Broody Hen Thread!

[woolymammoth]

2 broody hens. 18 eggs. 3 different batches(I think). 7 really close (2 internal pip under 1 hen). 5 a week or less out under a second hen. 6 in incubator only a week along. I don't know how far along each egg is and the ones that are really close will the hen stay for all of them or after a few have hatched will she walk away from the rest. Can I introduce newer babies to a hen with chicks a few days older. Just looking for some good advice so they can raise all of them and not me.

 

[GitaBooks]

2 broody hens. 18 eggs. 3 different batches(I think). 7 really close (2 internal pip under 1 hen). 5 a week or less out under a second hen. 6 in incubator only a week along. I don't know how far along each egg is and the ones that are really close will the hen stay for all of them or after a few have hatched will she walk away from the rest. Can I introduce newer babies to a hen with chicks a few days older. Just looking for some good advice so they can raise all of them and not me.

The hen will likely stay on the eggs a few days, then get up to feed her chicks. It is best to let her get up after a day and take the rest if they aren't going to hatch for a while, as it gives her a chance to stretch, feed, and teach her chick the ways of a chicken. However, chicks don't have to eat for a couple days after hatching.
As for introducing new chicks, it might work, but I have heard that after a few days the momma tends to not except new babies.

Best of luck!

 

[woolymammoth]

They are in with the rest of the flock. I have a small coop with nesting boxes inside of the big coop. I could move them in there to protect the babies from the rest of the flock. Would the hens still sit if I moved them. Or should I just let them be and let nature take its course.

 

[GitaBooks]

I find that hens will break-up if moved, so I would wait until after they hatch. If your flock is a calm flock, the chicks and momma can remain with them, but if you have more aggressive birds, it may be best to separate them the first few days or weeks. I have one hen that tends to attack young chicks, even kill them, so I have to keep my chicks separate from her for about 3 weeks before introductions.

 

[woolymammoth]

I have always incubated so I have kept chicks away from flock until older. This is my first set of broody hens so I'm not sure how things will go. But my broody barred rock years my hands and arms up when I inspect her best so hopefully she does the same to the rest of the flock

 

[Sarah4]

So far I have 2 hatched I'll post pictures after they are all done and fluffed so I can receive a little extra help on determining which color of Orpington they are. One is just about out and the other 2 are taking their sweet time.

 

[nanachic]

Why am I getting all mails from my incubated eggs. First time I got eight males and no females. Second time I got six males and no females. Third time I got three males and no females. Is there something wrong with what I am doing or is there something wrong with my roo chicken.

 

[karenerwin]

Why am I getting all mails from my incubated eggs. First time I got eight males and no females. Second time I got six males and no females. Third time I got three males and no females. Is there something wrong with what I am doing or is there something wrong with my roo chicken.

I'm no expert, but I have always wondered what effect temperature plays. It is my theory that higher temps produce more males. I know that we try to keep temps at 99.5 degrees, but that some (if not most?) of us have temperature variations. I have no data to back my theory.
Anyone else with more knowledge want to jump in? Even if it's to tell me I don't know what I'm talking about! LOL

 

[julie0477]

I don't think the temperature is necessarily causing the chicks to be male. I do think that when the environment is not perfectly ideal the males are stronger and seem to survive before the females.

A friend of mine told me she has been setting only eggs with pointed ends and those are supposed to produce female chicks. I thought it sounded kind of crazy, but she has hatched a LOT of eggs this way this year and has had almost all female. Worth a shot?

 

[lazy gardener]

Interesting, Julie. I've found it to be absolutely the opposite. My results are posted in this thread: Nutrition and gender, and inducing broodiness. It is the hen who provides the genetic material that determines gender. So, when the egg is laid, it's already determined whether the chick will be male or female. However, some studies have indicated that certain temperatures favor the development of one gender over the other. One might also wonder if certain environmental conditions would favor production of a certain gender. Nana chic: I'd do a title search, and see if you can find any studies related to gender being influenced by temp. Then you can tweak your temp accordingly.