Broody Hen Thread!

[microchick]

Thanks, the cochin already abandoned her nest but my orpington looks fully committed at this point

If you want to push the Cochin over the top and get her to commit, try leaving two fake eggs in her nest and increase the number of eggs by one every day. By the time I have 6 eggs in a nest, I generally have a broody hen.

 

[mysterychick]

Ok im sorry if these questions have been asked but I didnt feel like reading througb 477 extra pages

)
Ive never hatched eggs before, I was considering venturing into incubation this year and decided to wait another year on that. I did however doscover a broody hen last week and thought... y not. So I grabed 2 dozen random fertilized eggs from down the road and put them in her favorite nest box. Shes going on day 5 of sitting on them so it seems like shes in it for the ling haul but this being a whol new venture for me I have questions about how to handle this.

I do want to candle on days 7 and 14 to try to get rid of duds that may expolde and remove my other hens unfertilized eggs, but how do I know when this girl will be taking her daily break for food and water!? Im worried about just nudging her out to check them bc I dont know of that could hreak her broodiness?? Is that a possibility or legitimate concern?

Also shes up in the nest box which is all fine and dandy I guess until they actually hatch right? I shoupd move them before hatch so they dont fall and get hurt once they hatch? If so when is the least detrimential time to move them? And how do I attempt to make it less stressful on mama and less likely to break her broodiness? Should I just close in the besting box the day they are supposed to hatch and move them after they are born?

Also, if id like to keep them in the coop but seperatef from the rest of the flock (hopefully making intergration simpler in the long run) how much space do I need in the enclosed area for mama and each baby that makes it? Our coop isnt very big so im working with limited space.

And lastly we have verl little predator proofing in the roaming area so id like to keep them in the coop round the clock while theyre still small but at what point should I be able to let them co-mingle with lesser chance of getting picked off by birds like crows and such?

Sorry for the mouthfull! And thanks in advanced!

Well, I am very far from being an expert, and frankly, if our two hatching eggs actually hatch, it will likely be in spite of my efforts and not because of my efforts lol. Still, we are on day 16 and two from my original 9, mostly scrambled shipped eggs, are still going strong. I candled on days 4, 7, 12 and 14. I just stole them from under her, one at a time, carried them with my very cleanly scrubbed hands to our windowless bathroom, and candled as quickly and as gently as I could, before returning and slipping each egg back under her. She really didn't seem bothered at all. I guess as incubation goes on longer, the eggs get more sensitive to bacteria, and in the early days, they are more sensitive to jostling, so I guess my advice is to be as gentle as possible. We really only had 2 viable in the first place, so obviously my candling didn't destroy them. I am not intending to candle again.

I also have the same problem of an elevated nesting box in a coop, with limited other space. We TRIED to move her, and it didn't work out. We partitioned off another section of the run, and put a storage tote in there that we cut a doorway into. I made it so perfect, put her in thereat about day 10, and she took to it immediately. Well the next afternoon, I returned home from work to find her running around in the main coop, kind of looking crazy and frantic. Her eggs were completely cold, and she had somehow flow out of the partitioned area and was unable to get back in. I just grabbed her, the eggs, and put her back in her nesting box where she had began! Shockingly the eggs continued incubating and were alive at days 12 and 14 still. Now I have purchased an enclosed mini coop online for about $100 and it is due to arrive on what will be day 19, which I know is a terrible time to be involved with moving eggs, but I have no other ideas. We preplanned though and placed her eggs in a removable small tub under her in the elevated nesting box in the coop so we can lift it all out, along with her sitting atop, and then will relocate the whole contraption to her to the new, fully enclosed coop on Day 19. I have spent way too long worrying about all of this! so my advise is to be sure to fully segregate your hen if you move her and make sure her new area is 100% enclosed so she can't leave. I think mine wanted to visit with her BFF, as they are very closely bonded, and managed to somehow fly out, and I think she was actually quite distressed about being unable to find her way back to her nest.

And that's all the advice I have. Hopefully others can reply on the rest.

 

[microchick]

Easy Peasy. I candle at day 7, day 14, and day 18. I've found it it much easier to understand what I am seeing if I candle when it is dark with all lights out with the exception of the candling lamp. The hen is minimally stressed and as I said, it's easier to visualize the inside of the egg.When I give a hen eggs, or incubate them in the incubator, I number them with a regular pencil. It makes them easier to keep track of when I candle them. You can also number them when you candle and mark air cells for the first time. If you are worried about your hen becoming the recipient of 'donor' eggs, separate her from the other hens now. I would not move a first time broody. Too risky. Even a seasoned broody can set her heart on one nest and become confused if you try to switch nests on her. It's not hard to do. I simply hang a wire cage in front of her nesting box so she can get out and walk around without risk of another hen taking over her nest.....trust me it happens.....and in her confusion, cause the broody to take on the job of hatching the eggs in the nest next to hers that were just laid (been there and done that also). You want to find a way to isolate the hen without moving her physically. Make sure she has food and water. You can even take her out of her nesting box once a day and stand guard over her while she does her business and then make sure she gets back to her own nest. Hens are really sneaky. I've been in my coop waiting for a hen to get off her nest to count eggs, stepped out for just a moment and returned to discover that she had made her broody snatch and grab of food and left me a big pile of odorous broody poo all in a matter of seconds.

Whatever you do, it will be easier on your hen and you if you find a way to isolate her now. When her chicks hatch, and she shows signs of leaving the nest or the chicks start popping out and running around the nest box, I usually check for unhatched eggs then and remove empties from the nest. Whatever you do, from lock down to 24 hours plus after the first hen hatches, resist the urge to peek. The hen needs to keep the heat and humidity up on the eggs as they hatch. Trust me, the chicks will let you know loud and clear when they are hatching, plus, I've noted that the hen's attitude changes when the babies start to hatch. As they move under her, she may trill softly, look down and shift her position a little without rising from the nest. When all the eggs have hatched that are going to hatch, or when mom decides that it is time to take care of her new babies, she will leave the nest. At lock down, I generally leave a container of chick crumbles (empty tuna cans work great for this) and a small saucer filled with marbles and water within reach of the hen. I've often observed the hens teaching the new babies to eat while she is still sitting on eggs that she is waiting to hatch. When they get to this stage, I move them, lock stock and chicks to the nursery pen. I move mom and one chick first. Move them together so mom doesn't freak and knock you down trying to get back in her nest with her new babies. She will immediately settle down on that one chick and give you a chance to move the others.

That's about it. Don't worry. Or at least try not to worry too much. Hen's have been hatching eggs since they were dinosaurs. A quick note. If you find that you are facing a staggered hatch, one where the eggs were set on different days after the original eggs were set, best have an incubator on stand by. If the hen deserts these eggs be prepared to take over duties. Candle the eggs left for viability, pop em in the incubator if there are signs of life or pipping, cross your fingers and hope for the best. You can always slip the late hatchers under mama when it's night.

It varies when folks let their broodies out with their new babies. As long as your run is predator proof and netted many let them out when they are a week old. Some sooner. Personally, I have 11 that were hatched in my incubator the end of February that are now 5 weeks old that will be outside this week for the first time. Without a mom they had no way to keep warm being outside. Now that spring is finally here and their feathers are grown in, they are going outside this week. My broody hen and her 3 week old chicks will be going out with them.

Good luck with your hatching!

 

[KJzCola]

Ok im sorry if these questions have been asked but I didnt feel like reading througb 477 extra pages )

Ive never hatched eggs before, I was considering venturing into incubation this year and decided to wait another year on that. I did however doscover a broody hen last week and thought... y not. So I grabed 2 dozen random fertilized eggs from down the road and put them in her favorite nest box. Shes going on day 5 of sitting on them so it seems like shes in it for the ling haul but this being a whol new venture for me I have questions about how to handle this.


I do want to candle on days 7 and 14 to try to get rid of duds that may expolde and remove my other hens unfertilized eggs, but how do I know when this girl will be taking her daily break for food and water!? Im worried about just nudging her out to check them bc I dont know of that could hreak her broodiness?? Is that a possibility or legitimate concern?


Also shes up in the nest box which is all fine and dandy I guess until they actually hatch right? I shoupd move them before hatch so they dont fall and get hurt once they hatch? If so when is the least detrimential time to move them? And how do I attempt to make it less stressful on mama and less likely to break her broodiness? Should I just close in the besting box the day they are supposed to hatch and move them after they are born?


Also, if id like to keep them in the coop but seperatef from the rest of the flock (hopefully making intergration simpler in the long run) how much space do I need in the enclosed area for mama and each baby that makes it? Our coop isnt very big so im working with limited space.


And lastly we have verl little predator proofing in the roaming area so id like to keep them in the coop round the clock while theyre still small but at what point should I be able to let them co-mingle with lesser chance of getting picked off by birds like crows and such?


Sorry for the mouthfull! And thanks in advanced!

Well, I am very far from being an expert, and frankly, if our two hatching eggs actually hatch, it will likely be in spite of my efforts and not because of my efforts lol.  Still, we are on day 16 and two from my original 9, mostly scrambled shipped eggs, are still going strong.  I candled on days 4, 7, 12 and 14.  I just stole them from under her, one at a time, carried them with my very cleanly scrubbed hands to our windowless bathroom, and candled as quickly and as gently as I could, before returning and slipping each egg back under her.  She really didn't seem bothered at all.  I guess as incubation goes on longer, the eggs get more sensitive to bacteria, and in the early days, they are more sensitive to jostling, so I guess my advice is to be as gentle as possible. We really only had 2 viable in the first place, so obviously my candling didn't destroy them.  I am not intending to candle again.

I also have the same problem of an elevated nesting box in a coop, with limited other space.  We TRIED to move her, and it didn't work out. We partitioned off another section of the run, and put a storage tote in there that we cut a doorway into. I made it so perfect, put her in thereat about day 10, and she took to it immediately. Well the next afternoon, I returned home from work to find her running around in the main coop, kind of looking crazy and frantic. Her eggs were completely cold, and she had somehow flow out of the partitioned area and was unable to get back in.  I just grabbed her, the eggs, and put her back in her nesting box where she had began!  Shockingly the eggs continued incubating and were alive at days 12 and 14 still.  Now I have purchased an enclosed mini coop online for about $100 and it is due to arrive on what will be day 19, which I know is a terrible time to be involved with moving eggs, but I have no other ideas. We preplanned though and placed her eggs in a removable small tub under her in the elevated nesting box in the coop so we can lift it all out, along with her sitting atop, and then will relocate the whole contraption to her to the new, fully enclosed coop on Day 19.  I have spent way too long worrying about all of this! so my advise is to be sure to fully segregate your hen if you move her and make sure her new area is 100% enclosed so she can't leave.  I think mine wanted to visit with her BFF, as they are very closely bonded, and managed to somehow fly out, and I think she was actually quite distressed about being unable to find her way back to her nest. 

And that's all the advice I have. Hopefully others can reply on the rest.

Lol thanks for the reply. unfortunantly your hen sounds lot friendlier than my girl. To my great sadness Im terrible at getting my hens to like me. There is ONE from my origional flock that will come to me and let me pet her. The others run away faster than I can say egg. Im worried about scaring her off if I start groping under her but it sounds like maybe that wouldnt necessarily make them abandon the lot? Also there are 20 eggs under her along with whatever my other girls have snuck in. I do plan on completepy enclosing whatevrr I end up setting up, its just hard space wise and being in GA i have to worry a lot about the heat, direct sun and air flow in whatever section I end up blocking off for them. Thanks so much for your experiences though! It will def help me figure this out.

 

[KJzCola]

Easy Peasy. I candle at day 7, day 14, and day 18. I've found it it much easier to understand what I am seeing if I candle when it is dark with all lights out with the exception of the candling lamp. The hen is minimally stressed and as I said, it's easier to visualize the inside of the egg.When I give a hen eggs, or incubate them in the incubator, I number them with a regular pencil. It makes them easier to keep track of when I candle them. You can also number them when you candle and mark air cells for the first time. If you are worried about your hen becoming the recipient of 'donor' eggs, separate her from the other hens now. I would not move a first time broody. Too risky. Even a seasoned broody can set her heart on one nest and become confused if you try to switch nests on her. It's not hard to do. I simply hang a wire cage in front of her nesting box so she can get out and walk around without risk of another hen taking over her nest.....trust me it happens.....and in her confusion, cause the broody to take on the job of hatching the eggs in the nest next to hers that were just laid (been there and done that also). You want to find a way to isolate the hen without moving her physically. Make sure she has food and water. You can even take her out of her nesting box once a day and stand guard over her while she does her business and then make sure she gets back to her own nest. Hens are really sneaky. I've been in my coop waiting for a hen to get off her nest to count eggs, stepped out for just a moment and returned to discover that she had made her broody snatch and grab of food and left me a big pile of odorous broody poo all in a matter of seconds.

Whatever you do, it will be easier on your hen and you if you find a way to isolate her now. When her chicks hatch, and she shows signs of leaving the nest or the chicks start popping out and running around the nest box, I usually check for unhatched eggs then and remove empties from the nest. Whatever you do, from lock down to 24 hours plus after the first hen hatches, resist the urge to peek. The hen needs to keep the heat and humidity up on the eggs as they hatch. Trust me, the chicks will let you know loud and clear when they are hatching, plus, I've noted that the hen's attitude changes when the babies start to hatch. As they move under her, she may trill softly, look down and shift her position a little without rising from the nest. When all the eggs have hatched that are going to hatch, or when mom decides that it is time to take care of her new babies, she will leave the nest. At lock down, I generally leave a container of chick crumbles (empty tuna cans work great for this) and a small saucer filled with marbles and water within reach of the hen. I've often observed the hens teaching the new babies to eat while she is still sitting on eggs that she is waiting to hatch.  When they get to this stage, I move them, lock stock and chicks to the nursery pen. I move mom and one chick first. Move them together so mom doesn't freak and knock you down trying to get back in her nest with her new babies. She will immediately settle down on that one chick and give you a chance to move the others.

That's about it. Don't worry. Or at least try not to worry too much. Hen's have been hatching eggs since they were dinosaurs. A quick note. If you find that you are facing a staggered hatch, one where the eggs were set on different days after the original eggs were set, best have an incubator on stand by. If the hen deserts these eggs be prepared to take over duties. Candle the eggs left for viability, pop em in the incubator if there are signs of life or pipping, cross your fingers and hope for the best. You can always slip the late hatchers under mama when it's night.

It varies when folks let their broodies out with their new babies. As long as your run is predator proof and netted many let them out when they are a week old. Some sooner. Personally, I have 11 that were hatched in my incubator the end of February that are now 5 weeks old that will be outside this week for the first time. Without a mom they had no way to keep warm being outside. Now that spring is finally here and their feathers are grown in, they are going outside this week. My broody hen and her 3 week old chicks will be going out with them.

Good luck with your hatching!

Thanks so much for the info! I dont have to worry about the other hens eggs bc mine are not fertile. I did number the fertile ones before I put them in so that should help.

What purpose does marking air pockets do?

My instincts are agreeing with you to try to get her set up with her own area while incorporating the nest so I don't have to try to move her. .... hmmmm but how to really make that work with the set up of my coop will def be tricky. Ill have to post a pic of what I figure out. Im so ancy to candle but trying to make myself wait for day 7 so as not to bug her more than necessary. Shes not friendly with me, has never let me touch or pet her... ive not got good juju with my hens for some reaso. they dont love me back. So i dont want to frighten her off the eggs in worry of her deciding shes done being broody. But it sounds as if ill just have to on the two planned candle dates.

Thanks again!

 

[microchick]

No problem. We are all here to help one another.

Marking a few air cells lets you know that the eggs are on track for hatching. That air cell should expand and grow larger as the chick develops. Do a search for air cell development here on BYC and you should come up with a chart that shows air cell development on a healthy egg.

Your hens may surprise you. Mine are super friendly but generally turn into little velociraptors when I reach under them to candle eggs. Try to reach under from behind if you can. My hens generally just glare at me and give me a good peck until they see that I'm giving them their egg back. When I do that, I just put the egg at her breast feathers and she will tuck it under herself. Kinda distracts her long enough for me to snatch another egg out from under her.

 

[thunderbird]

I added an egg a day for her until there were about 8, I think other chickens may be pushing her out though because they like to lay in there, might have to separate her

 

[Mylied]

My broody mama looks done with this business. They should hatch by the weekend.

 

[microchick]

My broody mama looks done with this business. They should hatch by the weekend.

Yeah, I wouldn't put my hand too close to her right now if I were you.

 

[birds4kids]

Today I put 7 Svart Hona eggs under our broody white silkie in a dog crate in the garage. She is the better part of two years old and we have been down the broody path enough times she doesn't peck me so much anymore, when she and her sisters were younger, first time they went broody you would have sworn those little fluff balls were going to rip off your arm and beat you with it, but they mellowed with age and repeated broodiness.