Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[stonykill]

Perchie it is right on topic. Sumatra's are excellant broody's. My 3 so far this year are fantastic moms. Smart birds, the best at flying, and funny as heck. Small birds (hens 3 to 3-1/2 lbs) lay 5 to 6 medium eggs per week each (don't beleive a word the hatcheries tell you, they lay like any other chicken) but most importantly to this thread, they are great Broody's.

Sorry....I just love my Sumatra's. And the Sumatra thread is all about show birds, in tiny cages.....not my thing......

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
Oh goodie... whew. Yep I am not into the showing stuff either but I do want good bloodlines to start with as a foundation. I am glad to know they are good broodies too because I want to be able to hatch out eggs without only an incubator as back up. Hey I read that it was not unnusual for them to fly from island to island... This is very good because I live in predator central. Hence the Guineas.

 

[DAFox]

perchie.girl :

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.

Not as good for ticks as you might be thinking:
http://books.google.com/books?id=8A...Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=ticks guinea fowl&f=false
Dale-Ann​

 

[stonykill]

Quote:
Not as good for ticks as you might be thinking:
http://books.google.com/books?id=8A...Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=ticks guinea fowl&f=false
Dale-Ann

While I'm not sure with Guinneas, I do know I don't beleive a lot I read until I see it for myself. Most everything about Sumatra's online is false or only partially true. I'll say this. We live in the tick capital on NY. More cases of Lyme than anywhere. My wife has chronic lyme. I only get a tick on me, IF I leave the area the chickens roam freely. If I stay contained to the 2 plus acres they roam, I don't get bit. If I leave that area, to go to another area on the property, I get bit, usually multiple times by a tick.

So my Broody Sumatra's, MAKE MORE BABIES!

 

[stonykill]

my 3rd Broody Sumatra is having a nice long hatch. One of the babies, who she reluctantly lets me see (only because the little bugger keeps coming out from under her) looks to be about 2 days old. One just zippered out about an hour ago. I have no idea how many she has yet...... but hopefully tomorrow she will strut them out at least long enough for me to see.

 

[Sueg4332]

anyone trying to use a broody on black copper marans eggs? I have twice with only 50% hatch. I have a hen that should have hatched today. but she got off for a hour and than got back on. Which I thought was unusual so close to hatching. I hatched cuckoo marans under a broody with the same percentage.
I am not having real good luck hatching the marans How about other people. Think I'll try barnyard muts just to see if they hatch better.
I do have a pair of hens setting on barnvelder eggs. The lady I got them from say they hatch really easy. Guess I'll see around the 1st of June

 

[kannna]

I am trying blue splash maran eggs under my first broody. we are only 8 days in.

 

[caseyb]

I had a wierd thing happen, of th 5 chicks that my blue old english bantam hatched a month ago 3 are blue 1 is black and one is black with gold coming in on his hackle. I know blues will hatch blue,black and splash, but never heard one of hatching a brown red (witch is what it looks like it is going to be) anyone ever heard of this out of blues?

 

[laughingull]

Its safe to quit- right?? I just want to double check that there is no chance my eggs are gonna hatch before I swap for chicks tomorrow. My hen has been sitting on her 3 eggs since easter evening - so today is day 24ish depending on how you count. Stony- you have had hatches at day 25 so I am going untill tomorrow (if my math is right tomorrow eve will be 25 days... right?) Getting nervous to pull the eggs and find out I was too hasty...

 

[stonykill]

Quote:
If she sat easter sunday, then today is day 23. So tomorrow eve will be day 24.You don't count the day they sat.

Yes, once I had eggs hatch on day 25. 2 of 4 eggs I was JUST about to toss, until I noticed the pip.