Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[CarolinaHen]

I think it's so adorably funny while a teenage cockerel learns how to wear the pants and be a rooster. When ours was that age he would rush in to the rescue whenever we picked up a hen/pullet, and then pull up short, look up at us and get confused what he was supposed to do next.

I've got a big Brahma baby doing that right now. He was calling the girls over for a treat yesterday and when they got there, he had no clue what to do. He grabbed the treat and rushed off screaching like the devil himself was chasing him!

 

[TeaChick]

My broody is a 2 1/2 year old buff orpington. I put 8 eggs under her. Our rooster is a New Hampshire and the eggs were from my assorted flock. She started out in the nesting box so when I moved her to a safer spot she had one of the eggs under her wing and it dropped and cracked. I candled at one point and 2 were quitters. So 5 of 8 hatched. They were 2 EE, 2 SLW, and the 1 Buff O is the cockerel. I thought 8 was a good number to start with, but I guess they can handle 12 or so. I plan to buy some more eggs in the Spring and do this again because it was so much fun to candle, wait in anticipation, and then to let mama do all the work and me just sit back and enjoy it.

Here's a pic of them a few weeks ago.

Thank you very much for the info!!! 5 out of 8, that's not BAD odds. I am sorry you lost the three. Will you breed the Buff O back to your BO hen?
I like the idea of sitting back while Momma does all the work too. ;-)

 

[TeaChick]

My broody is a 2 1/2 year old buff orpington. I put 8 eggs under her. Our rooster is a New Hampshire and the eggs were from my assorted flock. She started out in the nesting box so when I moved her to a safer spot she had one of the eggs under her wing and it dropped and cracked. I candled at one point and 2 were quitters. So 5 of 8 hatched. They were 2 EE, 2 SLW, and the 1 Buff O is the cockerel. I thought 8 was a good number to start with, but I guess they can handle 12 or so. I plan to buy some more eggs in the Spring and do this again because it was so much fun to candle, wait in anticipation, and then to let mama do all the work and me just sit back and enjoy it.

Here's a pic of them a few weeks ago.

BTW, do you know how Orpingtons and Jerseys compare in size?

 

[TeaChick]

I've got a big Brahma baby doing that right now. He was calling the girls over for a treat yesterday and when they got there, he had no clue what to do. He grabbed the treat and rushed off screaching like the devil himself was chasing him!

 

[LisaLouHoo]

BTW, do you know how Orpingtons and Jerseys compare in size?
[/quote]

Jerseys are bigger than Orpingtons, I believe. I was going to get some black jersey giants when I first started out last year, but was told they take a very long time to mature. My Buff O's started laying at 20 wks and now I know they are good broodies, too.

 

[TeaChick]

BTW, do you know how Orpingtons and Jerseys compare in size?

Jerseys are bigger than Orpingtons, I believe. I was going to get some black jersey giants when I first started out last year, but was told they take a very long time to mature. My Buff O's started laying at 20 wks and now I know they are good broodies, too.[/QUOTE]

Oh, good. Between my Jersey Giant and my Bantam Cochin frizzle, they average each other out. lol (I hope).
I want about ten more laying hens, so I'll see what she does the first time she goes broody and go from there.

Do you know anything about banty broodies?

 

[lindz8504]

Oh, good. Between my Jersey Giant and my Bantam Cochin frizzle, they average each other out. lol (I hope).
I want about ten more laying hens, so I'll see what she does the first time she goes broody and go from there.

Do you know anything about banty broodies?

This is my tiny Bantam Cochin mama with her chicks. She hatched 4/7 buff bantam cochin eggs, and then adopted 3 black copper marans chicks when they were all 3 days old. She is an amazing broody and her clutch was actually staggered and she stayed til the last viable egg hatched! When I put them back with the flock the chicks were about 6 weeks old and after the first day out with the rest of the flock no one bothered her or the chicks anymore.

 

[TeaChick]

This is my tiny Bantam Cochin mama with her chicks. She hatched 4/7 buff bantam cochin eggs, and then adopted 3 black copper marans chicks when they were all 3 days old. She is an amazing broody and her clutch was actually staggered and she stayed til the last viable egg hatched! When I put them back with the flock the chicks were about 6 weeks old and after the first day out with the rest of the flock no one bothered her or the chicks anymore.

Wow!!! That's awesome!

I hope my banty does as well!!! She's a frizzle. You gave yours 7 eggs? I'll have to see how things play out with her first brood.

I think I'm going to lean in the direction of letting them do what they want (within reason) the first time, my first time, and see how things go.

Your story is encouraging to me; I'm beginning to realize that I know almost nothing about chickens and I don't want to mess up with the little ones. KWIM.

 

[lindz8504]

Wow!!! That's awesome!

I hope my banty does as well!!! She's a frizzle. You gave yours 7 eggs? I'll have to see how things play out with her first brood.

I think I'm going to lean in the direction of letting them do what they want (within reason) the first time, my first time, and see how things go.

Your story is encouraging to me; I'm beginning to realize that I know almost nothing about chickens and I don't want to mess up with the little ones. KWIM.

This was my first brood as well. You really don't have to much of anything. I found that I ended up making it much harder than I should have, and that she knew what she was doing. You want to give her enough eggs that she can cover without any of them sticking out. My girl weighs around a pound and she really pancaked out to cover them without any problem.

 

[TeaChick]

This was my first brood as well. You really don't have to much of anything. I found that I ended up making it much harder than I should have, and that she knew what she was doing. You want to give her enough eggs that she can cover without any of them sticking out. My girl weighs around a pound and she really pancaked out to cover them without any problem.

Cool. Originally I was thinking about giving her a few layer eggs to hatch, b/c that's why we got chickens in the first place. lol (The store-bought eggs just don't have any flavor anymore!!!)
Anyway, a breeder friend of mine said we could sell her for $20. FIRST, I told my DH "NO!!!" lol Then, I started thinking... I could have her hatch her own eggs and sell her offspring. We didn't buy her on purpose, we wanted a dozen RIR (or so we thought) and ended up with a mixture of 11 (three breeds) pullets. Anyway, ... There I go again. lol

hahaha For now, (unless I learn otherwise) I think I'm just going to see what she does the first time, not try to giver her particular eggs or take any away from her. KWIM?
I've experienced the same thing, but not with brooding yet; kind of messing things up for the chickens by doing more than they needed me to. :-\
I'm learning. ;-)