broody then not

[TXchickenchick]

Nothing Chickengeorgeto said even makes sense. First, candling the eggs could be very helpful to give you an idea if the stage of development they are at and if you can see in well enough, let you know if they are alive. Second, while an incubator truly is not a cure all, I saw nothing indicating you thought it was? And last, I don't think you have discouraged anyone. Quite the contrary, in fact. You have shown that even when things look hopeless, they may not be! Congrats on the wee ones hatching!

 

[TXchickenchick]

Oh, and hi! i just noticed you are in Austin. I live in Floresville. Just a bit South of San Antonio.

 

[Rooster Don]

Thank you TXChickenchick. I appreciate your kind words. I was feeling like a backyard chicken troll there for awhile. nice to meet you fellow Texanite!!!!!

 

[TXchickenchick]

And nice to meet you! Oh, and for the record, I may be in a similar situation soon! My 3rd broody is currently setting and I am pretty sure her friends gave her a few extra eggs!

 

[RoosterDon]

Awesome. Of our 35 or so hens (up and down population due to learning experiences with predators) we have only had two broody hens. One of those two died. This hen is on her second broody round. I don't know if others learn from broody hens, but I am hoping they do. The chicks hatching seem so much more perky and healthy and zesty. I would have to think that with a hen sitting on eggs for 19-22 days and talking with them the whole time, that they just hatch way ahead of the game to those chicks that we hatch in an incubator from start to finish.

I am thinking differently about chickens now having done this awhile (regardless of what George thinks). If you take us humans out of the equation, what would be happening to the chickens in their native environment? They would mate, make a nest, and sit on their egg, they would take a break then other hens might or might not lay extra eggs in her nest. Maybe other hens can't go broody so they instinctively know to lay an egg in the broods nest. Who knows...... What I do know is that Elmeretta's two eggs turned into 17, and we had nothing to do with it. Nature would have had this happen without us there. What would NOT have happened though, would be for me to have decided to try and hatch the "left" eggs after it was clear that they would die from lack of attention and heat to hatch. Lo and behold, against the bad odds I guess, they keep hatching. Number three hatched this morning from the incubator, and I see another one moving around, so a 4th is alive and kicking. What I DO know is that the broody hen happily takes the newbies in. I added yesterdays hatched chick to her three this morning and they are all happily chirping under the mother hens warmth and care. SO............this hen had to take care of her first two, we just helped her in incubating the rest and she happily takes them into her care.

Also, I used to be so worried about that thing of the newly hatched chicks need to stay in the incubator for up to 48 hours, they need a lamp and then all of these structured environmental things. Nope......they hatch, I let they fluff up, then mother hen gets them, and they follow her into the protected garden area to immediately start scratching and munching on things, and they adapt amazingly well and quickly to the environment natural to them. Mother nature is what it is. These chicks and hens know what they are doing. We are just here to assist them and protect them, and to keep them with fresh feed and water, and as big of a free range area that each of us can possibly give them.

I am not passing judgement or being instructional or acting like I know what I am doing. I am just learning from these amazing creatures and learning a lot about how they live and adapt and raise their new chicks.

 

[TXchickenchick]

Well said and I couldn't agree more! One of my broodies is even a tiny bantam. She has raised and protected those babies from everything and now they are bigger than her. These wonderful creatures sure know what they are doing!