Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[bobbieschicks]

Thats good then , is she right at the bottom of the pecking order, or is she above some??

She's above the new babies, but lowest now of all the big ones.

 

[Johnn]

She's above the new babies, but lowest now of all the big ones.

Would be nice if she one day got to the top!

 

[onafixedincome]

There is a phenomenal thread on how to candle eggs on BYC, I just don't have the link at hand . Not too terribly hard to find, though, and the photos are worth a mint! I candle all mine with a 1W headlamp, and am getting reasonably good at it.

I must admit, either I got lucky with my hens or the breed is just awesome. Bantam Orpington is the breed and these suckers CO-SET!! No joke, had three hens setting almost a HUNDRED eggs in one massive nest before I had to go through and pull 60 or so for nonviability. They wouldn't budge. Not even when the rain hit and the nest got flooded poor girls...I was right out there but the eggs got too badly chilled, and none hatched after everyone got moved to the porch (and they STILL set them). Felt very sorry for the gals.

I had a Bearded Belgian d'Anvers who was a setting nut--up to two weeks' worth of lay, then wham! and you knew you were in for another batch of chicks, without a doubt, like clockwork. She's gone now, but her daughters are (half Serama) carrying on the tradition nicely--so I just eggnapped 13 unknown eggs and swapped in a batch of Serama eggs I bought. Talk about a FILTHY look when those cold lumps went under her! But set she will, and setting she is, and she gets hand fed and watered on the next at least once a day to make sure she's doing OK. She comes off just long enough to poop, and that's it.

Wish me luck! I plan to keep her and the kids contained for some serious spoilage early in life, since I might end up showing the Seramas...

 

[fisherlady]

There is a phenomenal thread on how to candle eggs on BYC, I just don't have the link at hand . Not too terribly hard to find, though, and the photos are worth a mint! I candle all mine with a 1W headlamp, and am getting reasonably good at it.

I must admit, either I got lucky with my hens or the breed is just awesome. Bantam Orpington is the breed and these suckers CO-SET!! No joke, had three hens setting almost a HUNDRED eggs in one massive nest before I had to go through and pull 60 or so for nonviability. They wouldn't budge. Not even when the rain hit and the nest got flooded poor girls...I was right out there but the eggs got too badly chilled, and none hatched after everyone got moved to the porch (and they STILL set them). Felt very sorry for the gals.

I had a Bearded Belgian d'Anvers who was a setting nut--up to two weeks' worth of lay, then wham! and you knew you were in for another batch of chicks, without a doubt, like clockwork. She's gone now, but her daughters are (half Serama) carrying on the tradition nicely--so I just eggnapped 13 unknown eggs and swapped in a batch of Serama eggs I bought. Talk about a FILTHY look when those cold lumps went under her! But set she will, and setting she is, and she gets hand fed and watered on the next at least once a day to make sure she's doing OK. She comes off just long enough to poop, and that's it.

Wish me luck! I plan to keep her and the kids contained for some serious spoilage early in life, since I might end up showing the Seramas...

Sounds like you hit the jackpot in the broody lottery! Congrats! Good luck with this latest set and remember to check in with pics later!

 

[bobbieschicks]

They are not clear, cracked, or stinky. Not do I see a blood ring. It's just dark. I'm gonna leave them a few more days befor I decide. Thanks a bunch

Another thing you can do is quickly take them out from under her and weigh them. Then in a week weigh again, if there is an increase you know they are growing. Just label each egg with the current weight and in one week check against old label with their new weight. I'd use either dark pencil or permanent ink.

 

[CoopChick719]

This might be a subject for a different thread but....has anyone heard that using ACV in the drinking water makes the shells too hard for chicks to hatch out? A clerk at TSC told me she learned this in workshop she attended.

 

[groverlvchx]

Another thing you can do is quickly take them out from under her and weigh them. Then in a week weigh again, if there is an increase you know they are growing. Just label each egg with the current weight and in one week check against old label with their new weight. I'd use either dark pencil or permanent ink.

or use pencil the first weigh-in and overwright with permanent ink the week later. It blows my mind that everything they need to grow is in the egg so all they need is the right enviromnent to become chickens!

 

[Johnn]

There is a phenomenal thread on how to candle eggs on BYC, I just don't have the link at hand . Not too terribly hard to find, though, and the photos are worth a mint! I candle all mine with a 1W headlamp, and am getting reasonably good at it.

I must admit, either I got lucky with my hens or the breed is just awesome. Bantam Orpington is the breed and these suckers CO-SET!! No joke, had three hens setting almost a HUNDRED eggs in one massive nest before I had to go through and pull 60 or so for nonviability. They wouldn't budge. Not even when the rain hit and the nest got flooded poor girls...I was right out there but the eggs got too badly chilled, and none hatched after everyone got moved to the porch (and they STILL set them). Felt very sorry for the gals.

I had a Bearded Belgian d'Anvers who was a setting nut--up to two weeks' worth of lay, then wham! and you knew you were in for another batch of chicks, without a doubt, like clockwork. She's gone now, but her daughters are (half Serama) carrying on the tradition nicely--so I just eggnapped 13 unknown eggs and swapped in a batch of Serama eggs I bought. Talk about a FILTHY look when those cold lumps went under her! But set she will, and setting she is, and she gets hand fed and watered on the next at least once a day to make sure she's doing OK. She comes off just long enough to poop, and that's it.

Wish me luck! I plan to keep her and the kids contained for some serious spoilage early in life, since I might end up showing the Seramas...

I had 2 bantam orps, they were great, both sat on 11 LF eggs each. I also had a Welsummer who sat on 26 lF eggs!

 

[Johnn]

This might be a subject for a different thread but....has anyone heard that using ACV in the drinking water makes the shells too hard for chicks to hatch out? A clerk at TSC told me she learned this in workshop she attended.

I have never heard of that :/, wonder if its true...

 

[Johnn]

Remember the chicken that hatched 15 chicks that i was given? :