Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[featherz]

So cute! Our hens just hiss and shriek if they're in a box together xD Glad to see some get along!

This pic is an improvement over yesterday where princess was sitting ON TOP of the other chicken. I'll have to get a shot of that if she does it again. I don't need all these broodies, but she's so tiny I put up with her.

 

[bobbieschicks]

No pips! The broody wasn't even sitting on it, she was sitting on an egg one of the other girls layed...

Sounds like she's abandoned the other egg. If it is past day 25 you can candle it and then dispose of it. I personally wouldn't crack it open.

 

[bobbieschicks]

Hello        I am looking for advice.

I have a coop that is really a rabbit hutch, with the dimensions of 6 x 2.  I have one bantam cockerel and two bantam pullets in there.    Today is day 18 for my one pullet.   Well, my other girl just started laying eggs when my broody started to set.  She has now decided the past few days to "egg sit" while my broody got up to do her business.  She is now broody and did not roost tonight!     

I don't know what to do with both of them in there together.        Also, would it be too early to give her three eggs if they will hatch soon?

If they get along I would just leave them alone. If they don't get along but you want to keep them there you can make a division by stapling landscape fabric or something similar on the area between them.

You can give her eggs as soon as she is broody. She may take them and hatch them without issue. My Smokey went broody and a week later hatched eggs I gave her. She didn't sit for 21 days and it didn't matter to her. She just wanted chicks

Unless they are easy to spot I would mark the eggs somehow to keep them separate. Watch carefully that both sets of eggs are being sat upon.

Post pics when you et our new fuzzy butts!

 

[SIMZ]

We finally put some eggs under our ever-broody Black Copper Marans hen a few days ago. So far, so good! This chicken has gone broody every few weeks since she's been of laying age, and has probably only laid eggs for 3 weeks total since she started in early spring. The plan is that she'll raise these chicks and be able to integrate them into the main flock at some point. Otherwise, my husband is going to have chickens in his garage again all winter.

 

[Johnn]

chicks are 10 weeks old today, still with mama, seriosuly will she ever leave them?!, it weird because the older they get the less evil looking she gets. Shes still doing her broody cluck though....

 

[3 NH reds]

Sounds like she's abandoned the other egg. If it is past day 25 you can candle it and then dispose of it. I personally wouldn't crack it open.

x2 Cracking an egg open could be bad news. Don't know how Broodies know but they do. One more week for My Broody, she is so still I have to make sure she blinks. Had to put some particle board over the dog crate she is in, her last batch have taken to roosting over her and that got messy

. I can't wait for chicks!

 

[Johnn]

2 of my 15 chicks died. The rest seem to have bad breathing :/, i wonder if they are too cold because it is freezing here now and she is struggling to cover them, might have to take a few away...

 

[naturespace]

2 of my 15 chicks died. The rest seem to have bad breathing :/, i wonder if they are too cold because it is freezing here now and she is struggling to cover them, might have to take a few away...

Can you put a heat lamp with them? Not too close so mom doesn't get uncomfortable.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Can you put a heat lamp with them? Not too close so mom doesn't get uncomfortable.

I think thats what I'd do Johnn that way you don't have to take them away from mom.

 

[farmer boy]

i have two chicks that are with the mom and one is older but so tiny and the younger one is huge idk why but they are cross bred one is with an ee roo and one is with a partridge chantecler roo i can try to get pics if you guys want to see them