Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[bobbieschicks]

I have a silkie hen setting on 7 eggs.  Does she need extra protein or electrolytes or probiotics???  She doesn't get off her eggs very often, and eats very little?

She will be fine without anything extra. It looks like they never eat, drink or poo when they are sitting, but they do. If you want you can remove her once a day and place her at the waterer to drink. I sometimes give my broody extra treats like mealies or bread, but I save the scrambled egg until the babies have hatched & dried off. She will eat and feed them some.

 

[stonykill]

She will be fine without anything extra. It looks like they never eat, drink or poo when they are sitting, but they do. If you want you can remove her once a day and place her at the waterer to drink. I sometimes give my broody extra treats like mealies or bread, but I save the scrambled egg until the babies have hatched & dried off. She will eat and feed them some.

x2

 

[bobbieschicks]

Quick update.  My 8 mo old RIR (hatchery girl) is still faithfully staying with it.  I have a quick question for stony or anyone else that has thoughts.

Right now she's in an area of the hen house that is separated off with a hardware-cloth covered door in between.  They can all still see each other, but the other crowd can't come over and contribute to the eggs!

That being said, after the hatch (if I get any) should I just open the door between the two right away?  Or..should I wait until they grow a bit? 

If I don't open that door, mamma can't go outside as the entrance is on the other side of the coop.

Thoughts/experience please?

Miss Lydia & Stony have been doing this longer and 3 days is about my experience too. Every time in the past I put broodies and eggs in a wired off area and opened up about Day 3 to let the broodies and babies venture out. However this past time I left Topsy in the nest box (Vanilla Ice joined her in there, it is approx 24" off the coop floor) to hatch her chicks. I didn't wire her or block her in. She had the chicks down inside the coop on the floor by the end of the 2nd day. Got them out of the nest box and to the ground without my help and without a one getting trampled or broken. By the third day she had them out in the run pecking away at the ground. The four silky chicks are now 5 weeks old and running around healthy and getting bigger by the day.

 

[stonykill]

Quick update. My 8 mo old RIR (hatchery girl) is still faithfully staying with it. I have a quick question for stony or anyone else that has thoughts.

Right now she's in an area of the hen house that is separated off with a hardware-cloth covered door in between. They can all still see each other, but the other crowd can't come over and contribute to the eggs!

That being said, after the hatch (if I get any) should I just open the door between the two right away? Or..should I wait until they grow a bit?

If I don't open that door, mamma can't go outside as the entrance is on the other side of the coop.

Thoughts/experience please?

sorry, missed this earlier. I don't separate at all. Never have. My girls just hatch in the coop. For me this has never been an issue. I like to let mama's do what needs to be done. And to me what needs to be done is they need to bring the little ones out when they see fit. So I don't ever partition off, even though at 1st I was tempted. This is of course with my flock dynamics. But keep in mind I've done this in pens as well as for the free range birds. At day 3 I watch them. You will know right away if there is going to be a problem. Generally if Mama thinks there will be a problem she will set everyone straight and that is the end of the problem.
This has always worked for me. Sometimes 4 mama's hatching within a week of each other in the same building.

Observing them and letting them be is my best advice!

 

[Leahs Mom]

sorry, missed this earlier. I don't separate at all. Never have. My girls just hatch in the coop. For me this has never been an issue. I like to let mama's do what needs to be done. And to me what needs to be done is they need to bring the little ones out when they see fit. So I don't ever partition off, even though at 1st I was tempted. This is of course with my flock dynamics. But keep in mind I've done this in pens as well as for the free range birds. At day 3 I watch them. You will know right away if there is going to be a problem. Generally if Mama thinks there will be a problem she will set everyone straight and that is the end of the problem.
This has always worked for me. Sometimes 4 mama's hatching within a week of each other in the same building.

Observing them and letting them be is my best advice!

THE HISTORY
Stony..I put her in a separated area so that no one would continue to lay eggs in her box. She's been in there for 2 weeks now - but only 1 week with fertile eggs so she has about 2 weeks to go. The whole henhouse is small - 10 x 8 total - to give you a picture of how much floor space and that's divided. The door is a frame w/hardware cloth so each can see into the other side.

THE QUESTION
Now that we're a week in to setting the real eggs, and 2 full weeks of being separated with a door: Would you recommend that I open the door now so that she's not completely isolated from the others at this point? -or- Just leave things like they are and open it after the hatch?

 

[stonykill]

THE HISTORY
Stony..I put her in a separated area so that no one would continue to lay eggs in her box. She's been in there for 2 weeks now - but only 1 week with fertile eggs so she has about 2 weeks to go. The whole henhouse is small - 10 x 8 total - to give you a picture of how much floor space and that's divided. The door is a frame w/hardware cloth so each can see into the other side.

THE QUESTION
Now that we're a week in to setting the real eggs, and 2 full weeks of being separated with a door: Would you recommend that I open the door now so that she's not completely isolated from the others at this point? -or- Just leave things like they are and open it after the hatch?

that is totally up to you. Both are acceptable. But if it were me I would just open the door now after you mark her eggs. I'm not one for keeping hens isolated. But either way is acceptable. If it makes you feel better you can open her door each morning, then after you see her get up to poop, eat and drink you can reclose the door.

 

[Leahs Mom]

that is totally up to you. Both are acceptable. But if it were me I would just open the door now after you mark her eggs. I'm not one for keeping hens isolated. But either way is acceptable. If it makes you feel better you can open her door each morning, then after you see her get up to poop, eat and drink you can reclose the door.

As it is, on her side of the house she has her own food and water and a good deal of space to stretch and move about. Probably about 5ft x 4 ft. space on her side. She just can't go outside and honestly, she seems to be in enough of a "daze" that she doesn't even really seem to give a second glance to the other side of the hen house.

I work during the day but will be off after the 20th until after the first so I may just do a little door open experiment when I'm around and see how it goes. Nice thing for me is that I'll be off work when they should be hatching (if I get a hatch!) and can be available to observe and see how all the social dynamics are working out.

 

[Shelshanam]

Woops I posted in wrong forum..dooh :0

 

[stonykill]

As it is, on her side of the house she has her own food and water and a good deal of space to stretch and move about. Probably about 5ft x 4 ft. space on her side. She just can't go outside and honestly, she seems to be in enough of a "daze" that she doesn't even really seem to give a second glance to the other side of the hen house.

I work during the day but will be off after the 20th until after the first so I may just do a little door open experiment when I'm around and see how it goes. Nice thing for me is that I'll be off work when they should be hatching (if I get a hatch!) and can be available to observe and see how all the social dynamics are working out.

sounds like a good plan. Keep doing what you are until after the 20th when you are around some.

 

[Miss Lydia]

What a day! I decided to build out a hoop coop in the pouring rain (seems lately I either get to pick rain, COLD, or snow, so rain seemed warmer).... Moved my 30 Production Reds (actually most of these gals are super super dark mahogany which is nice to see from a hatchery), into this much larger coop. They are almost 11 weeks old and I wanted to move them to a different location then what their current coop is in for more winter sunlight to keep them laying longer in the winter.

So now 27 happy pullets are hanging with 3 very happy roosters!

And then I came in to take a shower and as I passed my incubator I smell a not so great smell coming from it. I gotta candle and figure out which one is the rotten egg! Any pointers for how to tell a rotten egg with candling? My longest egg in there is 14 day old turkey eggs and 5 day old chicken eggs (all for the NYD hatch).

If it stinks that should give you a clue. you might have to pick each one up till you come to it, but hopefully it won't be hard to find.