Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[bobbieschicks]

That is great news!

Just checked on Violet and all of her babies are warm and accounted for! It's pretty chilly here so every time I go down there they're under her, but everyone is alive and well!

Luckily I have the day off so I'll be checking her intermittently throughout the day to make sure it stays that way

 

[bobbieschicks]

Pictures please

Just checked on Issabelle and her 2 chicks all is fine there. Now moved to nest cubbie and checked on Ebbie my frizzle picked up the one egg and peeping coming from inside,

nothing from the other one YET. But that egg is from my frizzle who is 4 yrs old so really hoping we get another frizzle.

 

[bobbieschicks]

Definitely broody timing can be a problem. I had Topsy in the broody area when Smokey decided she wanted to be broody too. So my solution - I halved Topsy's area with landscape cloth down the middle and now they both have their side. It's cute to see the mommas sitting in there and clucking to their tiny babies. I call it the maternity ward.

I feel so bad. One of my nearly two year old hens has been broody 4 or 5 times and always with bad timing. Last year her and my BO went broody at the same time and I let the BO hatch and broke the GLW. Now the GLW is broody AGAIN...but we're in the middle of run maintenance and I don't want any babies getting hurt. One of the newer hens in there is pretty dominant and will flog your shoe if you put it up to her and I'm afraid she'd hurt the chicks.

Poor girl just wants to be a mama SOOO bad but I don't think I can do it this round with Violet already having chicks (in another coop). Every time she goes broody her growls get more and more shrieky because she doesn't want me to take her off the nest.

 

[bobbieschicks]

Seems Smokey may be done with the last silky egg. Found her sitting in the corner with the babies around her and the egg cold by itself. I will let her decide if it should be hatched or not - so if it's still off by itself later I will remove it.

Topsy is still sitting tight on the Maran eggs and silky egg.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I feel so bad. One of my nearly two year old hens has been broody 4 or 5 times and always with bad timing. Last year her and my BO went broody at the same time and I let the BO hatch and broke the GLW. Now the GLW is broody AGAIN...but we're in the middle of run maintenance and I don't want any babies getting hurt. One of the newer hens in there is pretty dominant and will flog your shoe if you put it up to her and I'm afraid she'd hurt the chicks.

Poor girl just wants to be a mama SOOO bad but I don't think I can do it this round with Violet already having chicks (in another coop). Every time she goes broody her growls get more and more shrieky because she doesn't want me to take her off the nest.

I have the hardest time saying no to my girls, I always say the girls from last year get to brood this year but it never works out that way, I have 2 girls just hatching that have been broody 2-3 years now and one of my first broodys from this spring who hatched last year is sitting again. When all said and done I'll probably have 30 something chickens not counting the 2 roos. hey I know they'll be some roos in the bunch hatching this year so they will go into the freezer in due time but was just thinking with having maybe 30 hens I'd be able to have another roo, if you use the 10hens to every roo kinda chicken math. I'm sorry your hen won't be able to brood, to me it's so sad when they want so much to be a mommie and I have to say no.

course my dh doesn't feel this way.

 

[bobbieschicks]

Smokey kept putting the egg under herself then moving away from it. She finally stopped moving it under and is walking around with the other 4 chicks teaching them how to scratch up the joint - so I gathered up the remaining Silky egg and put it under Topsy. If it's going to hatch at least this gives it a chance.

Topsy has hatched 1 silkie egg and now has another one zipping! I'll check in an hour and see what's happened. She also has 2 Maran eggs that are two days behind the silkies in development - so she may still hatch those two as well. The one Silkie that has already hatched is walking around eating, drinking and generally looking adorable.

I'll try to get some more pics of them if I can. I was just outside washing up two of my layers with epsom salt baths for dirty behinds. One of them, my WL, loves the baths - the other not so much. I ended up getting soaked by the LO so I'm glad I didn't have my phone in my pocket as usual.

 

[bobbieschicks]

HAHA! I like your thinking - if I hatch more roos I can keep more pullets! I know what you mean about DHs - when Topsy went broody he was wondering why I couldn't just break her of it - why did I have to buy more eggs (like I had to). Then when Smokey went broody he just rolled his eyes and didn't say a word. Of course I wasn't buying more eggs this time - so he couldn't really complain.

I have the hardest time saying no to my girls, I always say the girls from last year get to brood this year but it never works out that way, I have 2 girls just hatching that have been broody 2-3 years now and one of my first broodys from this spring who hatched last year is sitting again. When all said and done I'll probably have 30 something chickens not counting the 2 roos. hey I know they'll be some roos in the bunch hatching this year so they will go into the freezer in due time but was just thinking with having maybe 30 hens I'd be able to have another roo, if you use the 10hens to every roo kinda chicken math. I'm sorry your hen won't be able to brood, to me it's so sad when they want so much to be a mommie and I have to say no.

course my dh doesn't feel this way.

 

[countrygirl5]

So I noticed an egg in the area popcorn had moved her chicks...... I thought did she lay an egg there but it's way too soon for that . So I was going to post here and ask if it was possible.... Well when I remembered to collect the egg it was a large brown egg and well popcorn is a bantam. She stole the egg yesterday! Thief!! She just hatched her clutch last thurs Friday and well what already stealing eggs? Ummm is she trying to tell me that all she wants to do is be broody?

My Wyandott does the same thing. She hatched her two over a week ago, but everytime I go to collect eggs, I can count on her to be sitting on the eggs everyone else has popped out.
Crazy animal!

 

[bobbieschicks]

Both broodies in their maternity ward.


Smokey is done hatching - here she is with her 4 new silkies.


Topsy's 1st silky - she's about to hatch out another one that is zipping as I type this. Still holding out hope for the 2 maran eggs.

 

[Chicken Chat]

Both broodies in their maternity ward.


Smokey is done hatching - here she is with her 4 new silkies.


Topsy's 1st silky - she's about to hatch out another one that is zipping as I type this. Still holding out hope for the 2 maran eggs.

Adorable!!! Looks like they are enjoying a snack of yummy meal worms.