For Experienced Broody Hatchers!!! I have a Question or two

[thebestcasey]

Ive decided to let a broody hatch some fertilized eggs. This is my first ever hatch(never hatched with incubator or hen before)
Ive taken a "let nature take its course" approach to giving eggs to the broody hen. I have not candled her eggs or interfered in any way. Ive made sure she comes out at least once per day to eat, drink and poop. Here are my questions;

1- Will the broody know if some eggs are quitters?
2- If there are quitters; what will she do with them?
3- What happens if she accidently crushes one or two? Will she eat them or do I need to clean it up?
4- Will the hen protect her chicks or do I have to separate them once they have hatched?
5- What if none of my fertile eggs hatch under her? What do I do?

Sorry for all the questions. Im no chicken expert. Ive raised day old chicks(in a brooder) and kept layer hens for almost 3 years now.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

1,3,4 are all "some will solve it, some will need you to for them". Some hens are better than others are regulating everything, some pancake and then don't move unless forced for the next 21 days.

2, some continuento set on them and some roll them away from the nest. Occasionally I have had a hen destroy the egg and consume it, but it's not been a common experience.

5, take them and either attempt giving her newborns or just break her broodiness.

 

[My Bagurks]

JacinLarwell is right about it all. I let nature take it’s course entirely. I mark eggs to make sure no one adds any and check daily. But I’ve had several hatch and grow successfully. There may come a time where she’s hatched a few and is done sitting on eggs though. I’ve hatched a few after mama was done sitting with a heat lamp. They were past the point of turning and snuck three more under her at night once they hatched.

But typically a hen will know exactly what to do. Just be there to assist. Clean any broken eggs, mark keepers and take away new ones and if she gets kicked out of the nesting box, get her a spot by herself.

 

[preppingmom]

JacinLarwell is right about it all. I let nature take it’s course entirely. I mark eggs to make sure no one adds any and check daily. But I’ve had several hatch and grow successfully. There may come a time where she’s hatched a few and is done sitting on eggs though. I’ve hatched a few after mama was done sitting with a heat lamp. They were past the point of turning and snuck three more under her at night once they hatched.

But typically a hen will know exactly what to do. Just be there to assist. Clean any broken eggs, mark keepers and take away new ones and if she gets kicked out of the nesting box, get her a spot by herself.

I have a question... how successful were you in sticking chicks under mom on a staggered hatch? I just had one hatch in an incubator 5 days after first and only hatch under mom. I may get another one or two. Did you have any success putting younger chicks under momma hen?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I have a question... how successful were you in sticking chicks under mom on a staggered hatch? I just had one hatch in an incubator 5 days after first and only hatch under mom. I may get another one or two. Did you have any success putting younger chicks under momma hen?

Some do better than others. I have a cornish bantam hen hatching currently that has become an auntie in a way to 5 orphaned chicks (3 at 3-4 weeks and 2 at about 1 week).

My silkies seem pretty good as long as the new chicks match the colors of her own.

Pheonixes are a hit or miss

Cochin mama isn't a fan.

It's easier when they're actively hatching eggs than after they've finished.

But the chick also has to accept her as a mother. If they don't, the hen won't take them either.

 

[Obsessed With Silkies]

Q. 1,2,3,
Broodies don't know if there are quitters, that's why even though you are letting momma hen do all the work, you should still candle the eggs and remove the quitters.That way she can concentrate on the viable eggs and chicks when they hatch instead of sitting on eggs that aren't going to hatch. And if she does step on one and it breaks, clean up the area because the nesting area needs to be as clean as possible for when the chicks hatch.

Q. 4
If you want the momma hen to raise the chicks, she will be very protective of them from other chickens and animals.

Q. 5
If none of the eggs hatch, you can get some chicks from a tsc or your local feed store and put them under her at night. You can go ahead and remove the eggs that didn't hatch and put the chicks under her.

 

[preppingmom]

I have a question... how successful were you in sticking chicks under mom on a staggered hatch? I just had one hatch in an incubator 5 days after first and only hatch under mom. I may get another one or two. Did you have any success putting younger chicks under momma hen?

The incubated hatch is the same color, mostly black with black feet. So... maybe? Would a hen kill it if rejecting it or just ignore it? Would you recommend waiting a day or two for chick to eat and "catch up" a bit? If only this one other chick hatches, I don't want to raise it in a brooder alone...

 

[Shadrach]

How much experience do you want? My experience is with free range chickens; some twenty years worth. I have never put eggs under a broody though. They've always sat on their own, plus donations from time to time.

1) Most do. It can get messy from day 18 if the hen doesn't detect any movement in the egg.
Rule 1. Don't candle but I see you've understood that. Don't disturb or other wise play with the eggs. I guess you've got that sorted as well.

2) Some hens roll them out of the nest. Some just leave them. Second and third time broodies tend to roll the duds out more than the first timers ime.

3) Some hens will eat them. A lot depends on at what stage the egg breaks.
I clean up because broken eggs tend to attract parasites, rats and ants. It's a strip out the nest very very carefully sometimes.

4) Yes a hen will protect her chicks but who against is more the issue. If she is a junior hen then she may not protect them very well agianst a more senior hen.
I never ever seperate a mum from her chicks. If there are problems then rehouse mum and chicks together.

5) Give an extra three days and if nothing happens bin the eggs. Some hens (most ime) will know and give up. If they don't I take the eggs away and destroy the nest, as in full clean out, relplace all bedding and if necessary, block the nest off until the broody gives up trying to sit.

You're doing great. I hope the broody does great as well.

 

[Cackel Shack]

Ive decided to let a broody hatch some fertilized eggs. This is my first ever hatch(never hatched with incubator or hen before)
Ive taken a "let nature take its course" approach to giving eggs to the broody hen. I have not candled her eggs or interfered in any way. Ive made sure she comes out at least once per day to eat, drink and poop. Here are my questions;

1- Will the broody know if some eggs are quitters?
2- If there are quitters; what will she do with them?
3- What happens if she accidently crushes one or two? Will she eat them or do I need to clean it up?
4- Will the hen protect her chicks or do I have to separate them once they have hatched?
5- What if none of my fertile eggs hatch under her? What do I do?

Sorry for all the questions. Im no chicken expert. Ive raised day old chicks(in a brooder) and kept layer hens for almost 3 years now.

I learned a lot this season from my broody hens. Four of them went into a brood about the same time. Some chicks hatched out of the egg and then died, some made it 1/2 way out of the egg and died, 1 couldn't puncture the membrane and died, one chick was stepped on by the hen and died (she did NOT eat it) but the strong ones hatched perfectly and survived. So just know...lots of things can happen to fertilized eggs, expect some hatching chicks to die. Also, these 4 broodies shared the chick-rearing. It was funny watching them all clucking to these chicks even if a chick did not belong to a particular hen.

I also learned if you remove the eggs on a daily basis from a broody hen because you don't want them to hatch, it will just extend her brood. Chickens are only supposed to sit eggs for 21 days or up to 4 weeks because that's nature's length of time for a chick to reach readiness to hatch. But I have this one poor hen who is still sitting in an empty nestbox going on 6 weeks. It's very difficult to break a brood. The other hens push into her box and lay their eggs right next to her. It's funny.

I found the hens knew instinctually what to do. When the eggs were near hatching, one of the broodies made a nest in the corner of the hen house on the floor. She knew the baby chicks would need to be close to a water and food supply rather than remain in the nest box. I did not have to do anything other than provide chick feed and water.

Having more than one broody care for chicks actually makes it easier for the hens because it provides more eyes to babysit them. As the chicks grow, the hens will know they don't need as much care and will become less interested in them.

Anyway, don't worry too much, just let nature take its course and trust your hen because she will know what to do in most cases.

 

[Phaedra Geiermann]

But I have this one poor hen who is still sitting in an empty nestbox going on 6 weeks. It's very difficult to break a brood. The other hens push into her box and lay their eggs right next to her. It's funny.

Last year, I experienced the same so I eventually bought some fertilized eggs for her to hatch. However, later on I started using a broody pen/jail. It's the most effective method so far. I could sucessfully break the broodiness from several hens with the correct settings. Some hens might get broody multiple times a year.