Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[mskittydjs]

OK..there are now 5 out of 11 pipping and my DS and I could hear the little chirps when we walked up to the cage.

Now, to keep myself from spending all night outside her cage tonight....

 

[chickette]

Quote:
Thats great

congrats to your mama hen doing a awesome job

 

[smallcitychick]

Well I tried moving our broody to cage all by herself and she freaked out. She KNEW she was not on her nest anymore. I tried keeping her in there for about an hour, but she was still clucking up a storm and wouldn't even pretend to stand by the nest. Let her go back to her regular nest with the rest of the flock. The next morning (saturday) I put 16 fertilized eggs under her. Both last night and this morning I found one egg out in the middle of the coop. I think she pushed them out there. They're a darker color than the eggs my hens lay, plus I got and egg from every girl but one, this morning. Anyone ever have their broody select eggs to not brood? She sat for 4 days on an empty nest before I got the fertilized eggs, and then I just put as many under her as I thought could fit. Maybe it's in my head, but she seems SOOOO much happier now that she has some eggs.

Come on May 20th!!!!

 

[SallyF]

Just had my four-year-old hen (a mutt with curled toes) hatch 5 chicks. This dear old girl goes dependably broody every Spring and is a good mama. Don't know what I'll do when I lose her, as most of my other hens are black sex-links who never go broody at all. Maybe some of the mutt chicks she's hatching will grow up to take her place.

 

[chickette]

Quote:
I love your mutt hen

She is beautiful with her babies Congrats

 

[mskittydjs]

Quote:
Awwww...look at the beautiful family!!! Congrats! In the dog world, they say mutt's are the best dogs. It seems your mutt momma is proving it for the chicken world too!!! So I am sure one of her kids will do it also!

 

[sandracollins]

Candled this morning only checked 4 and 2 had piped the internal air sac and I could hear them peeping, now I will have a path worn over and back to the hen house ,it will be a long day

 

[Miss Lydia]

Congratulations mskittydjs so eggciting. keep us updated.

and sandra we're waitng to hear from you too!!!

SallyF, that is a precious picture she'll make a great teacher and one of her girls will follow in her foot steps.
smallcity, she is happier, they love to sit. so please keep us updated on how she is doing. She'll be fine in her nest box. but you might want to # her eggs because sometimes the other hens like to lay theirs in her nest box. all the best.

 

[mskittydjs]

And there are 3!!!!

3 of the 11 are out! 2 are still pipping. 6 are still cooking! I'm gonna try to post a photo so hopefully you can see the new little fuzzy butts! Mama is so good! She has never once tried to peck me and though she didn't like it, she tolerated me moving her to see the third one! 2 are blondes and 1 is a black something or other! With 7 different types of ladies and 4 types of guys...who knows what we will end up with but one thing is definite...they will be soooooo cute!!!!!!

 

[Zoomom]

OMG, they are so cute!

I am getting impatient and I still have 10 days to go.