Hatching with 2 broodies

[tommysgirl]

Thanks Tommygirl and texgardengal. Another question! Can I add some feed store babies to the chicks that hatch within the first couple of days? Will mom know she didn't hatch them?

Oh and what will Betty do the shells as the chicks hatch? Do I need to remove them like I do in the incubator? So many little questions.

Thank You all for the advice and being so helpful. I pick up the fertile eggs tomorrow morning. I'm getting a dozen but putting 6-8 eggs under Betty.

I have always just left the shells and cleaned out the nest once the hatch was complete. I have only tried to add a chick after the broody finished hatching once and it didn't go well. I think it could have been better if the mama bird was in a coop by herself. But the chick I tried to graft got out from under her and died.

I do think it all depends on each hen and each set up...sorry I know that isn't much help If you have a brooder set up and are willing to keep a really close eye on them to make sure all is well then it may be wonderfully successful for you. who knows...we take a leap of faith and hope for the best.

 

[number9]

I had a hen that hatched some chicks and got off of the nest taking her chicks with her. There was still some eggs left in the nest and I put them in the brooder. Two of them hatched in a couple of days. I waited until night and placed them under her and it worked fine. I only tried this once and it may have been a fluke or the mothering instinct in the hen was strong.

 

[tommysgirl]

I had a hen that hatched some chicks and got off of the nest taking her chicks with her. There was still some eggs left in the nest and I put them in the brooder. Two of them hatched in a couple of days. I waited until night and placed them under her and it worked fine. I only tried this once and it may have been a fluke or the mothering instinct in the hen was strong.

you put the chicks in the brooder or the eggs? Sorry I am confused

I have heard of taking chicks and out and brooding them till the remaining eggs all hatch. I think it sounds like a great idea and I wish I had thought of it this past fall.

 

[number9]

you put the chicks in the brooder or the eggs? Sorry I am confused

ree days after I turn
I have heard of taking chicks and out and brooding them till the remaining eggs all hatch. I think it sounds like a great idea and I wish I had thought of it this past fall.

I put them under the heat lamp in the brooder. Anything to keep them warm. In fact I had one to hatch a couple of days after I turned off the light. The brooder was in the basement where the washer was. The wife went down to do the laundry and the chick started scurrying around in the brooder and scared here to death. The hen also took that one. She was a cochin and ee cross.

 

[chickenlickin8]

Thanks again for the advice. I'm giving her 8 eggs (4 ee & 4 brown egg mix) this afternoon when she gets off the nest to feed. She always come out when I feed in the afternoon. So hatch date should be Sunday April 13th. Not sure how many will hatch but some be an interesting experience. I'm going to give her the coop to herself once the eggs hatch. Depending on how many hatch, I think the key to adding new chicks will be to do it at night.

Hope this all works out. I will keep you all posted.

 

[tommysgirl]

Thanks again for the advice. I'm giving her 8 eggs (4 ee & 4 brown egg mix) this afternoon when she gets off the nest to feed. She always come out when I feed in the afternoon. So hatch date should be Sunday April 13th. Not sure how many will hatch but some be an interesting experience. I'm going to give her the coop to herself once the eggs hatch. Depending on how many hatch, I think the key to adding new chicks will be to do it at night.

Hope this all works out. I will keep you all posted.

Good Luck! It really is a great thing to watch a mama hen and her chicks...I confess that I get a tiny bit jealous because I miss the connection that comes with chicks thinking I am mama but not enough to bring a smelly brooder into the house again.

My girl Norma has gone broody again...this time in an appropriate place. That's her in the middle. On the Right is Petunia who is acting like she wants to brood too. I will give her another few days to prove her level of commitment. On the Left is Jamie Lee Curtis who just wants to lay an egg. Norma let her in b/c they are buddies.


I only have the two nest boxes in this coop so I have to add another. Nest Box Wars!

I am giving Norma and Petunia...if she is serious... eggs on the 29th so that I can participate in the Easter Hatchalong. I think I will give Petunia bantam eggs from my aunt's D'Uccles...if they lay enough between now and Sat. But maybe Dorking mix eggs...maybe I won't have to worry about it at all,

 

[tommysgirl]

I put them under the heat lamp in the brooder. Anything to keep them warm. In fact I had one to hatch a couple of days after I turned off the light. The brooder was in the basement where the washer was. The wife went down to do the laundry and the chick started scurrying around in the brooder and scared here to death. The hen also took that one. She was a cochin and ee cross.

wow! I have heard of people just sticking them in a cooler with a lamp over them to hatch but to have one hatch after the heat source is off is surprising! Must have been a very determined little one.

 

[16 paws]

Hi everyone!
I have some good news.
The day after I lost Freckles, my bantam cochin, guess who decided to go broody again?
My Jersey Giant....Penny! She has been broody 3 times in about a year now.We have never had a hatch because we didn't have any roo's.
Well we do now!
The first time she was broody we got fertile eggs from the feed store and let her sit on them but none hatched. So we slipped chicks from the feed store under her at night and she took them in right away.

The second time we just let her sit on non fertile eggs for the 21 days and then got her some bantam chicks from someone in the area. She is a really good Mom so this time I am letting her sit on 11 eggs. I don't know if they are fertile. It should be interesting because we have a polish roo and 2 bantam cochin roo's. She has 2 bantam eggs under and the rest are full size. I don't know if the bantam or polish roo can fertilize eggs from a full size hen. Anyone know?
I am excited to see what happens.
I am pretty sure it was Friday when she started so we are into about day 4 now.
We really are having new beginnings now....
Here is a picture of Penny.

 

[number9]

One of my favorite hens I ever had was out of a white leghorn hen and a black banty cochin roo. She was white splash with feathered feet. Her eggs were a med. size as opposed to a small a cochin would lay and she was not flighty like a leghorn. She made a great mother. She tore into my very young son when he got too close to the chicks. She was all the good things about both breeds.

 

[tommysgirl]

One of my favorite hens I ever had was out of a white leghorn hen and a black banty cochin roo. She was white splash with feathered feet. Her eggs were a med. size as opposed to a small a cochin would lay and she was not flighty like a leghorn. She made a great mother. She tore into my very young son when he got too close to the chicks. She was all the good things about both breeds.

I follow a blog written by a woman who has a rooster who is the result of a bantam roo and a LF hen... Your girl sounds great. I love splash and am adding a couple of them this summer

Hi everyone!
I have some good news.
The day after I lost Freckles, my bantam cochin, guess who decided to go broody again?
My Jersey Giant....Penny! She has been broody 3 times in about a year now.We have never had a hatch because we didn't have any roo's.
Well we do now!
The first time she was broody we got fertile eggs from the feed store and let her sit on them but none hatched. So we slipped chicks from the feed store under her at night and she took them in right away.

The second time we just let her sit on non fertile eggs for the 21 days and then got her some bantam chicks from someone in the area. She is a really good Mom so this time I am letting her sit on 11 eggs. I don't know if they are fertile. It should be interesting because we have a polish roo and 2 bantam cochin roo's. She has 2 bantam eggs under and the rest are full size. I don't know if the bantam or polish roo can fertilize eggs from a full size hen. Anyone know?
I am excited to see what happens.
I am pretty sure it was Friday when she started so we are into about day 4 now.
We really are having new beginnings now....
Here is a picture of Penny.

Yay for Penny!!!!! Yes i have heard of bantam/lf pairings that ended successfully in chicks. Good Luck and check in often!

Well I am pretty sure Petunia is going to stick so I will collect about 6-8 D'Uccle eggs for her. The baby daddy is a white silkie. I am looking forward to trying to make a Mille Fleur Silkie.

So my mutt girls will be sitting on mutt eggs hatch date..will be the Saturday before Easter.

I took my new found carpentry skills and installed a new nest box in the coop so that the other 4 girls in the pen have a place to lay. I love that I can say that!!! I was so intimidated by power tools before I took on this coop build..

Hi everybody hope all is well in your coops!