how long do you give brooding?

[aart]

Hmmm I don't really have a spot for that. I have six neighboring nesting boxes

Bummer. Makes managing a broody much easier.

 

[mendozer]

I check on her daily and just make sure she's still on the two marked eggs. I figure if they don't hatch at the 21 day mark, then something went wrong and I'll try breaking her again in the wire cage

 

[mendozer]

Update:
Went out this morning and fed them bananas, nothing spectacular. Came home and tonight went out to grab eggs and she wasn't in the box! She was on the floor and she left three whole eggs in the box (one marked and two unmarked, I guess someone else snuck a few eggs in there recently) and one broken egg. The broken one had yolk remnants so I thought "ah damn, she broke one". Then i reach down to put the other marked egg under her and there's a chick there! It probably seems silly to folks who incubate or naturally hatch chicks but I've always bought chicks and stopped brooding. So now tomorrow I need to get some chick starter. I don't know how I should keep them separate so the others don't pick on the chick but also the chick needs chick food and the hen needs regular food.

 

[aart]

So now tomorrow I need to get some chick starter. I don't know how I should keep them separate so the others don't pick on the chick but also the chick needs chick food and the hen needs regular food.

The hen can eat chick feed.
Did she take the chick under her?

 

[mendozer]

Yes she did. I will see when I get home if the other egg hatches as well. I put the two of them in a brood cage for now

 

[mendozer]

Got some starter today and filled up their feeder. No hatching for egg#2 yet.