Broody Hen Thread!

[chickydee64]

This is Sophie. Poor girl set almost 60 days trying for chicks...............Long story but she had two bad hatches
and when I tried breaking her, she would steal eggs and hide them. Finally was able to give her two eggs from another hen that had interally pipped.........
Happy hen now.................

 

[Lady of McCamley]

this silkie is the best she was caring for her last brood til they where 9 weeks old then they kindove went away from her they mostly slept in the nest box bt sometimes on the cirp with the big girls and daddy once they where 6 weeks and they even slept under daddy i was amazed when i saw that but i moved mom over to dad dad is a silkie aswell they are the only silkies i have

Her first hatch was last year when a man asked could he use her to hatch some endangered pheasants and release them she hatched 6 peasant chicks but she was in with another broody hen that the man had and it killed 3 chicks she raised 3 peasants and they where released now this is her 3rd hatch all hatched on day 21 except this one.

Curious...pheasants hatched at 21? Or chicken chicks?

Technically hatch is supposed to be 21 days for chicken chicks, but I've read that is based on commercial incubators. A number of us have noted chicks coming in at day 20 under natural broodies.

What a wonderful use of your Silkie...to hatch endangered pheasants.
Lady of McCamley

 

[chickydee64]

Abby is an old girl. hatches two clutches a year. this year she hatched the same day as a younger hen and tried for a few days to steal all the chicks. They are sharing the 8 chicks now during the day.at night the chicks return to the hen that hatched them.
Tried to get everyone in the picture...but they did not cooperate....................

 

[jammyjammy2112]

Curious...pheasants hatched at 21? Or chicken chicks?

Technically hatch is supposed to be 21 days for chicken chicks, but I've read that is based on commercial incubators. A number of us have noted chicks coming in at day 20 under natural broodies.

What a wonderful use of your Silkie...to hatch endangered pheasants.
Lady of McCamley

the chicks hatched day 21 i dont no when or what breed the peasants where i didnt even see them.i hope they all hatch on the same dayif one hatches on day 20 and the other hatch on day 21 will she still sit until day 21

 

[Lady of McCamley]

the chicks hatched day 21 i dont no when or what breed the peasants where i didnt even see them.i hope they all hatch on the same dayif one hatches on day 20 and the other hatch on day 21 will she still sit until day 21

Yes. Good broodies, and yours is a proven good broody, know to sit until they all hatch.

The hen may yet roll out any bad eggs left, but she'll wait for those she hears pipping away to hatch out, clucking encouragement to them.

Lady of McCamley

 

[MarinR]

That is really cool that a white leghorn went broody because it's bben bred out of almost all egg layers but ti can happen thats awesome,anyway that looks like good room for the chicks and her for the first day or so but even when shes broody till the chicks hatch she needs room to get out and eat,drink,poop,stretch her legs and flap around for a couple minutes that crate there the whole time is not a good idea I would move it and let her move about freely but leave the feeder and waterer there so she doesnt have to go real far and let her and her chicks roam free around the pen and I'm sure the other hens won't mind because I'm sure there smarter than to mess with a mamas chicks...if you have anymore questions were all here to help and I love your broody leghorn

So it's short notice on this one, but my broody leghorn has almost made it to day 20 and one of her eggs has already pipped! I can hear cheeping underneath her and I am just SO excited!! Please note she is not in the dog crate pictured below any more. Once I felt comfortable that the other hens were going to respect what she had going on in there, I pulled it out and just let her be. I removed the eggs she "stole" each day and candled the fertile ones periodically. I have now sectioned off a good sized portion of the coop around her nest box so that she can be hatch her babies undisturbed, and I think it will work out well. My question is about the bedding. I use pine shavings in my coop and I'm a little concerned about how the chicks will do on them? I've always used paper towels in my brooder boxes for the first week or so. Will she make sure they don't try to eat the shavings and/or choke on them? Should I try to move her onto hay or straw instead? Or am I just being a nervous grandmother hen? [VIDEO]

[/VIDEO]

 

[Lady of McCamley]

My question is about the bedding. I use pine shavings in my coop and I'm a little concerned about how the chicks will do on them? I've always used paper towels in my brooder boxes for the first week or so. Will she make sure they don't try to eat the shavings and/or choke on them? Should I try to move her onto hay or straw instead? Or am I just being a nervous grandmother hen?

I have have hatched/brooded a number of clutches on pine shavings and have had NO problems. I do use the larger chip size pine shavings as the finer stuff is more like sawdust that goes EVERYWHERE on my clothes, into the house, etc.

I had heard that pine shavings are terrible for chicks (cedar definitely is), but I've tried the other bedding (hay and straw and Noah's Bedding) and those just doesn't work as well for disposal or keeping the smell down or the coop clean. I had so many farmers tell me they'd raise a LOT of chicks on pine with no problems that I went to it, had no problem, and never went back.

I think you'll be fine. The chicks may pick it up and nibble...but they DO THAT ANYWAY in a yard full of stuff...its called being a chick. I've never had one choke or get sick or really eat it. They figure out pretty quick it is not food.

...and WOW you got a White Leghorn to brood. Good for you (and what good luck)...she must have been in a different line when they were taking out the broody genes to make her a more productive layer.

My 2 cents
Lady of McCamley

 

[chicken farmer]

So it's short notice on this one, but my broody leghorn has almost made it to day 20 and one of her eggs has already pipped! I can hear cheeping underneath her and I am just SO excited!!

Please note she is not in the dog crate pictured below any more. Once I felt comfortable that the other hens were going to respect what she had going on in there, I pulled it out and just let her be. I removed the eggs she "stole" each day and candled the fertile ones periodically. I have now sectioned off a good sized portion of the coop around her nest box so that she can be hatch her babies undisturbed, and I think it will work out well. My question is about the bedding. I use pine shavings in my coop and I'm a little concerned about how the chicks will do on them? I've always used paper towels in my brooder boxes for the first week or so. Will she make sure they don't try to eat the shavings and/or choke on them? Should I try to move her onto hay or straw instead? Or am I just being a nervous grandmother hen?

I have always used pine shavings,and the chicks might pick a piece up but wont eat it and if it does it will go right threw it and its more soft and comfortable it will be fine...and for sure post a pic when there hatched

 

[julie0477]

I've always used pine shavings for my day old chicks as well. I think that it's awesome u have a broody leghorn! What are the chances!

 

[MarinR]

Day 20 and my leghorn is officially a mama to a healthy Easter Egger and during my quick inspection,it appears a cuckoo marans and a white leghorn are on their way. So exciting! So proud of my little exception to the rule.