Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[bobbieschicks]

I still do not see chicks, but the peeping is louder. No more shells either...Maybe tomorrow..

 

Do you have any chick feed in there with the broody? If not, you might want to put a tiny dish of it in there and maybe some water if it won't freeze overnight.

 

[bobbieschicks]

I was so mad at myself. I was looking at Bunnys egg from today, her 4th and comparing it to her 3rd from yesterday and dropped the 3rd one! So I scrambled it up and ate it. It didn't taste like chocolate, but it was yummy.

 

[Phoenix Farms]

Got 5 eggs under the broody Phoenix. She's tiny so she only got those few. 1 Black Silkie/Silver Lakenvelder, 1 Porcelin Sablepoot/Bantam RIR, 1 Pure Phoenix or White Rock/Phoenix, 1 Mystery Mix, & 1 Porcelin Sablepoot/Bantam Phoenix or Pure Phoenix. (the pens haven't been separated yet. I'm hoping for pure eggs soon)

 

[delisha]

Quote: Water freezes over night, but I feed her wet all flock feed 4x a day with clean unfrozen water. There is always dry chick feed in front of her and available for chicks.

 

[Debs55]

I've enjoyed browsing through this thread and now my silkie hen has been setting on eggs for 3 days (not sure how many eggs, she wont let me look without attacking my hands so I'm waiting till after dark). Ive decided I will give her some barred rock eggs to set on so I have seperated some barred rocks into a breeding pen and will be giving the silkie their eggs in 2 or 3 days. My questions are: How many eggs should I give her? (this is the first time she has been broody and is 8 months old) What should I do with the silkie eggs she has been setting on? Can we still eat them or should I throw them to the chickens to eat or just throw them away? Also should I move her? She is in a pen with 2 other silkie hens (who are not laying yet) and a silkie rooster?

Thanks everyone!

 

[bobbieschicks]

Got 5 eggs under the broody Phoenix. She's tiny so she only got those few. 1 Black Silkie/Silver Lakenvelder, 1 Porcelin Sablepoot/Bantam RIR, 1 Pure Phoenix or White Rock/Phoenix, 1 Mystery Mix, & 1 Porcelin Sablepoot/Bantam Phoenix or Pure Phoenix. (the pens haven't been separated yet. I'm hoping for pure eggs soon)

I would make sure she can really cover that many good if she's tiny & it is cold where you are located. If its warm its not that big of a deal. Smokey had a hard time with 7 LF size eggs and she's a medium size Arucana hen. She could only partially cover some and it was early spring so 30s at night and 45F in the day. She hatched three out. It may have been because they were shipped and not going to hatch. Or it could have been some got too cold on the periphery.

 

[bobbieschicks]

I've enjoyed browsing through this thread and now my silkie hen has been setting on eggs for 3 days (not sure how many eggs, she wont let me look without attacking my hands so I'm waiting till after dark). Ive decided I will give her some barred rock eggs to set on so I have seperated some barred rocks into a breeding pen and will be giving the silkie their eggs in 2 or 3 days. My questions are: How many eggs should I give her? (this is the first time she has been broody and is 8 months old) What should I do with the silkie eggs she has been setting on? Can we still eat them or should I throw them to the chickens to eat or just throw them away? Also should I move her? She is in a pen with 2 other silkie hens (who are not laying yet) and a silkie rooster?

Thanks everyone!

If she's been sitting on a fertile egg for three days she's hatching them. They have probably started to develop and you could candle to see a tiny blob beginning to form in them.

A new broody Silkie with LF eggs, I would try no more than 4. Of course it depends on how big she is and whether she can truly cover any more.

 

[bobbieschicks]

Water freezes over night, but I feed her wet all flock feed 4x a day with clean unfrozen water. There is always dry chick feed in front of her and available for chicks.

You have shown great restraint, I would have peeked already and probably messed up the hatch
Hope you wake to lots of fuzzybutts

 

[Debs55]

I was thinking of replacing her silkie eggs with golf balls tomorrow night and just throwing the eggs to the chickens (they will only be 3 days old) and then removing the golf balls and replacing them with the barred rock eggs when I have enough. Is this a good idea or not?

 

[CoopChick719]

WE HAVE CHICKS!!!!

These little ones hatched yesterday afternoon/last night!!




My Janice, a smooth Sizzle, had 6 mixed eggs under her. Hopefully we'll see 3 more chicks soon!! Everyone is doing well in the main coop. Janice's sister, Blue, has been sitting right next to Janice, which doesn't seem to bother her at all.