Ok, 1st timer here - both me and broody mama

[clemzano]

Hi All,
New to being a member, though been turning to this forum for answers for a very long time! Have had a flock many a times for many a years, but 1st time hatching with a hen.

Currently: Have a mama with some new chicks (2 so far with one more egg left)

History: Hen (cuckoo maran) went broody on Aug. 18th.
I got 9 fertilized eggs from a friend's coop and put them in the night of the 19th. Morning of the 20th broody hen was happy as can be!
Somewhere around 7-8 days in there was an awful stench. That night I lifted her and changed her lay box out - there were 7 eggs left (one seemed to have exploded, maybe both?)
Somewhere around the 1st of sept we tried to candle them, we weren't very good at it! - but noticed there were now only 6 eggs.....
Thursday, Sept. 7th at 9:45 am, when I go to coop, hen is up and I find two broken eggs - one with seemingly nothing and one with a dead chick. This was about 2 days earlier than I expected. We took the egg shell and the dead chick/shell and removed them. Mama was agitated and jumped out of coop. She ran about but the other hens attacked her mercilessly! She tried to eat with them, did a small dust bath and they kept at her so I scooped her up and put her back in her coop with her eggs. She settled back down.
Sept 9, this morn I came out to her and saw a little downy head! A chick! So exciting. Left her be, but was hoping for more than one chick.
At 1:06 this afternoon saw she had one more baby but also another hatched dead one (ugh, so sad).
Removed the dead one and some shells and now it's late afternoon, she and two babies seem to be doing well and there seems to be one more egg.
When I first looked in it was off to the side, then mama got up to eat a tad and when she returned to the nest she nudged it under her again!
Whatcha think?

My 1st experience -
9 eggs put in, so far 2 babies (maybe one more)
Thoughts and experiences? Anything I could of been doing better (like candling for one! - I was kinda leaving it to mother nature, but that turned out to kinda stink - haha!)
How long do I leave this last egg?
What's happened to some of them, is it possible the hen would of eaten them? I haven't seen any indicator of rats but there are definitely some in the vicinity (we are a small acre property surrounded by other small 1-5 acre properties).

And now what?! Best thoughts on how long to keep her and her babies separate (she has never been high in pecking order). How to reintegrate them to flock?
Do I have to move her food away from chicks or just be sure there is chick food for them?
My girls usually free range by day, but right now I have her and her chicks in an enclosed coop/run. Nothing can get in and I don't think the chicks can get out! But it's 2-3 feet off the ground, do I need to close up the floor hole? Or can they manage to get down and up?

trying to upload some snaps....if i can figure out how to reduce file size!

Thanks in advance, sorry for such a long post, and thanks for anyone reading to the end! So many questions! Thanks again!

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

Welcome to BackYard Chickens! So glad to see you joined us!

Starting off with the eggs you got from a friend. Was the eggs clean when you received them? Were they washed at all? The early deaths and what sounds like exploding eggs makes me think there was something wrong with the parent stock and possibly rooster to hen ratio. Or, the eggs could have been in the wrong temps for a long time before you received them. (Such as, kept in a hot nest all day with hens coming in and out to lay their eggs amongst those.) As far as the possibility of the eggs exploding, the mother would have cleaned up any mess they caused to keep her nest clean.

On how long to leave that last egg, to me, it sounds like it could be a dud. I'd keep putting it under until she leaves the nest to see if it hatches, and if it doesn't, then it probably won't. To be safe, I'd try chirping to it to see if it responds. (Careful, if eggs are exploding, then it could explode if it cools.)

I keep my broodies and chicks away until the chicks are about three months and older. Some people allow their broody families to return the day of leaving the nest, but for me, I never dared chancing them that early. Also, how you said the others were attacking the broody while she was out could mean they'll attack her again and possibly kill the chicks if she comes in while the chicks are still young.

Keep the feed (and water) with the the chicks and mother 24/7. The mother will teach her chicks how and when to eat the feed along with other things they could eat. (Fun fact: Chickens hatched and raised by a broody are both smarter and wiser when it comes to food, foraging, and other things than chicks hatched in an incubator with no broody. The broody will naturally teach her young all she knows whereas a chick without a broody will have to learn everything on their own.)

 

[clemzano]

Thanks for the quick response. Good to know you keep your girls separate for a long period of time and it works out. I do worry they would attack her and the babies. I've never kept chickens in an penned area.....
One more question about food - do I continue to feed hen her food and buy the chick feed for babies? Or just buy an all flock food? Do I need to worry about them getting into her food?

As far as the eggs - we got them from friends coop day before and day I was there and they were kept room temp cool (and def. not washed) She has about 10 hens I think and two roosters. I think just one egg exploded, but who knows, some definitely seemed to "disappear" and definitely lost two that looked like they could be viable chicks. I did read an exploded egg could soil/ruin other eggs..... maybe something like that? Right now I am just so glad there are at least two chicks!

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

Thanks for the quick response. Good to know you keep your girls separate for a long period of time and it works out. I do worry they would attack her and the babies. I've never kept chickens in an penned area.....
One more question about food - do I continue to feed hen her food and buy the chick feed for babies? Or just buy an all flock food? Do I need to worry about them getting into her food?

As far as the eggs - we got them from friends coop day before and day I was there and they were kept room temp cool (and def. not washed) She has about 10 hens I think and two roosters. I think just one egg exploded, but who knows, some definitely seemed to "disappear" and definitely lost two that looked like they could be viable chicks. I did read an exploded egg could soil/ruin other eggs..... maybe something like that? Right now I am just so glad there are at least two chicks!

You're welcome. I would keep the family penned as chicks are an easier prey for a lot more animals than just the adults. You did mention rats in your original post, so if rats are an issue, they could go after the chicks. (I've even had skunks come out for my chicks before. Thankfully, the chicks were put away and safe.)

With my broodies, I actually always gave them Game Bird Crumbes. The grain was meant for my geese and bantams, but without running to the store, it was all I ever had on hand, which seemed just fine for them. For yours, you want the chicks and mother eating the same grain because she'll feed her babies what she's eating. For her, a crumble would be better than starter because the starter is more like dust, which will clog up her nostrils and cause her to sneeze a lot.

That would make sense if the exploded egg ruined the other eggs. Eggs will absorb what's on their outside in, which is why it's very important to have the hatching eggs layed in a clean nest. I had one broody who kept pooping in her nest, and it seriously affected the hatch. Out of twelve eggs, she hatched only four and one was deformed.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

Hi and welcome to BYC. @Lacy Duckwing already addressed most all of your questions, and I agree with all that was said. In addition to the fact that rats are known chick-killers, snakes may have been the cause of the disappearing eggs, though rats also eat eggs and sometimes even roll eggs away before consuming them somewhere else. As far as what to feed your new family, I've always fed medicated chick starter and have never had any dust issues, but that can vary depending on the brand of feed. All-flock/flock starter feed is commonly fed too. A broody hen doesn't need the calcium contained in layer feed since she isn't laying, so no worries there.

Many issues can arise when a broody incubates and raises chicks that can lead to a less than stellar hatch and survival rate. You will learn of the specific threats to your own broodies and chicks (you are already aware that your broody's flockmates could be a threat) as you gain more experience with your future broody(s). Congratulations on the two new chicks!

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

This thread answered a lot of my questions!
Being a first time hatcher loosing my first set of 8 eggs was hard. 2 broodies. I actually had a chicken that ate 3 then 1 exploded i think because of the heat.
Now i got 7 more eggs under a broody, but i will be puting some of them in a incubator as she is having trouble keeping all 7 under her.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

This thread answered a lot of my questions!
Being a first time hatcher loosing my first set of 8 eggs was hard. 2 broodies. I actually had a chicken that ate 3 then 1 exploded i think because of the heat.
Now i got 7 more eggs under a broody, but i will be puting some of them in a incubator as she is having trouble keeping all 7 under her.

What type of nest box is your broody incubating her eggs in, and what are the dimensions? I ask because 7 eggs should be very doable unless she is a bantam incubating large fowl eggs.

 

[Perris]

congrats on the two chicks and one more if it happens

this is a very useful thread for anyone hatching with a broody; lots of excellent info in the early posts, and a multitude of experiences as it goes on
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...hatch-a-long-and-informational-thread.457488/

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

What type of nest box is your broody incubating her eggs in, and what are the dimensions? I ask because 7 eggs should be very doable unless she is a bantam incubating large fowl eggs.

Its a 12in x 12in i think. But ill have to go measure again. She can keep them under her ok but its just when she tries to turn them she has issues. And i will be making the boxes bigger. She is a full sized Buff Orpington.

 

[LTAY1946]

Hello and Welcome to BYC. Glad to have you with us in this poultry loving community. I can't think of anything to add to what has already been said above.
You might like to introduce youself to a whole lot more of us on BYC here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/new-member-introductions.44/