Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Poonchie's Mama]

My husband just called and we have one chick so far! Im sooooo excited! Cant wait to go home and see!
Wow, Im going to be a basket case when Im a Grandma for real!

 

[Miss Lydia]

 

[Poonchie's Mama]

Are the eggs that were less developed when the eggs got cold more likely to have died? Do the more developed ones hold their internal temp. better?

 

[desman]

We have 2 broody hen 1 hen has 8 eggs under her that should hatch around May 17 the other has 14 eggs and should hatch around May 26

 

[featherz]

Egads!!! My broody is smarter than her human! Ok, this is my first broody and I thought 'no way can she steal any more eggs' - she's under the nest boxes, which are raised up with a perch, etc. Could not see how she could get any more. So I didn't think to mark the eggs. Noticed the last few days I was getting a LOT fewer eggs..

Everyone knows what's coming.. I check under broody and she has like 12 eggs under her! I only gave her four.

And now, they all have different hatch dates. Eep! I'm going out there with a sharpie now to mark them, but should I keep the incubator warmed up for those eggs that are like a week behind? And will she continue to steal eggs when she's got a huge pile now?

and how the heck did she get them out of the nest box and into her nest area? argh. I had promised someone hatching eggs, but they are almost all gone now.

 

[annaraven]

So a question:

the eggs under Buffy, or rather the chicks under Buffy, belong to someone else. How long do we need to leave the chicks with Buffy for her to get over being broody? I don't want to have them taken away in a day and then find out she thinks she's not done being broody... any idea how long before she'll be "over it"?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Annaraven, we have chicks that are 4 weeks old today and mama hen is still looking after them so It depends on the hen, you could probably take the chicks from her now but she would be a very sad mama.

featherz, don't you think the other hens are just laying them in the same proximity and she just rolling them under her? She will usually stay on the nest a couple days after chicks hatch before she'll leave the eggs that haven't hatched. so if you have eggs a week behind then you might want to set up the bator.

Congratulations, desman keep us updated on everything.

Poonchie's Mom, you should candle the eggs, that way you'll know for sure. If the eggs got cold they could be a little behind.

 

[featherz]

Quote:
Anything is possible, but the other hens never ever lay on the floor, where her nest is. Up until a few days ago they were laying them in the nest boxes. Then about three days ago, my eggs dropped from 5-6 a day to 2 a day and lo and behold, there they are, under her. I saw two hens in the nest boxes this morning before work, but no eggs when I got home. grr!

I've got the bator up and running now just in case she decides she's not broody, but she seems pretty determined. Hopefully she can stay on one more week, then I have time off for summer vacation and can keep an eye on the eggs. do they ever decide they have enough under them?

 

[Miss Lydia]

She'll probably decide soon if she has 12, is she LF or Bantam? If she is getting them out of the nest boxes then she is determined I'd say. When is hatch day for the first 4?

 

[featherz]

Quote:
Two weeks from today would be hatch day for the first four. She's LF but a bit on the small side as she's just 8 months old. she is definitely covering what she has so far. I think I have them all marked, but hopefully she'll get off tomorrow so I can check. She's tolerant of me pulling eggs out but grumbles the whole time.

I do have a second chicken threatening to go broody so maybe I can candle and slip the newer eggs under her, but she's not full broody yet. I keep finding her in the nest box in the dark, but she;s up on the roost in the morning.