Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Johnn]

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.

 

[Johnn]

Im already planning what hatching eggs im going to buy this year for my orpington if she goes broody again (she better! because she dosent lay so the only way shes getting out of it will be going broody) im considering usingn my own but dont know if i should take the risk...

 

[bobbieschicks]

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?

You can certainly do that but the silky chicks probably have already started growing. If you have a rooster who was mating her then her eggs were probably fertile. I couldn't advise to toss an egg knowing a chick was growing in it no matter the length of time, but of course that's your choice as its your flock. If you must get rid of the growing silky chicks to hatch the barred rocks, then removing the eggs and putting golf balls in temporarily will most likely keep her sitting. Hope it works out for you.

 

[bobbieschicks]

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.

Awwwhhhh so cute! Do you have marbles in the water dish?

 

[CoopChick719]

Yeah! Leave her to hatch them without peeking and you will be very happy tomorrow.

I was fine with the no peeking. Had all I could do to keep hubby & daughter from peeking!

They both were begging me to let them look. Just like Christmas! Now if I can keep the daughter from bringing them in the house, we'll be all set!

 

[bobbieschicks]

Im already planning what hatching eggs im going to buy this year for my orpington if she goes broody again (she better! because she dosent lay so the only way shes getting out of it will be going broody) im considering usingn my own but dont know if i should take the risk...

I'm hoping my maran roo will mate the pullet so I can hatch those eggs in the spring. I might just focus on marans since I'm so in love with those two! The cockerel is very sweet and so is the pullet. Plus she has the coolest noises.

 

[Johnn]

I actually fell really thick asking this since ive been part of this thread for a long time i cant believe i havent picked this up, how can i encourage my hens to go broody? last year my orpington went broody in June, and this time i would like her to go broody earlier (i know i cant make her) so what could i do to try encourage her??

 

[Johnn]

I'm hoping my maran roo will mate the pullet so I can hatch those eggs in the spring. I might just focus on marans since I'm so in love with those two! The cockerel is very sweet and so is the pullet. Plus she has the coolest noises.

I love marans, im tempted to get a female cuckoo one

 

[CoopChick719]

Awwwhhhh so cute! Do you have marbles in the water dish?

Sure do! Right now I've just got a little 2 section red dish with food on one side/water on the other. I'll break out the chick feeders once everyone is hatched. Gotta do some redecorating first. Bedding is kinda deep so I need to get something flat & stable to place them on. The nest is right under the roosts but covered to prevent any nasty rainfall!

 

[bobbieschicks]

I actually fell really thick asking this since ive been part of this thread for a long time i cant believe i havent picked this up, how can i encourage my hens to go broody? last year my orpington went broody in June, and this time i would like her to go broody earlier (i know i cant make her) so what could i do to try encourage her??

Leave false eggs laying around in the nest areas or real eggs if you can spare them. I leave ping pong balls in my nest boxes. Topsy doesn't need much encouragement. Lol. But I did have a bale of alfalfa hay in the coop this winter and she made her broody nest in a bit of that on the floor over the pine shavings. She would have hatched there but I kept taking her eggs away. She finally gave up about two weeks in with nothing to hatch. But of course they will only go broody if their bodies allow them to.