Broody hen vs brooder?

[eatmorechicken]

In your estimation, what is the cost of feeding a broody hen per day vs the cost of running an electric space heater, heat lamp, or gas brooder?

 

[redfeather]

I think a broody hen would be wayyyy cheaper, honestly.

Plus, I had a 100% (9/9) hatch in the middle of winter under a broody Buff Orpington.

 

[kingdr85]

I agree...broody hen all the way.

 

[ralleia]

Quote:
Whooooooah--that's NUTS!

I had a couple hens go broody in the middle of the Nebraska winter, but I absolutely REFUSED to let them sit. There was no way that I was going to risk worrying over baby chicks when I'm falling down the hill in the snow trying to get to the henhouse.

Do you have a thread where you discuss your incubating under hen technique? I'm wildly successful at the "ordering day-old chicks to plant under broody hen" chick-rearing technique, but in seven years have only managed to hatch out two eggs. I have no area dedicated to a hen incubating eggs though--right now they all become broody when still mixed with the general flock. Plus I only learned about candling last year...

 

[redfeather]

Quote:
Whooooooah--that's NUTS!

I had a couple hens go broody in the middle of the Nebraska winter, but I absolutely REFUSED to let them sit. There was no way that I was going to risk worrying over baby chicks when I'm falling down the hill in the snow trying to get to the henhouse.

Do you have a thread where you discuss your incubating under hen technique? I'm wildly successful at the "ordering day-old chicks to plant under broody hen" chick-rearing technique, but in seven years have only managed to hatch out two eggs. I have no area dedicated to a hen incubating eggs though--right now they all become broody when still mixed with the general flock. Plus I only learned about candling last year...

Haha, well, we don't really get that much snow around here.... but it was okay. I did get sore muscles from tromping out to the chicken house 20x a day to check on the eggs! I did, however, take the chicks away from her almost as soon as they hatched and raised them in the house (didn't have a place to keep her seperate from the other birds... and her nest box was 4 feet off the ground).

As for teqnique? HAha, I noticed her insisting on sitting on eggs, so I went picky and choosy and put the best looking eggs under her and took the rest away... and they all hatched out within less than 10hrs of each other.


It was totally an amateur adventure though! Could even be "beginner's luck". All I know is it had good results other than the fact that 75% of the hatch turned out to be roosters -_-

 

[Chickadee55]

Quote:
I'm still new to the "chicken farming world"

and I was wondering if a broody hen gets off her eggs to eat and drink?

 

[schellie69]

I don't have an incubator I will let my hen hatch out some eggs. Think it is easier since I really don't have to worry she does all the work.

 

[redfeather]

Quote:
I'm still new to the "chicken farming world"

and I was wondering if a broody hen gets off her eggs to eat and drink?

She has to, otherwise she would die.

Some hens will leave the nest for longer amounts of time, and others will be very breif/sneaky about it... you may never see them off the eggs unless you are out there 24/7.


The one disadvantage of a broody, is if you want to check the eggs and candle them to see how they are going, you are going to have a bunch of purple bruises on your arm where she evily pecks you....

 

[eatmorechicken]

having mom hatch and raise chicks is cool but how is it economical? It seems to me that it could be cheaper to heat chicks with a light bulb, But I don't know how much a hen consumes in feed per day.

 

[ralleia]

Quote:
Incubating the eggs and brooding the chicks are very different processes.

Incubating the eggs requires fairly precise monitoring of temperature and humidity, as well as turning the eggs at appropriate intervals. Just heating fertile eggs with a light bulb will result in rotten eggs, not chicks.

As far as brooding chicks, I'd MUCH rather have the hen do it. Taking care of chicks is messy business, and trying to get the temperature right and dealing with chicks that just want to run away from you is pain in the posterior. Chicks raised by a momma hen are calmer, and momma takes care of the temperature, shows them where and what to eat, and does her best to protect them from dangers.

Sure, a light bulb is inexpensive, but there's a lot more to rearing a chick than keeping it warm, and my time and avoidance of aggravation are worth cash to me. My best brooders get leg-tagged and named and are never culled. "Big Momma" is my favorite--a Black Australorp.