Incubator vs broody hens?

[Welshies]

I have done both. I started out with a incubator, and will never go back, unless I need to hatch a LOT of chickens.
For maintence of a flock, in my opinion, there is no substitute.
I built a "broody pen", which is just a little 1.5 x 1.5 x 4ft pen, where she has a box, feed and water.
All I do is when one goes broody, I pull her out, put her in the box, and when I have enough eggs, I place them under her. Then fill up the feed/water once a week until the eggs hatch. I dont care if it rains, or is cold, etc. Momma has them eggs handled, and will take great care of the babies.

It is soooo much easier, and the babies are cute. My whole family loves to see nature take its natural course.

I do agree that nature is adorable. There's nothing like watching a momma hen teach her chicks about life.

 

[happyhens1972]

It sounds like she wasn't giving them a breeder diet. If the breeders don't have proper nutrition, the chicks can suffer from a variety of defects due to nutritional deficiencies. This becomes less of an issue if the breeders can free range and offset nutritional deficiencies by eating green vegetation and insects.

I think you're right there...she wasn't giving the correct diet. Now I will have to wait and see how things turn out. She had some chicks there, a couple of days old, and they were very healthy and vigorous so fingers crossed for the same, eh?

 

[Sublight]

I do agree that nature is adorable. There's nothing like watching a momma hen teach her chicks about life.

It is awesome. We just have to remember not to do like me and second guess mother nature.
Welshies knows, but for everyone else, I saw my hen get up, and walk around for a long time, and took her eggs away and put them under another broody hen. Apparently that was a mistake.
Let mother nature do her thing, win, loose, or draw.
How conceded are we that we think we know better then nature what should be done.
/sublight kicks himself and hopes others don't make his mistakes.

 

[Welshies]

It is awesome. We just have to remember not to do like me and second guess mother nature.
Welshies knows, but for everyone else, I saw my hen get up, and walk around for a long time, and took her eggs away and put them under another broody hen. Apparently that was a mistake.
Let mother nature do her thing, win, loose, or draw.
How conceded are we that we think we know better then nature what should be done.
/sublight kicks himself and hopes others don't make his mistakes.

Agreed.
I've seen a few hens abandon their whole clutch after day 15 only to crack them open to find none developed.
Nature knows best.

 

[Sublight]

Agreed.
I've seen a few hens abandon their whole clutch after day 15 only to crack them open to find none developed.
Nature knows best.

Not to derail the thread, but that reminds me.
We did not move my 2 broody hens to the "brood box" because it is not really big enough for 2 hens.
This caused the other hens to lay in the box where my girls, and you know silkies. They scoop up any egg they can find, so they were sitting on about 5 eggs each, because we just want to make sure both hens have some kind of chicks with them, even if it is 1 or 2.
We candled the eggs the other day, and 2/3rds of the eggs were not developed at all.
We have not noticed the rooster fertilizing as often as he used to. He is about 3 years or so old now. Is that normal?
When are roosters used up and ready to share a cabin beside some onions and dumplings?

 

[Welshies]

Not to derail the thread, but that reminds me.
We did not move my 2 broody hens to the "brood box" because it is not really big enough for 2 hens.
This caused the other hens to lay in the box where my girls, and you know silkies. They scoop up any egg they can find, so they were sitting on about 5 eggs each, because we just want to make sure both hens have some kind of chicks with them, even if it is 1 or 2.
We candled the eggs the other day, and 2/3rds of the eggs were not developed at all.
We have not noticed the rooster fertilizing as often as he used to. He is about 3 years or so old now. Is that normal?
When are roosters used up and ready to share a cabin beside some onions and dumplings?

Roosters don't really get "used up", although naturally younger roos will be more vigorous- it's more a ratio thing. 5-8 hens per 1 roo. Many of those eggs wouldn't be developed because you have what is called a "staggered hatch".

 

[Sublight]

Roosters don't really get "used up", although naturally younger roos will be more vigorous- it's more a ratio thing. 5-8 hens per 1 roo. Many of those eggs wouldn't be developed because you have what is called a "staggered hatch".

I am currently at 3 hens, due to a raccoon. 1 Hen is too young.
If the silkies are sitting on the eggs, if they are fertile they should at least start to develop, and they are not. I think the hens are running away from the rooster. The wife says she has seen the hens avoid his advances lately. I wonder if the eggs were never fertile to begin with.

 

[Welshies]

I am currently at 3 hens, due to a raccoon. 1 Hen is too young.
If the silkies are sitting on the eggs, if they are fertile they should at least start to develop, and they are not. I think the hens are running away from the rooster. The wife says she has seen the hens avoid his advances lately. I wonder if the eggs were never fertile to begin with.

That could be a possibility. You could crack open eggs to check for the bullseye.