Broody Hen Thread!

[aart]

I am lousy at candling

Ive watched videos and looked at photos, I cant figure out what Im looking at. Any idea what to do? My silkie has been sitting on 5 eggs for 8 days. Im using "barnyard" eggs, and I do have an active roo but there is a chance the eggs arent fertilized.

I didn't candle my broody eggs at all....it was too d@mn cold to disturb her, or even be out there.
I was pretty sure they were fertile from inspecting yolks when breaking eggs to eat.

Candling is very hard at first, until you've seen it you don't know what to look for.
When I incubated and candled for the first time at 7 days I was very disappointed but persevered and learned.
The darker brown the eggs, the harder to see...green/blue egg are almost impossible, could only see that the egg was filling up but could see little to no details like veins or shape of embryo. A very dark room and a tight fit between light source and egg is essential.


Here was my first experience..... candled on day 7-10-14-18.
Day 7 - didn't see much but the air cells, which I outlined with a pencil every time I candled, maybe some veining and lumps..maybe moving...I was very disappointed.
Day 10 - could definitely see veins and some movement...maybe some clears and blood rings.
Day 14 - saw much more definition of shape, movement and realized what I had seen the previous times. Clears and blood ring more obvious.
Day 18 - pulled the now very obvious clears and blood rings. Viable chicks almost filled egg and wasn't as much movement.

Knew much better what to look for the next time I incubated. It just takes some practice and experience.
Candle well after sunset in a dark room, I used a cardboard template with a hole cut to fit into a utility light shade with a 60watt bulb.

 

[JaceAgain]

Thank you aart! Ill check again in a few days I suppose. All have the air pocket, but one looks very yolky still, more so than the others I think. I just sit in the coop and pull one out at a time, my silkie is a very mellow broody I guess, as she doesnt grump at me. The green one I couldnt tell at all, but the rest are tiny silkie eggs.

 

[tlcollins13]

Our hen has laid 13 eggs so far in 15 days. She is off the nest all day long, so I don't believe she would be considered broody yet, but this morning there was a handful of soft feathers laying in the nesting box beside the eggs. Could this mean she is getting close to setting on them? I have planned to remove them in 4 more days or so if she doesn't set because we want to put them in the incubator. This is our first time hatching eggs from a hen, so I'm not sure what to look for or how long to leave them in to see if she'll set. She is a lavender orpington.

 

[UrbanFarmOC]

Here is new mother hen # 1 with her 6 chicks. She is such a good 1st time mother. Broody hen # 2 so far 2 baby chicks hatched out will check to see how many more hatch in the morning. I am really excited 2 down 1 more hen to go.

So exciting! And I just can't take all the cute!

 

[UrbanFarmOC]

oh wow thats great!! what breed is she and what breed are the chicks my austra white hen goes broody lots!

My 1yr old austra has not gone broody, but I don't expect her to, because she's a hatchery bird.

The broody is a Swedish Flower Hen. The rooster is a Salmon Faverolles. So far she's hatched: 2 lavender Ameraucana, 1 Basque, 1 blue-egg bearded EE, 1 SFH and 1 SF (I think this was a stolen egg). There are 2 more SF eggs under her. One is cold and I think not viable. The other has pipped and is still moving and peeping.

ETA: based on looks and timing, I'm 90% sure the black chicks are from the Lav Amer. These Favaucana chicks have 5 toes too!

 

[fisherlady]

Our hen has laid 13 eggs so far in 15 days. She is off the nest all day long, so I don't believe she would be considered broody yet, but this morning there was a handful of soft feathers laying in the nesting box beside the eggs. Could this mean she is getting close to setting on them? I have planned to remove them in 4 more days or so if she doesn't set because we want to put them in the incubator. This is our first time hatching eggs from a hen, so I'm not sure what to look for or how long to leave them in to see if she'll set. She is a lavender orpington.

Although an Orpington can cover more eggs due to her size I would pull all but about 6 or 8 of them if you want to incubate them. Viability will begin diminishing after about 10 days (as an average, not an absolute) so you don't want to ruin them if she decides she doesn't want to sit.

 

[chickbrad24]

I'm so excited broody Mama #2 has hatched out 4 babies so far just hoping. The 3 EE eggs hatch that are under her.

 

[Timily Farms]

I have one hen hatch out three two silkie crosses and one blue bsntam cochin. I have a welsummer bantam on 13-15 she is a mean broody so I have checked once early on and I had a sneaky cochin I think that added some eggs she is due to hatch on Wednesday. Then I have a cochin on 9 eggs three of them are chocolate orpington bantam cross with Ameracauna hoping they are fertile and will hatch

 

[Forevermore5413]

Can I just tell everyone how much I love that my hen loves these ducklings so much!

Awww

 

[chickbrad24]

Broody Mama #2 with some of her chicks !! 1 more broody Mama to go her chicks should be hatching any day.