Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Miss Lydia]

Okay so I went down to the coop this morning to check on Caesar and she had moved to the floor of the coop.... She tried to do that yesterday with chick #1 but I saw that there was a pip in an egg ..... so somehow I managed to get her to go back and sit on the eggs. This morning Popcorn was sitting on Caesars nest so I could not see if anymore chicks were hatched.....

Well Caesar finally got up and there were 4 babies under her!!!

When Popcorn finished laying her egg I went to look at the nest and well there was an egg with a pip.... Caesar had no interest in that egg at all.... she wouldn't come back to the nest and I had to leave for work.... so I pushed the egg towards her new nest on the coop floor .... It rolled in the hole she made when she got up to show chicks food..... so I am hoping that that little one hatches ..... The nest of course is full of extra eggs ...... those sneaky hens!!! So I guess I can candle and see if any of them are growing and then maybe throw them in the incubator. Problem is I won't be home until 11:30pm from work ....... This was so much easier this time!!!! Probably because I was out of town for 10 days of the brooding ... and working 12 hour days after that... So I had no time to worry about the broody hen.... Boy are the chicks TINY next to the mama hen!!!! I'll try to get pictures tomorrow morning.....

Aww i hope it makes it.

Congrats on the 4 that have hatched.

 

[Kassaundra]

Pele, I'm innocent, this was my first time, so I didn't know! lol lol lol


Skyfire took them outside for the first time today, but it is really hot so they are all under the coop w/ the flock.

 

[bobbieschicks]

hahahaha - What! I told you guys to keep it quiet! She's figured it out somehow! JK!

At least turkeys are cute.

grats Kassaundra! They're super cute!!!

Ok, I have a bone to pick with everyone here in the Broody Hen thread. You didn't warn me about how effective these hens are!

I hedged my bets by buying twice the amount of eggs that I needed (I wanted 4 turkeys). After my miserable failures with artificial incubation, I figured it was totally reasonable.

Turkey number 7 is now pipping, and 6 just finished hatching. Ack! Buried in babies!

This has to be the most fluffy and adorable problem that I've ever had.

 

[Johnn]

Melow is taking it to the next leval now, she buried the bowls completley today!

 

[Pele]

Can't wait to see pics of them all together with mama. Congrats!!

Actually, the hen butts are just on lease from my friend. The turkeys are being removed as they get strong enough to balance on their own. I feel bad for doing it, but I've knocked my friend's entire flock of bantams out of egg production with these eggs, and I'm trying to get things back to normal for them.

Number 7 finished hatching while I was typing this post, lol! Maybe I should change my tag-line to "up to my ears in turkeys"

Here are the last two getting their land-legs:

 

[Miss Lydia]

Actually, the hen butts are just on lease from my friend. The turkeys are being removed as they get strong enough to balance on their own. I feel bad for doing it, but I've knocked my friend's entire flock of bantams out of egg production with these eggs, and I'm trying to get things back to normal for them.

Number 7 finished hatching while I was typing this post, lol! Maybe I should change my tag-line to "up to my ears in turkeys"

Here are the last two getting their land-legs:

WHAT? are you saying the hens aren't even yours? well we have to do something about that. Poor mama going to all the trouble of hatching and can't even raise them. So sad

 

[Pele]

WHAT? are you saying the hens aren't even yours? well we have to do something about that. Poor mama going to all the trouble of hatching and can't even raise them. So sad

Haha I know! You can't imagine how many times I've gone out to my coops and tapped my toe at my Faverolles, but they just innocently look back at me, all un-broody. And I for sure can't ask my Gold Comets to go broody, I might as well sit on the eggs myself first.

We might let Butterscotch raise one or two of the turkeys, but she's so small that all 7 certainly wouldn't come close to fitting under her. Heehee.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Haha I know! You can't imagine how many times I've gone out to my coops and tapped my toe at my Faverolles, but they just innocently look back at me, all un-broody. And I for sure can't ask my Gold Comets to go broody, I might as well sit on the eggs myself first.

We might let Butterscotch raise one or two of the turkeys, but she's so small that all 7 certainly wouldn't come close to fitting under her. Heehee.

Well that's a thought

 

[luvmyEs]

My eggs started hatching!! I went to check on my broody mamas and heard a peep from under the silkie. They are early as 21 days won't happen until Monday. The past few times the eggs have been late. Can the heat do that? After I heard that I checked under my SS and found a pip in one of her eggs too. I took that one and slipped it under the silkie so she can raise 2 chicks. I hate I have to work this weekend or I would be running back and forth between the two wanting to see who has hatched . Oh well it can be my reward when I get home!

 

[Kassaundra]

We had a storm come through this evening, and this was the little chickie doos first day outside w/ thier mom. She was trying desperately to get them to go in when it started getting stormy, but they weren't having any of it. Took thier mom (skyfire) and Gary both to get them in and skyfire wasn't all that thrilled w/ Gary's help. She absolutely wasn't going to abandon them though. When she couldn't get them to go in she called them under her and covered them for the storm. Gary got them in before it actually hit though.