Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[lawatt]

the broody girls are now officially competing for the most egg-filled nests -- i'm working on getting them more eggs to sit on, but also might need to sort out different accommodations, as the australorp has now appropriated most of the nest box and ALL of the eggs from my poor hard-working Basque, who's been incubating them for more than two weeks. arghh! i suppose this is a case of be careful what you wish for, since i was hoping for broodies and i've ended up with four at once but all trying to cram into their three favorite nesting boxes!

 

[karlamaria]

we make sure to mark eggs so there is no extras to make the hatches longer. Thogh this time we did not and had eight extra infertile eggs we candled and threw away. We got 6 chicks from fertile eggs. You can always put a chicken or two in crates so they stay and not go from nest to nest.

 

[lawatt]

we make sure to mark eggs so there is no extras to make the hatches longer. Thogh this time we did not and had eight extra infertile eggs we candled and threw away. We got 6 chicks from fertile eggs. You can always put a chicken or two in crates so they stay and not go from nest to nest.

all of the eggs are marked, but i do not have large enough space to have each of the four broodies off in their own quarters -- the two earlier broodies are still sticking to their original nests, but the two that just went broody this weekend are now trying to crowd in...

will sort something out.

 

[Pennoppom]

Welp, it's another cold, snowy day in CO. We were in the high 70's at this time last year, but it's the second snow storm for Pancake. I just took her some warm scrambled eggs and i really hope she'll eat them. I'm very concerned that she'll go through all of this and not one of my (expensive) eggs will hatch. If I don't have little chirpies by next sunday I'll have to buy some chicks for her to love.

 

[karlamaria]

The only way I have ensured my broodys to hat h out with out problems is to put them in a crate, tere they sit and keep eggs warm . Then I take them out once a day and put them in the yard with food and water and let them feed for about ten minutes and take the big poop. Back into the crate and done until the next and then the next. This has insured me always a perfect hatching. I did not do that this time and she got off and froze those eggs out every time she saw eggs on another nest. This broody is wacky, I will not use her to brood again as she is to fickle to sit properly. The chicks hatched, but it was a guessing game. She is n in a crate until it warms up with her chicks because she tends to leae them behind to do her own thing. Is way to cold here and I do not want to find dead chicks. I have another broody sitting and she has not moved. Sitting like she has done this her whole life. She is exactly 1 year old . She is a natural .

 

[karlamaria]

Welp, it's another cold, snowy day in CO.  We were in the high 70's at this time last year, but it's the second snow storm for Pancake.  I just took her some warm scrambled eggs and i really hope she'll eat them.  I'm very concerned that she'll go through all of this and not one of my (expensive) eggs will hatch.  If I don't have little chirpies by next sunday I'll have to buy some chicks for her to love. 

you could always bring her in the house until it warms up, crate her and keep her and eggs warm. Take her out side to the pen for a few minutes to poop and eat every day. I did this last November when it was cold out, she did awesome. They all hatched.

 

[bobbieschicks]

Hi guys, I have a question. A couple of my hen went broody (LFSF). What started as a four egg nest grew exponentially because Buffy was stealing eggs AND other semi broody girls were laying in it. Hatch date for the first four came and went so I was just going to destroy the nest. There was a broken egg that morning that looked to be about a day 15 chick. So I held off.

In the interim Sookie started sharing the nest with Buffy. They divided the eggs when both were sitting ( there were 17 eggs EEK) and one would brood the nest in turns while the other took a break. (Buffy had been on the nest for 35 days and stuck tight). I thought the tandem brooding was kind of cool, since i had little hope for any hatching left them to it. My nest boxes are very large and have more than enough room for two to sit comfortably. I tried splitting the nest in two but Sookie moved them all again to the other nest.

Yesterday I had a chirping egg! I was over the moon! None of the eggs were pipping so I figured maybe today or tomorrow. Well, this morning I had a dead chick in the nest . I was so upset. I know it happens but I was terribly saddened. So on to my questions...

It got quite cold here last night and so I am guessing this is the reason for the chick's untimely demise as it was not damaged in anyway. First, a friend is giving me a thermal air hovobator. Can I move the rest of the eggs to the bator when it gets set up or is this hatch just still pot luck.

Next, Sookie has consumed all of the polish eggs that were in that nest plus a few others. The polish egg that should have hatched about now was cracked during her moving it from one nest to another. The other polish eggs were past hatching. Yesterday, there were 14 eggs. 14 has turned to eight with one hatch and a cracked one on the floor so 4 eggs went down her gullet. I blame her because I saw her eating one. I don't think she is cannibalizing for the fun it. She takes very good care of the eggs. So... Is she eating eggs from other hens, is she just shrinking the nest to make it more likely to hatch OR can she tell these eggs won't make it and is just disposing of them?

I have obviously never hatched eggs before. Any help is appreciated. I will have one million incubator questions that will go in an incubator thread as soo as I see the thing.lol. I have no idea what to expect.

Every one of the eggs that Bunny, Topsy or Smokey have done away with has been nonviable.

 

[Pennoppom]

you could always bring her in the house until it warms up, crate her and keep her and eggs warm. Take her out side to the pen for a few minutes to poop and eat every day. I did this last November when it was cold out, she did awesome. They all hatched.

I think I might go ahead and do that. Not only am I concerned about the cold, but I also really want to candle and I've not felt comfortable fiddling around in the cold and dark nights with the eggs. I'll get a dog crate set up for her and get the nest ready and move everything when it gets dark. Thank you!!

 

[Pennoppom]

On another note: If there are eggs under her that aren't viable, would she have kicked them out? I'm not sure I understand how she knows what's a bad egg, or why there would be eggs that get rejected. She has happily set on anything I've given her, so I'm just wondering. Thanks everyone, you are all amazing mentors!!

 

[OHfarmerswife]

On another note:  If there are eggs under her that aren't viable, would she have kicked them out?  I'm not sure I understand how she knows what's a bad egg, or why there would be eggs that get rejected.  She has happily set on anything I've given her, so I'm just wondering.  Thanks everyone, you are all amazing mentors!!

Goodluck and be sure to keep us posted.
Everyone here is great about helping.