to hatch all 3!

I just checked on her this morning and could hear tweeting from under her, lifted her up and there was the chick! I checked the other 2 eggs and they're still the same. I'm guessing from looking at pictures that they're about day 18-19. I see movement but they're not in the air cell yet.

Do i need to make special arraignments for her and the chicks? She's in one of the next boxes in the coup, not separated from the others, and the next boxes are about a foot off the ground with a ramp that the chicks could fall from. Should i move them to a safer place or left them be? And should i keep them inside the coup? Because the run outside is open at the top (it's a big run) and cats can get in. Last year the neighbors cat got 7 of my chicks that i incubated because i left them outside in a pen without a roof. Will the mother protect the chicks in the run or should i keep them inside?

Also, what about food and water for the first chick? If she sits another few days till the others hatch will the first chick be ok? Will she take it out to eat and drink or stay in the nest?

 

[Demidog]

In relation to dirty eggs: I also had a broken egg which made a complete mess in the next box. My broody was in the favorite next box and the others were laying on top of her. I cleaned the eggs by dipping them in warm water and very gently rubbing them with my hand until most of the gunk was off. Then i moved her and the eggs to a new clean next box. From those 4 eggs i had 1 quitter, 1 has just hatched last night and i'm waiting on the other two......

 

[Jacqdiva]

Ok so I have a broody that I took half her eggs because there were too many. I put them in the incubator. It is now day 21 and 4 in the incubator have hatched, not even a pip for the broody. I don't want to disturb her too much. Would her eggs still be ok? I am afraid if I give her her chicks she will stop sitting on what she has.

 

[aart]

Quote: Ditto fisherlady.
My broody never brought the chicks to the main roost, they stayed on the partition roost on their own.
When I put the partition wall back up for incubated chicks,
I had to put up another roost in the main coop for the broody chicks as they are still the low birds even now at 21 weeks.

 

[SIMZ]

They should be fine..... we have had similar ages running without adult supervision without problems. Keep watch the first few days to make sure they are tucked in safe each evening. I have also had hens ditch the chicks for roosting at night but still hang out with them during the day for another week or so. Sometimes the chicks don't catch on to her 'follow me' command and they return to their broody nest, not realizing it's time to graduate to a big bird roost. you will have to watch and see how it goes.

Thanks! I fed them a nice breakfast before letting everyone else out this morning. So far all is well and they're going about their business. We'll see.

 

[Angie16hearts]

Others on here have said they have had success with using a spray bottle with warm water & misting the dirty egg   & gently wiping it (them) off & still had them hatch successfully.  I would clean it off as best as possible & then put it in the incubator.  Good luck!

Thank you! I just went outside and have 2 brood's now. One sitting in the other.

so, I'll see if the company will send two more and buy some. These two ladies just went broody and have been away from chicks at most 3 weeks. This is crazy! Mine never stop!

 

[DomesticDiva12]

Oh the excitement over here is brewing! Chicks due to hatch anytime Monday-Wednesday! I did read sometimes eggs under a broody hatch day 20? So maybe even Sunday? I went into the coop late last night and tried my hand at candling. I could definitely see veining, in some of the light brown eggs I thought I saw movement (the maran and easter egger eggs were much harder to see into!) They are definitely full looking other than an air pocket. Hoping everything is going well. All my current eggs are now infertile so while I wasn't ever planning on hatching eggs I am rather excited now. I brought my 9 year old into the coop with me to see me candling and she just loved it. I told her it was like a chicken ultrasound lol

 

[the poppster]

I have had three hens go broody and successfully hatch out chicks...I tried to move the first one to a separate area to set her eggs..but she was very upset about being separated from the rest of the flock...so I built a wood and wire "Enclosed Deck" with a hinged top and attached it to the front of the nest box with food and water in it should the hen feel the need. It keeps her in and others out...if I'm home and she seems to want to get out for a while, I will take her out of the enclosure and let her go...she usually comes back to the coop and settles in one of the near by nest boxes..so I just put her back with her eggs...when they hatch the enclosed box prevents the hen from taking off with the first chick and leaving the rest...also if the chicks get out of the nest box..they can get back in..instead of ending up alone on the coop floor, exposed to cold and the not so friendly attentions of the other hens....when the hatching is done I move Mom and Chicks to a specially designed little chicken tractor, covered with hardware cloth and has multiple access doors...she can still see the other chickens, but they can't bother her...and her chicks. After a week or so I will move the tractor up close to the outside run, so everyone can get acquainted thru the fence...eventually I will introduce the hen and Chicks into the rest of the flock...usually when I've set up a area for everyone to get some grass time...and close off access to the chick tractor...I built a nest box on the floor of the coop for mom and babies...she will lead them into the coop...you may have to be sure they all get in for a few nights..but they will get it...haven't had a fatality due to aggressive strangers so far...the other chickens just seem to ignore them for the most part.