Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Phoenix Farms]

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.

Well she is tiny for a LF Phoenix. She is one that is on the smaller size. These are all bantam sized eggs so she has more than enough room for them. She could really fit over 6 or 7 small-medium eggs. But I don't want to put to much stress on her since she is a first timer.

 

[bobbieschicks]

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!

I thought so, I've put large pebbles in mine before and dice a couple of times when I couldn't get to the rocks fast enough. But I never thought about marbles. Good idea.

 

[Johnn]

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.

They have a false egg in each shed, i will probablies buy somemore to put in. I cant spare what i dont have, none of my hens are laying, im stating to turn against pure breed, will keep a couple but thats it from now on.

 

[bobbieschicks]

Well she is tiny for a LF Phoenix. She is one that is on the smaller size. These are all bantam sized eggs so she has more than enough room for them. She could really fit over 6 or 7 small-medium eggs. But I don't want to put to much stress on her since she is a first timer.

Oh then that sounds like a great amount for her first time. I was thinking she was tiny and you were doing LF size eggs rather than bantam. Can't wait to see the chick pics!

 

[Johnn]

Well she is tiny for a LF Phoenix. She is one that is on the smaller size. These are all bantam sized eggs so she has more than enough room for them. She could really fit over 6 or 7 small-medium eggs. But I don't want to put to much stress on her since she is a first timer.

My Welsummer sat on 26 her first time :/, if i was you i think 4-6 is a good number

 

[bobbieschicks]

They have a false egg in each shed, i will probablies buy somemore to put in. I cant spare what i dont have, none of my hens are laying, im stating to turn against pure breed, will keep a couple but thats it from now on.

My older LO girls are molting now. It's weird to find so many feathers everywhere. My WL molted in the fall and still hasn't started back laying, but I think she's close. My best layers are my new pullets. Out of 10 layers, I get 3-5 eggs a day maybe.

Snow White molted hasn't started back, Topsy broody hasn't started back, Smokey molting not laying, 1 LO girl is molting not laying, other 2 LO girls lay every third day or so, Ancona laying large white egg every other day, Sunny lays green egg every other day, Fluffy lays tiny silky eggs, almost daily, Bunny has laid 4 eggs in 5 days.

Can't wait for spring and warmer weather!

 

[Johnn]

My older LO girls are molting now. It's weird to find so many feathers everywhere. My WL molted in the fall and still hasn't started back laying, but I think she's close. My best layers are my new pullets. Out of 10 layers, I get 3-5 eggs a day maybe.

Snow White molted hasn't started back, Topsy broody hasn't started back, Smokey molting not laying, 1 LO girl is molting not laying, other 2 LO girls lay every third day or so, Ancona laying large white egg every other day, Sunny lays green egg every other day, Fluffy lays tiny silky eggs, almost daily, Bunny has laid 4 eggs in 5 days.

Can't wait for spring and warmer weather!

My hens arent really the best layers at all, they are actually really bad, the 3 which actually layed were the 3 who got killed!, i know what you mean, when my orpingtons were moulting i always thaught i was going to find a hen dead there was that many feathers!, im just looking forward to the good weather, so i can have some more chicks!!

 

[Phoenix Farms]

Wow! 26? Did all of them hatch? The most I let one of my normal sized Phoenix broodies, I've had 4 broodies within 4 months, was 7. There were 2 bantam and 5 LF eggs. 5 out of the 7 hatched. One was a dud and the other stopped developing. The two bantam eggs hatched and they did just fine with the LF chicks and they are all independent and out in the main coop with the rest of the birds. I also had two broodies hatch the same day. Each had 5 so all 10 chicks hatched but we lost 4 a week after hatching. The other 6 are still being raised by one mom, the other one abandoned them and is back laying.

 

[bobbieschicks]

My hens arent really the best layers at all, they are actually really bad, the 3 which actually layed were the 3 who got killed!, i know what you mean, when my orpingtons were moulting i always thaught i was going to find a hen dead there was that many feathers!, im just looking forward to the good weather, so i can have some more chicks!!

That stinks. BTW Vanilla Ice was spotted being mated by the maran roo today. So pretty sure she's a she. Hopefully she'll start laying soon. No idea what color egg she will lay as her grandmother laid a white egg, her mom lays a blue green egg and her dad was most likely the partridge silky.

 

[Johnn]

Wow! 26? Did all of them hatch? The most I let one of my normal sized Phoenix broodies, I've had 4 broodies within 4 months, was 7. There were 2 bantam and 5 LF eggs. 5 out of the 7 hatched. One was a dud and the other stopped developing. The two bantam eggs hatched and they did just fine with the LF chicks and they are all independent and out in the main coop with the rest of the birds. I also had two broodies hatch the same day. Each had 5 so all 10 chicks hatched but we lost 4 a week after hatching. The other 6 are still being raised by one mom, the other one abandoned them and is back laying.

No they didnt hatch, none were fertile that is why i dont trust my own eggs anymore, I had my BO sit on 12 but she couldnt manage for some reaosn which is weird because shes a big hen so i took two away and she managed 10 , I was given a hen who sat on 15 eggs and hatched all of them