Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Miss Lydia]

 

[laughingull]

Quote:
6 chickens- yikes that is a lot of bird! What do you all do with so many? Spose I could have a lot more if I started eating them... but with just three you get soooooooooo attached

6 is a lot?????? Our newest hatch brings us over 60 chickens

. I don't know an exact number because mama hasn't let me see her little ones yet. And we have 11 Pekin Ducks

60!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How many pounds of food do they eat a day? Wow my garden would love that much manure though!!!!!

 

[Sudsy Chick]

Congrats Chicklette1!

featherz - our Astralorp has never shown any of the stinky eye...just stays on the nest and gets fluffy when approached

I did try to move her, but she got confused, so I moved the one laying hen instead. She was fine when I showed her the new nest, but on her own she kept going back to the incorrect nest.

Miss Lydia - glad to hear things r still going well. I tried giving our broody's yogurt and no one touched it - but since I was eating my bagel they begged for it and then ate the cream cheese off the bagel - almost like giving a dog peanut butter - pretty funny. They loved it though!

Stonykill - 60 birds! Yikes - I can only think what my husband would say! (and the neighbors!) I'd ADORE it though

 

[kingdr85]

Quote:
Would it be ok to give the chicks to mama during the day? I see the reasoning for slipping them under her at night- but am a little concerned in this cold weather, would rather give them to her in the day so I can keep an eye on things at first. She is so determined to sit that I think I could slip an angry cat under her and she wouldn't complain. Much thanks for all your advice and really glad to hear your hen is feeling a bit better (was afraid to ask).

I wouldnt worry about the weather - My silkie just hatched 2 chicks last night (it was in the 20's low 30's) and they did just fine. The hen will keep them nice and warm.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
6 is a lot?????? Our newest hatch brings us over 60 chickens

. I don't know an exact number because mama hasn't let me see her little ones yet. And we have 11 Pekin Ducks

60!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How many pounds of food do they eat a day? Wow my garden would love that much manure though!!!!!

LOL lurking here learning about broodies but had to chime in. I am setting up for a minimum of 60. Of course that will vary up and down. For instance I just had a woman give me ten Guinea Keets and I already ordered 30 that will arrive in the mail in about a month and a half. I had only "Planned on" thirty. But this will give me four bloodlines which will be perfect to keep my flock closed. So now Thirty became Forty Guineas, and the other breeds I want you can only buy a minimum order of 25. And because they will be straight run I will have a good chance of getting 50/50 males and females. I want four different breeds..... If I keep two or three roos and ten hens my breed pens will be occupied. So its that whole chicken math thing. I have the space my nearest neighbor is twenty acres away. I am estimating I will go through about three hundred pounds of feed per month. give or take.

The guineas when its not breeding season will be allowed to free range (they are death on Ticks) that will cut down on feed costs. And I am hoping to sell compost and eggs and a few chickens/guineas along the way. So hopefully that will pay at least partially for their keep.

 

[Donner]

I just set 6 eggs under my broody Buff Minorca. See my sig for my chickens. So, there are 2 white and 4 brown eggs under her because those were the best looking eggs from yesterday. So, I am looking forward to getting some interesting mutt chicks. Crossing my finger that any of them might get the EE genes.

 

[featherz]

Quote:
MY now broody australorp is now having puff up fights with the other one. /sigh. The two non broody (yet) brahmas will shove my broody off her eggs so they can lay theirs (I take these out) so my broody #1 sits outside the nest growling at them.. Enter broody #2 (australorp) who starts puffing up at #1 cause I tried taking #2 out of the nest. what a mess! I am thinking of taking ALL the eggs except those already sat on for 18 days and ordering whatever's available from the hatchery in three weeks. Maybe I can just put chicks under all of them since I don't have enough fertile eggs to go around.

(my poor roo can only do so much).

 

[stonykill]

Quote:
6 is a lot?????? Our newest hatch brings us over 60 chickens

. I don't know an exact number because mama hasn't let me see her little ones yet. And we have 11 Pekin Ducks

60!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How many pounds of food do they eat a day? Wow my garden would love that much manure though!!!!!

the chickens are free range, eating little food I provide for them. As an example 18 adult chickens eat LESS than 6 of my Pekin ducks do in a day. A LOT LESS! Of my 60 plus chickens, 18 are adult Sumatra's, 7 are RIR'S and one Black Australop. The rest are Sumatra chicks of various ages, and 2 Sumatra/Black Australop mix. The later looks like HUGE sumatra chicks. Exactly like a Sumatra chick, but much bigger.

 

[stonykill]

perchie.girl :

Quote:
60!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How many pounds of food do they eat a day? Wow my garden would love that much manure though!!!!!

LOL lurking here learning about broodies but had to chime in. I am setting up for a minimum of 60. Of course that will vary up and down. For instance I just had a woman give me ten Guinea Keets and I already ordered 30 that will arrive in the mail in about a month and a half. I had only "Planned on" thirty. But this will give me four bloodlines which will be perfect to keep my flock closed. So now Thirty became Forty Guineas, and the other breeds I want you can only buy a minimum order of 25. And because they will be straight run I will have a good chance of getting 50/50 males and females. I want four different breeds..... If I keep two or three roos and ten hens my breed pens will be occupied. So its that whole chicken math thing. I have the space my nearest neighbor is twenty acres away. I am estimating I will go through about three hundred pounds of feed per month. give or take.

The guineas when its not breeding season will be allowed to free range (they are death on Ticks) that will cut down on feed costs. And I am hoping to sell compost and eggs and a few chickens/guineas along the way. So hopefully that will pay at least partially for their keep.​

I hope to have in the next 2 years 150 chickens. With well over 2/3 of them Sumatra's. They are such a great bird. And if my experiment of Sumatra/Black Australop, in time the balance of birds will be them. Or a RIR/Sumatra mix. I want larger brown eggs to sell, as they sell easier, with the smarts or the Sumatra. As well as the ease of care.
Good luck!

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
LOL lurking here learning about broodies but had to chime in. I am setting up for a minimum of 60. Of course that will vary up and down. For instance I just had a woman give me ten Guinea Keets and I already ordered 30 that will arrive in the mail in about a month and a half. I had only "Planned on" thirty. But this will give me four bloodlines which will be perfect to keep my flock closed. So now Thirty became Forty Guineas, and the other breeds I want you can only buy a minimum order of 25. And because they will be straight run I will have a good chance of getting 50/50 males and females. I want four different breeds..... If I keep two or three roos and ten hens my breed pens will be occupied. So its that whole chicken math thing. I have the space my nearest neighbor is twenty acres away. I am estimating I will go through about three hundred pounds of feed per month. give or take.

The guineas when its not breeding season will be allowed to free range (they are death on Ticks) that will cut down on feed costs. And I am hoping to sell compost and eggs and a few chickens/guineas along the way. So hopefully that will pay at least partially for their keep.

I hope to have in the next 2 years 150 chickens. With well over 2/3 of them Sumatra's. They are such a great bird. And if my experiment of Sumatra/Black Australop, in time the balance of birds will be them. Or a RIR/Sumatra mix. I want larger brown eggs to sell, as they sell easier, with the smarts or the Sumatra. As well as the ease of care.
Good luck!

Yep I want Sumatras for sure. I was only going to get them for my own edification but if they are as smart as you say I may designate more space for them and get a larger starter flock. We have lots of preditors and i like the fact that Sumatras fly realllly well. This is getting off topic Sorry.