My First Broody Hatch

[DawnSuiter]

Well.. Broody has been ready to hatch eggs since early in the year, and we tried before but a cold spell spoiled that. She gave up for a while but went back to broody about 5 weeks ago (which was really inconvenient because I was trying to collect Black Orp eggs for DutchChick). After 2 weeks of trying to break her of it, we decided to just give in and gave her 4 eggs.

As it turns out 3 didn't develop at all, but one did hatch! It really is the cutest thing ever. This is a chick from our Gold Lace Orp project (GLW Cock over Buff Orp Hens) and isn't he or she cute?

Had to share, I knew so many of you would be so proud!

Our first ALL NATURAL HATCH!

Good Job Broody!

 

[mamanaturale]

awwww, how sweet!

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Awwwwwwwww! So sweet!


Just to help you with your project, I have a GLW roo over GLW and SLW hens. Here are some pics of their offspring.

The two white boys are SLWxBO. The buff is GLWxBO

This girl is GLWxBO. She is definitely a darker buff than the BOs, but there is no lacing. Maybe a 2nd gen or 3rd gen would have that come out?

Just thought you'd like the pics.

 

[DawnSuiter]

CityGirl.. I just can't thank you enough for posting those photos...

the other two chicks that hatched from this batch look NOTHING like this other little chick.. they look just like buff orpingtons... I am/was worried I labeled them wrong somehow...

was that a GLW Roo with a BO Hen?

 

[b.hromada]

How adorable! The little one looking out from under mom! So Sweet.

 

[Young MacDonald]

Very cute picture.

I'm curious about setting eggs under a broody to hatch them. I'm really new to this hobby. None of my pullets are even laying yet, but I do have some varieties that will probably go broody so I've been thinking that it would be great fun for my kids and me to buy hatching eggs and give them to a broody next spring.

How did you do it? My husband says all you need to do is put the eggs under her when she is sleeping. Is that it? How did your cold spell spoil it? Did she quit setting? My concern is that we spend $ on eggs and she abandons them. I'm thinking about doing this with my Buff Orpingtons next spring.

Any words of wisdom?

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Dawn- all of mine are from a BO rooster. I have a SLW and GLW hen, and truthfully I cannot tell their eggs apart. According to the Chicken Calculator, if the chicks feather out white, they are definitely roos (true in my case). Just general data from my two hatches, is that the girls hatch out looking like chipmunks and the boys hatch out a solid color with a black dot on their head. Very odd.

If you check my blog and go back far enough there are baby pictures of that BO x wyandotte mix going back to the first hatch in December. Dunno if the pictures will help. Of the 5 mutts I've hatched, three have had single combs and two have had peacombs. All have ended up being either white or dark buff with black spottiness up around the neck. These girls have less of that than the roos, but they also have black in their tail feathers and some on their side. I haven't tried a second generation with them THey just started laying and I don't think the eggs are fertile yet.

Good luck with your project!

 

[Kelly FG]

oh that baby is cute!!!!

 

[little white]

beautiful pic!
My lovely broody barred rock is sitting on a single fertile egg. Only 13 days to go!
Question: Her bedding is pine shavings. Is that okay for a chick, or should I give her some hay or something else?
I see that your mamma anc chick are on a basket of hay.. lovely!

 

[DawnSuiter]

Well, my broody decided for herself that she wanted to so this. She just refused to get out of the nestbox, no matter how many days I tried to take her out of it or break her of it.

In March the weather just got too cold for a few days and she wasn't really in any kind of proper nest, so I took the eggs and put them in our incubator.

I don't think you can just slip an egg under a hen that isn't prepared or determined maybe is a better word, to sit there for 3 weeks. I guess it is always a gamble, but I think over time you get to know which hens are in it for the long haul.

little white - she is in a basket of hay which is inside a brooder full of pine shavings, so essentially she & baby have both and baby was out running around the pine shavings from day 1! I really don't know what is right, this is my first broody hen, we're just winging it really.

Thanks everyone!

Citygirl.. I'm off to your blog