My First Brooding Hen / Successful Hatch

[Sam The Yam]

My Black Australorp hen went broody on me and I had no fertile eggs. I was able to get some from a very kind lady that I had found on Craig's List, bought a dozen from her and began the 21 day ordeal. Sure enough, on the target day, they began to hatch. As of right now, the 23rd day, there is still another one hatching and I can't tell for sure but it may be the last one, and I have had a very successful first time broody hen hatch.

Here is a picture of the first two:

 

[NotAFarm]

Congrats!! I, too, had a hen that decided to sit. Yesterday, day 22, her position on the nest was different and she was making low "puck, puck" noises. I didn't want to move her yet, lest other eggs were still hatching but will be taking a look this afternoon when I get home from work. She tried to sit in January and again in February but it's too cold here for that. We're having a beautiful, warm spring now though and I'm so glad breaking her broodiness before didn't stop her from trying now. What kind of chicks did your BA hen hatch? They look so tiny compared to her!

 

[Sam The Yam]

Quote:
Thanks! She ended up with 8 out of the 12! Because I don't have a rooster, when she went broody, I had to hustle and find some fertile eggs. A lady in the area had some Americauna & Bantams so that is what I got. I got her off the nest this morning and put them all in a box with her for a few days, then I have another coop separate from the others that I am going to let them take over while they are growing. She sure is a good mother.
I hope yours are successful! Let me know.

 

[tryingtohaveitall]

Congrats! That's great.

 

[calicokat]

Congrats! How exciting. I have a broody sitting on 8 eggs that I too had to go find since I have no roo here. Non-chicken people think it's crazy that I bought fertile eggs online and had them shipped for my chicken to sit on.

Well, I guess now that I read that, it does sound like I've caught the chicken crazy disease

 

[GreenEggerToo]

SamTheYam, Sounds like we are doing the same thing. Our Cochin went broody for the first time and we too purchased eggs from a very nice lady we found on Craig's list here in Arizona. We're on day 18 and can't wait to see what happens. Our broody is sitting on a variety of 8 eggs. My concern is that the temps in the afternoon are starting to get a little warm here in Arizona and our broody is outside in the coop with her clutch. Do you have your broody outdoors?

 

[elmo]

Congratulations! I'm a first time hatcher this spring, too, and I find the whole process awe inspiring. We've spend hours watching our hen with her chicks in the last week, and now we have two other clutches start to hatch out yesterday. We're blissed out.

 

[Sam The Yam]

Quote:
GreenEggerToo,
Thanks for responding. I wonder if the nice lady was the same one that I got my eggs from. She had a patch on her eye. Yes, I had mine outside in the coop, fortunately with plenty of shade and I had a small water and feed cup for her right at the front of her nest. I actually had a pegboard with a hole cutout for the water and feed cups to attach to, and had placed the pegboard in front of the nest box so it would keep the other hens out and her in. She chose to go broody in one of the favorite nest boxes. Close to the hatch date I did take the board off and then put one of my wire cages in front of it so that if the chicks decided to come out before all were ready they would not fall(the nest was an upper nest). Anyway, now they are all out and I have them in a separate little run/coop that I used to keep my silkie in. The silkie is adapted well with the other chickens so I have a neat little garden coop that I can keep the hen and chicks in for awhile. I think you will be fine just as long as she is shaded and has water. I hope all works for a successful hatch!

 

[Sam The Yam]

Quote:
They indeed are so fun to watch. The miracle of God's creations are so great!
Thanks for responding.

 

[NotAFarm]

My silver laced wyandotte hen hatched only one little chick. She sat on her one egg and I gave her four eggs laid the same day by the other hens, all slw. My rooster is a year old and I've been checking fertility while using the eggs for breakfast and they are "hit and miss" fertile. I'm very happy she got at least the one. She sat in the corner of the coop on the floor and I have a divider that is removable so the two of them have half the coop and the roo and other hens have the other half. I called a nearby BYCer to see if she had hatched anything that my hen could foster but she didn't. Guess one will have to do. I've only had egg layers with no roo previouly. Went a single breed and got the roo last summer. I hope to raise my own replacement layers, that means MaMa will need to go broody again and hopefully the roo will mature so she gets a larger hatch. Congrats to all the other first timers doing it the natural way!!