Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

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bobbieschicks said:
The babies are a week old.

Topsy and her two silky mixes.






Smokey and her two Blue Splash Marans.


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awwww! they are so lovley
love.gif
, i think smokeys chicks kind of suit her haha!
 
How does the hen increase humidity? How does she know when to do this??

I have a Welsummer hen on 6 eggs and they are day 16.
 
aoxa said:
She hunkers down lower when it gets close to hatching. I am not sure how that would increase humidity, but I have never had a shrink wrapped broody baby.
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She also plucks out breast feathers thus allowing the moisture from her body to create humidity levels when she smothers over the egg.

It's a delicate balance and beautiful to watch. The girls will hover over their eggs in times of great high temperatures or smoosh down flat in times of lows.

But just before hatch she will pluck out as many feathers as she needs to so the humidity levels are just right and hunker down tight. Like the closed bator in lockdown it's best not to lift her up to peek as you will affect humidity and temps.
 
:). 26 days old today...I think...haha.
My LB mix is almost as big as my dutch bantam! (Just kidding, but she is almost there!) I've got 2 def. roosters (one of the bantams and the SLW mix) and one def. hen (the other bantam)
I want to hatch more next year :)
 

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