Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[stonykill]

Ugh, remember back in June when I was complaining about getting hens to go broody? WELL! I have a silkie with two chicks, my BB Red bantam hen with her 6 chicks (3rd brood this year since march for her) and now I have another Silkie hen siting on two of my Seramas eggs and one of hers. Not to mention my little buff silkie is walking around doing the broody cluck when she hasnt laid an egg in about 3 days!

The only problem is, it is getting COLD. Its in the 40 degree range tonight cold and rainy. I put tarps up on my Bantam hens hutch to keep her and her chicks warmer. And the other silkie sleeps in the nest in the silkie coop with the other silkies But Im afraid when my other silkie hen sitting now that when her eggs hatch that they will be to cold. They are due until the 25th of this month.

What do you guys think? Just see how it goes? She is the last momma hen for this year. Im cutting them off. Its just getting to cold.

I am going to miss having babies until spring. I refuse to use the incubator and raise chicks during the winter.... (I say that now)

Sorry to go on and on. Just wanted you guys opinion!

they will be fine Tripp. You southerner think 40 is cold

. Seriously...it is all fine. I have one..my bestbroody "mama" is sittingnow. My girls start in the spring when the day or night temps can be anywhere from 20 to 60.

 

[bobbieschicks]

they will be fine Tripp. You southerner think 40 is cold

. Seriously...it is all fine. I have one..my bestbroody "mama" is sittingnow. My girls start in the spring when the day or night temps can be anywhere from 20 to 60.

haha - you're right! We get 50 in the spring and we're like "yeah it's warming up yall" and 50 in the fall we're "oh man it's so cold!" LOL

 

[Miss Lydia]

Topsy will not stop being broody. I hate to let her hatch anymore chicks with the weather having dropped into 50Fs at night and colder coming soon. But she is so determined. She's been sitting tight for three days now and yesterday was her last day to lay an egg.
Guess I need to decide what eggs to give her soon. I really didn't want new chicks over the winter, but looks like I may get some anyways.

My bantam frizzle is brooding too but I took the eggs, I do not want chicks this time of year, she'll get over it and I'll let her be the first next yr.

 

[bobbieschicks]

My bantam frizzle is brooding too but I took the eggs, I do not want chicks this time of year, she'll get over it and I'll let her be the first next yr. 

How easily will she give up? Do you have to do anything special?

I've been taking Topsys eggs and she's sitting on ping pong balls.

 

[Miss Lydia]

How easily will she give up? Do you have to do anything special?
I've been taking Topsys eggs and she's sitting on ping pong balls.

I'll let it run it's course. She hasn't been on anything in almost 2 weeks. So not many more days to go. She comes off to eat at least i am thankful for that. I think once they get it into their systems you just have to let it run out.

 

[rosewolf22002]

I just put mine in a wire cage for 3 days with a cool breeze on her belly and only food and water they break broody every time!

 

[3 NH reds]

It could be the colder weather we've started to get is delaying the hatches. And like Stony said about the clock, they aren't precise about watching the calendar. I know it took Topsy two days longer than it took Smokey to hatch her eggs. So sometimes it's just the broody's skills. I'd let her go another week and then pull to candle them. As long as they aren't stinky, what will it hurt.

I agree I think I have pulled eggs too soon. Today is day 20 so I am hoping. All the eggs are in a incubator, Broody got a wire cage top dropped on her with her last clutch of Jersey giants. she crushed 4 eggs and it was Stinky so I changed out nesting box for the same type. She lost interest when we got a new tractor, she and the other egg layers were in shock. One egg was bad at day 18 it had a crack and smelled but 12 looked all dark so now its sit and wait. The incubator gave me trouble after candling eggs and the temp went to 94* but I finally got it up there by playing with it and putting a heat lamp on it. I will leave them for another week if need be.

 

[Johnn]

Topsy will not stop being broody. I hate to let her hatch anymore chicks with the weather having dropped into 50Fs at night and colder coming soon. But she is so determined. She's been sitting tight for three days now and yesterday was her last day to lay an egg.
Guess I need to decide what eggs to give her soon. I really didn't want new chicks over the winter, but looks like I may get some anyways.

it will be nice for her to have chicks again, maby she will stay with them for longer because she might know they need heat for longer. Hope all goes well for her, good look!

 

[aoxa]

I currently have 4 broody hens setting right now. Macy, my muscovy was setting on duds as well, and I finally got around to kicking her off. She was behind a very heavy engine, so it was a tough one. She is the easiest broody to break. No eggs = no broody. I wish my hens were easier to break (only if it was January and letting the hatch in -20 is not a great idea (IMO anyway). The mothers would never stop sitting on their babies in that temperature. I also have one hen with a brood of 7 as well. They will be 5 weeks old tomorrow.

Here she is with all 7 of her fluffy silkie babies She only hatched one of these. All the other six were hatched by me in an incubator and raised for 1 week. Her one baby was a week old when I added the six others. Janet even accepted this random rooster chick that is 5 weeks older that made his way into her pen. She will take any chick. She does not care on the age. She is not protective - I hate that.. She will run away if the roosters go after her, leaving her babies behind. If there are young pullets or roosters around her babies though, she will take jabs at them. She doesn't care if I touch them, and I've offered Janet some turkey from thanksgiving and she called her babies to my hand and they grabbed on to that turkey and hung there while holding on to the meat. Anyway.. They are just so cute.. Janet is molting as well.. At least she is doing it while she is not laying anyway!

 

[Johnn]

I currently have 4 broody hens setting right now. Macy, my muscovy was setting on duds as well, and I finally got around to kicking her off. She was behind a very heavy engine, so it was a tough one. She is the easiest broody to break. No eggs = no broody. I wish my hens were easier to break (only if it was January and letting the hatch in -20 is not a great idea (IMO anyway). The mothers would never stop sitting on their babies in that temperature.

I also have one hen with a brood of 7 as well. They will be 5 weeks old tomorrow.

Here she is with all 7 of her fluffy silkie babies

She only hatched one of these. All the other six were hatched by me in an incubator and raised for 1 week. Her one baby was a week old when I added the six others. Janet even accepted this random rooster chick that is 5 weeks older that made his way into her pen. She will take any chick. She does not care on the age.
She is not protective - I hate that.. She will run away if the roosters go after her, leaving her babies behind. If there are young pullets or roosters around her babies though, she will take jabs at them. She doesn't care if I touch them, and I've offered Janet some turkey from thanksgiving and she called her babies to my hand and they grabbed on to that turkey and hung there while holding on to the meat.

Anyway.. They are just so cute.. Janet is molting as well.. At least she is doing it while she is not laying anyway!

They are so cute!!!