Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[fisherlady]

Quote:
If she is a proven broody then give her the eggs... if for some reason she freaks when they hatch then you can take them back and raise them and give her more eggs ...I have heard some folks have trouble if the hen hasn't been setting very long when they try to give them babies, but have never done it myself so can't confirm that... if she is like my broody silkie she won't care as long as she ends up with babies. Just be prepared in case she isn't ready for them to hatch so soon.

 

[bumpercarr]

If she is a proven broody then give her the eggs... if for some reason she freaks when they hatch then you can take them back and raise them and give her more eggs ...I have heard some folks have trouble if the hen hasn't been setting very long when they try to give them babies, but have never done it myself so can't confirm that... if she is like my broody silkie she won't care as long as she ends up with babies. Just be prepared in case she isn't ready for them to hatch so soon.

I put two under her and she took them right away. I'm going to wait until tonight and see if she's still sitting on them. If so, she'll get the rest tomorrow morning. I too think that giving her babies may be too early since she'll only have been sitting a few days. I think if she feels them hatching and then hatches them herself, she's more likely to not freak out when babies are there. Usually, I just give her eggs to sit on, but I thought since I already had some in the bator that maybe she'd take them from me....we'll see what happen and I'll keep everyone posted!

 

[kimmerjo]

. Only two have hatched. They are sooo cute!!! How long do I wait for the others??

 

[Debs55]

Usually once the first chick hatches the rest follow within 2 to 3 days. I bet the majority will hatch out within 24 hours though

 

[purplesquirrel]

. Only two have hatched. They are sooo cute!!! How long do I wait for the others??

amazing! More should hatch real soon. Mum will get up when she's decided enough have hatched/all that will hatch. Congrats

 

[YDotties]

Congrats on the broody!  You say she already has her eggs, and you didn't mention her being bothered by other hens in the coop or being chased out of her nest... so I would hesitate to move her at this point.  It may upset her and cause her to pace and try to get back to the original nest, meanwhile her eggs would possibly be neglected too long.
If you do need to move her because of problems with other flock members... I would do it at night, have the new box ready with some of her old bedding, just use a head lamp to minimize light and move her and leave her new area undisturbed for a day.
If you think it is ok for her to stay where she is then let her go till after she hatches, then move her and the babies to a ground level coop/box.  Though if the coop is big enough to allow her to move around inside with the babies for a couple of days she would probably do fine where she is and she will take the babies out into the run when she is ready...but you will have to be very vigilant that the babies don't get left behind in the run when she returns to the coop, since they take a couple of tries to get used to using a ramp.


Edit to add.... 2x2x3 or 4ft long should be fine for a broody hut for a few days.  It can even be a wire cage with a blanket or tarp over it if need be and the weather isn't too cold. Though I would suggest the nest end of it be solid wood of some type with a pop door sized opening on it so she has a snug, draft free nest area.  I have used medium dog or cat carriers as nesting boxes with good luck, a sturdy cardboard box could also be adapted for single time use as long as you can cover the cage area to keep it dry.

 If you have a hardware or construction supply company nearby you could stop and check to see if they have boxes from fridges or freezers that you could get one.... another box which is perfect size is the ones they package the truck bed toolboxes in... so a garage that does custom installation work like that may have them.  With an oversized box you could easily partition off an end for the nest area, and the rest of the box you could cut holes or 'windows' in up high on the size to provide lots of light and cover the windows with hardware cloth for safety.  create a pop door at the end farthest from the nest with a wire door you can open or close as needed.

Using cardboard box can only be done if you are sure your run area is secure from predators, the cheeping of the chicks is going to draw a lot of attention from unwanted critters.. so security is a must.

Thanks Fisherlady and everyone else for all the great info and for sharing your experiences, both good and bad. It's all so helpful.
No, she's not being bothered at all by the others. They steer clear of her when she's taking her stretch to feed, poo, etc. So I'll leave her be till the eggs hatch and they're a day or so old. And yes, with only having 4 other chickens beside my broody, she'll have the space she needs in the 4x6 coop till she's ready to move them lower.
I like the idea of the large wire dog crate with a box on the one end for the draft free nest area to use as the ground level space for her. Both things I already have so hubby won't need to build me anything else. I've already asked him to enlarge the run. Most days they get to free range for a good part of the day. But when the weather is bad or like this winter, there's a foot of snow everywhere, they can't get out as much. My current covered run area is 12' long x 4' wide. I'd like to add another 36 sf or so to give them more bad weather space.

 

[jjdent]

I have a silky sitting on eggs. She's on day 14 of her hatch. So far, she's handled very well being handled and even having herself and her nesting box liner removed and cleaned after she broke one of the eggs. I did not have a brooder built before she started sitting, and her coop is big enouigh only for two, her and her roo. She's been sitting in her only laying box. It has a liner in it. I'm completing a brooder right now, which has a chamber in it into which I could very easily transfer her box liner and the actual nest. At first this seemed like a cool idea, but now I'm worried it may cause her to abandon the nest. There is absolutely no way to accommodate chicks in the tiny coop she's in now. Any recommendations?

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I have a silky sitting on eggs. She's on day 14 of her hatch. So far, she's handled very well being handled and even having herself and her nesting box liner removed and cleaned after she broke one of the eggs. I did not have a brooder built before she started sitting, and her coop is big enouigh only for two, her and her roo. She's been sitting in her only laying box. It has a liner in it. I'm completing a brooder right now, which has a chamber in it into which I could very easily transfer her box liner and the actual nest. At first this seemed like a cool idea, but now I'm worried it may cause her to abandon the nest. There is absolutely no way to accommodate chicks in the tiny coop she's in now. Any recommendations?

Move mom and chicks after chicks hatch. Just let all the babies hatch and dry first. Nobody is moving much that first day or so. You just need food and water for mom nearby....chicks don't need either for 2 to 3 days.
Lady of McCamley

 

[jjdent]

Well thank you very much. That's very good to know. It's my first hatch.

 

[Cuppster]

Hi all, new to byc here what a resource.
I just need someone to tell me everything will be ok. I have a buff O that has been sitting on her eggs for one week. I set her up in a rabbit cage inside the coop. My concern is I don't think she's gotten out of the nest since Monday (6days). At first I had the cage closed and caught her out of the nest on Monday and let her out of the cage. She wondered about for an hour then I had to go back to work so I put her in her nest and I'm pretty sure she hasn't gotten up since. The cage was closed until Saturday and there is no sign of her pooping or eating. On Saturday I opened the cage door and moved her food and water next to her nest. Since then she has eaten some (or at least knocked her food over) and drank some water but i still haven't seen her get out of the nest. I'm worried about her fouling the nest but it doesn't look like she has yet. I keep fighting every urge to intervene, and pull her out for a little bit. This is her first time trying to hatch. My plan is to leave her be and leave the cage open. Somebody back me up. I have many questions about what to do when the chicks come, but this is my only pressing issue.