Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[BarnGoddess01]

Sooo when do you help a chick get out? My little Blanket is coming up on 24 hours and hasnt zipped yet. Still just a little hole where the pip is. I can see its beak moving on the inside and it peeps every once in a while.

That's a hard one, Jak. Normally, I would say, don't mess with it. `Period. But 24 hours is a good long time and humidity in that blanket of yours could be too low ....

If I was going to mess with it, and that's a very big IF, I would wait at least 24 hours and I would have to be convinced ìt`s death or I`m digging in. Pick VERY slowly at the pip hole and see if the chick will make progress on its own. Hatching can be a painfully slow process. Us messing with them doesn`t help. I`ve learned that the hard way!!!!

 

[JakRat]

That's a hard one, Jak. Normally, I would say, don't mess with it. `Period. But 24 hours is a good long time and humidity in that blanket of yours could be too low ....

If I was going to mess with it, and that's a very big IF, I would wait at least 24 hours and I would have to be convinced ìt`s death or I`m digging in. Pick VERY slowly at the pip hole and see if the chick will make progress on its own. Hatching can be a painfully slow process. Us messing with them doesn`t help. I`ve learned that the hard way!!!!

Thats what I was thinking too, and I am just shocked in the first place that a heated blanket seemed to have worked. I did pick at the peep hole and a bit came off. It still has not progressed any and that was about 4 hours ago. Its still kicking, and making a whole lot of noise, but I cant tell if its little beak is in the right position... its little "horn" is very very small too. I am worried about the little one drying out so, currently, the egg is er, in my shirt. Hopefully my uh "ladies" will keep it warm and humid enough. My husband is going to look at me like I am crazy when he gets home and be like "why is your chest peeping????"

 

[Miss Lydia]

its peeping alot now... not sure what to do....

You may have to help some to get it out since it can get shrink wrapped without the humidity mama provides. look inside the egg how does the memebrane look? is it dri like paper or white? When i had to help my duckling I just chipped away a little egg at a time over the course of the day, by afternoon I came across a tiny bit of blood so stopped but by then she was able to manage it get the rest of the way out by herself. When you see any bit of blood you STOP. wait an hour and start again tiny bits at a time.

 

[JakRat]

You may have to help some to get it out since it can get shrink wrapped without the humidity mama provides. look inside the egg how does the memebrane look? is it dri like paper or white? When i had to help my duckling I just chipped away a little egg at a time over the course of the day, by afternoon I came across a tiny bit of blood so stopped but by then she was able to manage it get the rest of the way out by herself. When you see any bit of blood you STOP. wait an hour and start again tiny bits at a time.

Wish I had seen this!

I just helped her out of the egg, and there was a bit of blood an her little belly button was still attached. Luckily that little part isnt bleeding anymore (it only bled for a few seconds). She is now keeping warm on my chest. She did get a bit shrink wrapped too. I have never had to get a chick out of an egg before, but it went ok. I read on here about another poster who did the same thing and her chicks turned out fine. My problem is that I dont have an incubator. I wanted to put her under the silkie tonight, but I think I will wait until she is a bit more fluffy.

 

[JakRat]

Should I maybe wash her off with some warm water to heat her up a bit?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Should I maybe wash her off with some warm water to heat her up a bit?

I hope you didn't wash her off she may chill. hope all is well this morning with her.

 

[stonykill]

for those of you that may remember I tried a little experiment with my penned sumatra's. I hatched them from an incubator last spring. Being they are Sumatra and naturally broody I thought I would leave eggs laying around for them. Well 5 or 6 weeks has passed and other than the occasional broody noise, no action. Until last night. 2 girls sat all night on eggs. And right now they are out eating and drinking angry at the world. So they each got 6 fresh eggs. Sumatra of course! And another one is doing the broody cluck. Now the question is will it be so contagious that all 5 of them go broody. Well and the other question is will the 2 now stay serious?

 

[Glasshen]

It will be interesting to see. On RIRs being broody, some of your past posts, I have had one that I got from a feed store raise two sets of chicks for me this year. She was a very good mom, until the chicks got to be about 5 weeks old. Then she acted as if she didn't know them. The other 3 RIRs flirted with broodiness, as did the lone BArred Rock, but I didn't encourage them, we are now at 12, which is plenty for now. In fact, I had to tell Kinky Freebird who was the most serious, that as a mAndated reporter, I could not entrust youngsters to her care. She is the meanest one.

 

[stonykill]

It will be interesting to see. On RIRs being broody, some of your past posts, I have had one that I got from a feed store raise two sets of chicks for me this year. She was a very good mom, until the chicks got to be about 5 weeks old. Then she acted as if she didn't know them. The other 3 RIRs flirted with broodiness, as did the lone BArred Rock, but I didn't encourage them, we are now at 12, which is plenty for now. In fact, I had to tell Kinky Freebird who was the most serious, that as a mAndated reporter, I could not entrust youngsters to her care. She is the meanest one.

my RIR's until this year never even considered it.7 years, nothing, until this year. My RIR mama is a really good mama.

As for mean hens. If you mean they pick on the other hens, that isn't a bad trait in a mama. At least I don't think so

 

[stonykill]

for those of you that may remember I tried a little experiment with my penned sumatra's. I hatched them from an incubator last spring. Being they are Sumatra and naturally broody I thought I would leave eggs laying around for them. Well 5 or 6 weeks has passed and other than the occasional broody noise, no action. Until last night. 2 girls sat all night on eggs. And right now they are out eating and drinking angry at the world. So they each got 6 fresh eggs. Sumatra of course! And another one is doing the broody cluck. Now the question is will it be so contagious that all 5 of them go broody. Well and the other question is will the 2 now stay serious?

well the 2 Sumatra girls a Black and a Blue are back on their nests with fresh eggs. Now the big question is are they #13 and 14 or #'s 12 and 13. I forget and would need to go back through this thread to find out....