Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[bobbieschicks]

The hatch came a day early!

Awwwhhh! So cute!

 

[OHfarmerswife]

Just went out to close the coop. Grandad kids were here all day & so excited to see all the chicks. As i approached the coop I could hear loud peeping. 3 of the chicks somehow fell out of the nest box. 2 were huddled together, so I quickly put them back under momma. Farther away a chick was all sprawled out and very cold, so I put her way under momma. Hope she makes it!

 

[bobbieschicks]

Just went out to close the coop. Grandad kids were here all day & so excited to see all the chicks. As i approached the coop I could hear loud peeping. 3 of the chicks somehow fell out of the nest box. 2 were huddled together, so I quickly put them back under momma. Farther away a chick was all sprawled out and very cold, so I put her way under momma. Hope she makes it!

Oh poor babies. Momma will warm them right up.

 

[jyurina]

I tried to read to where I might find the answer but this is a LONG thread. So I am just going to ask. My hen is on day 23 of her first batch. She was laying all fertilized eggs prior to going broody but so far, no peeping. I am going to wait till she is asleep and try to feel under there for any pipping. If not have any of you snuck day old chicks under your broody hens? My hen is a silkie mix, top hen and has been a great setter. I am going to feel really bad for her if they are all duds. Also, will she eventually abandon the eggs of they are bad?

 

[OHfarmerswife]

...

Oh poor babies. Momma will warm them right up.[/quotdo you really think do? The lemon cuckoo orpington was so cold & listless!

 

[CoopChick719]

Yay!, so far I will be getting them tomorrow night. I will actually kill her if she rejects them after everything I have done to get them!

Good Luck with the eggs, Johnn!

I put all the Ameracauna eggs under Janice since she's already hatched 2 broods. I put the others under Blue because this will be her first hatch. I go out to check on them this morning. BTW...they are setting in the box. Janice moved her wings a little...I could see a white egg & a brown egg under her. Blue was rearranging herself and I saw green eggs under her. While I was there, I watched them steal the same egg from each other...both reaching right under the other to pull the egg out. I hope they will be good co-mamas!

 

[chicks47]

Wow yes, this is a long thread. I am so glad it is here though. So I tried to read as much as I could and I apologize if this question has been answered a couple times:
My husband and I have been waiting for our Orphington to go broody as she is our only girl that seems to. She finally is!! So we want to hatch some chicks under her care, we have never done this before, so we have a few questions:

1. I have read that some people remove the broody hen, some do not. Is it just flock dependent whether the older girls will hurt the new chicks?
Do you give her a new run? Or just some personal space that she will still be able to mix with the others somehow. If I separate her, won't her chicks still have introduction issues down the road? Separate, but keep in sight of other Girls so they see them? Will the Rooster hurt them?

2. We get a few eggs a day. How many days can we keep adding eggs so they will hatch around the same time? We only have 4 under her now.

3. Do you check them at some point to see if they are fertile? Or just wait the 20+ days and see what hatches?

4. Any particular marking pen to use? Will the toxins of a sharpie penetrate the egg? What about pencil, crayon? I know this one is probably a real silly question, sorry.

Thank you for your help and suggestions!

 

[bobbieschicks]

I tried to read to where I might find the answer but this is a LONG thread. So I am just going to ask. My hen is on day 23 of her first batch. She was laying all fertilized eggs prior to going broody but so far, no peeping. I am going to wait till she is asleep and try to feel under there for any pipping. If not have any of you snuck day old chicks under your broody hens? My hen is a silkie mix, top hen and has been a great setter. I am going to feel really bad for her if they are all duds. Also, will she eventually abandon the eggs of they are bad?

I give them until day 25 before checking on the eggs. My silky Topsy usually took a few extra days to hatch.

Yes, I just slipped 6 Rhode Island Red day olds under my broody last Monday. I did it in the afternoon after she had been sitting 46 days already. She was very excited and happy to be a mom. I've always read do it at night. But I think it depends on the temperament and conditions of your flock as to timing of putting chicks under her.

If the eggs are bad you will know because they will stink or explode eventually. She may leave them and she may not. My Silky Topsy would stay on bad eggs. Bunny didn't care what she was sitting on, she sat on ping pong balls for over 21 days.

 

[bobbieschicks]

...

Oh poor babies. Momma will warm them right up.[/quotdo you really think do? The lemon cuckoo orpington was so cold & listless!

Hoping they are doing well this morning. I've only ever lost one chick right after it being born. Sometimes it happens. But if the chick was merely cold and not having health problems then it should be fine.

 

[bobbieschicks]

Wow yes, this is a long thread.  I am so glad it is here though.  So I tried to read as much as I could and I apologize if this question has been answered a couple times:
My husband and I have been waiting for our Orphington to go broody as she is our only girl that seems to. She finally is!! So we want to hatch some chicks under her care, we have never done this before, so we have a few questions:

1.  I have read that some people remove the broody hen, some do not.  Is it just flock dependent whether the older girls will hurt the new chicks?
Do you give her a new run?  Or just some personal space that she will still be able  to mix with the others somehow.  If I separate her, won't her chicks still have introduction issues down the road?  Separate, but keep in sight of other Girls so they see them?  Will the Rooster hurt them?

2.  We get a few eggs a day.  How many days can we keep adding eggs so they will hatch around the same time?  We only have 4 under her now.

3. Do you check them at some point to see if they are fertile?  Or just wait the 20+ days and see what hatches?

4.  Any particular marking pen to use?  Will the toxins of a sharpie penetrate the egg?  What about pencil, crayon?  I know this one is probably a real silly question, sorry.

Thank you for your help and suggestions!

Separating the broody is a preference, not a necessity. If I have expensive purchased eggs I will separate so that the eggs don't get trampled by others using the nest box. Recently I've experimented with leaving the broody in the nest box with mixed results. My Silky had no problems hatching her clutch in the box. But she also had another pullet join her in the box for the whole process. That helped to keep the other girls from getting in the favorite nesting spot.

But this past time when I left my Maran to sit in the box her results were not so good. She's larger and younger than my silky was. One of my hens is laying thin shelled eggs. Bunny was constantly getting out or forced out of the box which allowed others to lay in there including the thin shell girl. Results were poor Bunny's eggs got covered in egg yolk and none survived to hatch. Whether they were good I couldn't tell because she lays dark brown eggs. So mixed results. If I tried it with her again I would isolate her for the hatching.

When I isolate I do so in the coop by wiring off an area. If you separate them you will need to reintroduce to the flock momma and chicks. The sooner the better. I've not had attacks, other than a rooster flinging a day old once. And the pullet showed that rooster what a fierce protector a momma hen can be. The chick was fine too.

You can candle the eggs on day 5 and tell if they are growing. Hope it works out for you.

I just slipped 6 day olds Under my broody last Monday.