Broody Hen Thread!

[WVduckchick]

Mark your eggs with a pencil, don't use ink.  Egg shells are porous.  I usually scribble all over mine.  It's better to isolate the hen.  I think half an hour is okay, but not sure she should stay off much longer than that if it is cold outside.  I guess the other chickens laying in the nest could have warmed the eggs back up?

Sorry, that's a myth! I use a Sharpie marker. I mark the entire fat end of a shell under a broody to note which eggs she has been sitting on, if others add to the nest. Marking the end makes it easy to not have to roll the eggs around or move the hen very much. I know right where to look.

 

[redsix]

Haven't you ever colored Easter Eggs and noticed how the coloring goes through the shell to the inside? Porous shells are another reason some people say not to wash your eggs, because some bad stuff could go to the inside. I do however wipe mine off with a damp cloth.

 

[WVduckchick]

Haven't you ever colored Easter Eggs and noticed how the coloring goes through the shell to the inside? Porous shells are another reason some people say not to wash your eggs, because some bad stuff could go to the inside. I do however wipe mine off with a damp cloth.

Easter eggs are usually soaked in the solution, allowing the liquid to permeate the shell. Writing on the outside of the shell is not the same thing. But its a personal decision. If you don't want to use one, I don't think anyone will fault you for it. I thought the same thing until I saw someone's pic with marker all over it. So I looked it up.

For those that want to use one and question it, see this thread... https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...hin-egg-with-sharpie-answer-is-yes-with-proof

and if you Google it, you will find plenty more people who do it with no ill effects.

This is my own personal pic. I do my 0-7-14 day air cell tracings with different colors.

Can't say this isn't pretty strong development!

 

[the poppster]

I meant, wash them if they get badly soiled or covered with egg from a broken one. Also only if they are close to hatching....I don't think leaving a badly soiled or yoke covered egg in the nest is good for the developing chicks....I dispose of fouled eggs. Isolating the broody seems to help to prevent soiling and broken eggs....and daily checks to be sure mom gets off the nest to poop. Some get freaked out when they leave the nest to poop, and come back to find another hen in the nest...and refuse to get off the eggs to poo. If she doesn't poop for a day or so, I will take her off the nest and set her next to the water and food on the other side of her little cage...she will usually snap out of her broody trance after a few minutes, take a drink, poke around in the food, flipper-flop in the bedding and push out a huge stinky broody poop....then rush back to the nest. No broken eggs. No soiled eggs. Happy hen....and happy me (holding my breath while cleaning up the poo) that has got to be up there with the grossest things in nature!

 

[microchick]

Yep, I use magic marker also.

Also from personal experience I can attest to the fact that you sometimes have to physically pick the hen up and get her off the nest to eat, drink, and poo. I was beginning to suspect that the hen, a first time broody, wasn't leaving the nest to do her business. After two days I pushed her off the nest to discover that she had indeed relieved herself on the eggs and then it looked like she had rolled them around in it until it was caked and dried on like concrete. I did my best to get as much yuck off the eggs as possible but even then I knew it was going to be a problem. Sure enough 3 eggs never hatched and had chicks dead in the shell. A forth chick died at 3 weeks from failure to thrive. I can only point to the soiling of the eggs as the cause behind the chick death.

From now on I will physically make the hen get off the nest the 2nd day after she begins brooding and every day after that. Hens, especially new broodies have no time sense at all. All they want to do is sit on those eggs. Yes it is extra work for the owner but if it gives me viable chicks I'll do it gladly.

 

[redsix]

Yep, I use magic marker also.

Also from personal experience I can attest to the fact that you sometimes have to physically pick the hen up and get her off the nest to eat, drink, and poo. I was beginning to suspect that the hen, a first time broody, wasn't leaving the nest to do her business. After two days I pushed her off the nest to discover that she had indeed relieved herself on the eggs and then it looked like she had rolled them around in it until it was caked and dried on like concrete. I did my best to get as much yuck off the eggs as possible but even then I knew it was going to be a problem. Sure enough 3 eggs never hatched and had chicks dead in the shell. A forth chick died at 3 weeks from failure to thrive. I can only point to the soiling of the eggs as the cause behind the chick death.

From now on I will physically make the hen get off the nest the 2nd day after she begins brooding and every day after that. Hens, especially new broodies have no time sense at all. All they want to do is sit on those eggs. Yes it is extra work for the owner but if it gives me viable chicks I'll do it gladly.

Yeah, I had to pull mine off the nest as well. Then at times, I thought she was staying off too long and had to catch her and put her back in the chicken house.

 

[redsix]

I meant, wash them if they get badly soiled or covered with egg from a broken one. Also only if they are close to hatching....I don't think leaving a badly soiled or yoke covered egg in the nest is good for the developing chicks....I dispose of fouled eggs. Isolating the broody seems to help to prevent soiling and broken eggs....and daily checks to be sure mom gets off the nest to poop. Some get freaked out when they leave the nest to poop, and come back to find another hen in the nest...and refuse to get off the eggs to poo. If she doesn't poop for a day or so, I will take her off the nest and set her next to the water and food on the other side of her little cage...she will usually snap out of her broody trance after a few minutes, take a drink, poke around in the food, flipper-flop in the bedding and push out a huge stinky broody poop....then rush back to the nest. No broken eggs. No soiled eggs. Happy hen....and happy me (holding my breath while cleaning up the poo) that has got to be up there with the grossest things in nature!

Ever cleaned up cow poop?

 

[microchick]

We cleaned dried cow poop and mud off of two pups that were dumped off on us. Stuff was like concrete. Nasty!

 

[the poppster]

Luckily! No! Yuk!

 

[redsix]

Easter eggs are usually soaked in the solution, allowing the liquid to permeate the shell. Writing on the outside of the shell is not the same thing. But its a personal decision. If you don't want to use one, I don't think anyone will fault you for it. I thought the same thing until I saw someone's pic with marker all over it. So I looked it up.

For those that want to use one and question it, see this thread... https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...hin-egg-with-sharpie-answer-is-yes-with-proof

and if you Google it, you will find plenty more people who do it with no ill effects.

This is my own personal pic. I do my 0-7-14 day air cell tracings with different colors.

Can't say this isn't pretty strong development!