Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[cluckcluckluke]

Look who decided to come out on the last day of 2012-
Chicks with mumma

Mum teaching them to feed on day 2.



Yellow one hasn't fluffed up yet.

Black one all fluffed up.



The state on the art chick ramp.


Not entirely sure on breed (lucky dip) as i got some hens from a friend who had a rooster so i just popped the eggs under the broody to see what they'd come out like, the rooster is an OEG and the hens i think are bantam WLH's or some white bantam thing.lol.

 

[BorderBrigade]

Good morning I have a Cochin hen that went broody two days ago and is sitting tight on some wooden eggs I have in my nest box. The soonest I can get some fertile eggs shipped to me is thursday. Which would be four days she has already been sitting. If I get these and place them under her will this be to long that she will not sit on them the full 22 days and abandon before they are ready to hatch? I don't have an incubator so if she doesn't sit they wont make it. Thank you for any advice

 

[Miss Lydia]

Look who decided to come out on the last day of 2012-
Chicks with mumma

Mum teaching them to feed on day 2.



Yellow one hasn't fluffed up yet.

Black one all fluffed up.



The state on the art chick ramp.


Not entirely sure on breed (lucky dip) as i got some hens from a friend who had a rooster so i just popped the eggs under the broody to see what they'd come out like, the rooster is an OEG and the hens i think are bantam WLH's or some white bantam thing.lol.

Lil cuties Congrats

 

[Miss Lydia]

Good morning I have a Cochin hen that went broody two days ago and is sitting tight on some wooden eggs I have in my nest box. The soonest I can get some fertile eggs shipped to me is thursday. Which would be four days she has already been sitting. If I get these and place them under her will this be to long that she will not sit on them the full 22 days and abandon before they are ready to hatch? I don't have an incubator so if she doesn't sit they wont make it. Thank you for any advice

if she is still sitting on Thurs you'll know she is serious so go ahead and get the eggs. They don't keep a calendar in front of them marking off the days, she'll sit tight till hatch... Good luck and keep us updated

 

[BorderBrigade]

Thanks do much for your reply! It's my first time hatching so I have a lot of questions that books just don't answer how long will she sit before giving up? I am going to try to move her into my heated tack room to give her a separate place. Should I do this at night or would during the day work too?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thanks do much for your reply! It's my first time hatching so I have a lot of questions that books just don't answer how long will she sit before giving up? I am going to try to move her into my heated tack room to give her a separate place. Should I do this at night or would during the day work too?

Can you move nest box and all? even if you can you may want to move her at night and keep her closed up for a couple days to make sure she will stay. Once they like a nest it is hard to move them, my nest boxes are the stack type plastic bins you can get at lowes so I can just pick them up and move them. But even when I do I still keep the hen closed up for a couple days to make sure she is acclimated to her new surroundings. Even then they may sometimes go back to original nest so be ready to take her back if she does. If your going to close her up in your tack room where she can't see the flock nor they her remember she will have a harder time bringing her chicks into the flock. Even when I move my girls into their hatching coop they can still see and be seen by the rest of the flock. if she is really broody she will sit for as long as she has eggs under her. I have had a hen sit for 42 days before, straight, first set of eggs were duds, gave her second set and she just continued to sit with out even batting an eye.

 

[delisha]

I like the stack kind. Mine stack too, but are not moveable. I only have enough for 12 hens broodying at one time, so if I ever have more I would have to use my other ones. The ones you discribe sure sound like a wonderful back up plan and so much easier to clean.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I like the stack kind. Mine stack too, but are not moveable. I only have enough for 12 hens broodying at one time, so if I ever have more I would have to use my other ones. The ones you discribe sure sound like a wonderful back up plan and so much easier to clean.

12 hens brooding at one time

wow the most i've ever had was 6 and that was nerve wracking enough..

 

[Chick_In_The_Burbs]

12 hens brooding at one time   wow the most i've ever had was 6 and that was nerve wracking enough.. 

Good grief on both of those! I have a rabbit hutch for brooding! And a dog crate! So max 2 at once!

 

[Miss Lydia]

I had 4 hens in the coop at one time hatching within a day of each other and 2 more inside the small coop I now use as the hatching coop, May goodness one day those mamas decided to bring out their chicks at once and all H broke loose mamas were fighting and chicks were running around one hen ended up with all the chicks so then I had to go in and try to sort out who went where. After that they would take turns going out. all first time mamas. so now my little coop is the hatching house it's divided in 2 so I can put one mama on each side with a solid divider, because I found out if the can see each other they don't like that either. and then last year I had one hen brood in a nest box in the goose house and I moved her day before hatch date into hatching house worked out fine. And I don't let more than 3-4 hens go broody at one time, so much easier to keep up with.
I already have hens from 2012 hatch wanting to brood. all Bantam Cochins, bless their hearts they just can't help it, I'm making them wait though.