Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[mrstodd]

11 out of 12 eggs hatched from fluffy! four buff brahma, four dark and three light (the fourth light was not fertilized we suspect) Here is a picture (edited to add, they all hatched on March 12th)

 

[fisherlady]

11 out of 12 eggs hatched from fluffy! four buff brahma, four dark and three light (the fourth light was not fertilized we suspect) Here is a picture (edited to add, they all hatched on March 12th)

Congrats! They should keep you busy for a while!

 

[mrstodd]

thank you fisherlady!

 

[Sydney Acres]

Hi everyone,
This is my first time hatching chicks, and I need some advice/opinions on my broody situation. Both these hens are 22 month old Red Dorkings. They brood frequently and I have always broken their broods previously, but this time I want chicks. Hen #1 went broody early on 3/7/14. I wasn't able to get the broody house built until 3/11/14, and I put her in it that evening on ceramic eggs. She did well, and I put 5 real eggs under her at 1 a.m. on 3/13/14. I also borrowed an incubator and got 11 eggs from hen #3 and hen #4 into the incubator at 6 p.m. on 3/13/14, with the plan of hatching those out in pedigree cages, identifying them with leg bands, then slipping them under hen #1 at night. Other than a bit of mild wheezing, hopefully from lack of exercise, hen #1 is doing great, and holding her brood well.

Then on 3/14/14 hen #4 went broody. I let her stay in the outdoor nest she'd chosen during the day, and brought her into the coop at night (for predator protection, since they free range and her chosen nest was not safe at night). She seemed determined to maintain her brood, so last night (9 p.m., 3/17/14) I moved her to the broody pen directly from her nest. She was put in an appropriate sized box with 3 high walls and one short wall, about 4 inches of soft straw topped with material from her chosen nest (dried fern fronds and feathers), and the two ceramic eggs that she'd been sitting on. I put her box in a 2'W X 5'L X 2'H wire cage within the broody pen, which is 6'W X 5'L X 6'H, in an area of my barn that is fully dark at night, and dimly lit and quiet during the day.. Although separated by wire, the two broody boxes are only about 4 feet apart. My new plan was to keep hen #4 separated from hen #1 until I was certain that they wouldn't fight, then remove the cage within the broody pen. If we couldn't get to the point that they could be trusted with each other, then just divide the broody pen in half. When the incubator eggs hatched, leg band all the chicks and now have 2 broodies to distribute the chicks under.

This morning I went to check on them. Hen #1 is still quietly brooding in her box, but hen #4 is up and pacing in her cage, puffed up and doing the broody scream as I approached, really wanting to go back to her original nest. I realize that not all hens tolerate being moved, and some will take 1-2 days to settle back down in a new location, while others will break their brood when moved. My concern is hen #1. I don't want her stressed by the activity of hen #4. I'm concerned that she may break her brood, or possibly not care for her eggs properly, or possibly get ill from the combination of no exercise and excessive stress while brooding. These two hens are clutchmates, and typically roost side by side when not brooding, but I wouldn't call them best friends. Hen #1 is the dominant hen of the flock. Hen #1 is also the best quality hen of the flock, so her health and her eggs are the most important.

So what does everyone think I should do? Should I leave everything as is for another 1-2 days before making a decision? Should I remove hen #4 immediately and break her brood (I don't have room for another predator proof broody pen in the barn, and would prefer not to build a free-standing one at this time)? Should I leave hen #4 in the current setup, but put a visual barrier between the two of them so hen #1 can hear but not see hen #4 pacing? Should I let hen #4 go back to her original nest for a few more days and try another move later? Or is there another option? All opinions are appreciated.
--April

 

[fisherlady]

Sydney Acres... sounds like you have a great handle on what your hens need, and of the options you describe I would go with a combination actually... can you provide a visual barrier (say with a sheet) to block disturbances on Broody #1? And then try covering Broody #2s portion of the cage to make it dark and quiet again to see if she will set again. As long as she is not physically attacking the cage she should be OK for another few hours to see if she will settle. If she doesn't settle, then allow her back out of the broody area and she can return to the nest of her choice, when you move her back into the coop tonight, place her, nest and all, on the floor in the coop and see if she will continue to set there. (pick a corner you can partition off with chicken wire if need be). Give her a few days to settle down, she may quit brooding, but it is a risk you take to ensure the well being of the one you have setting well already. She may be ok with brooding in the coop instead of the run, some hens don't care for separation, some seem great with it. (I have hens who are total opposites with their choices also) After a few days you could try returning her to the broody box set up to see if she is more ready to set also.

If they all did their brood the same it would be way to easy on us silly humans, so I think they keep it complicated just to amuse themselves while they do their 3 weeks of boredom!

and remember, she may still be broody in 2.5 weeks after the first hen hatches hers out... and with better weather and such you may be able to find her an alternative nest spot a bit easier at that time.

 

[Sydney Acres]

Sydney Acres... sounds like you have a great handle on what your hens need, and of the options you describe I would go with a combination actually... can you provide a visual barrier (say with a sheet) to block disturbances on Broody #1? And then try covering Broody #2s portion of the cage to make it dark and quiet again to see if she will set again. As long as she is not physically attacking the cage she should be OK for another few hours to see if she will settle. If she doesn't settle, then allow her back out of the broody area and she can return to the nest of her choice, when you move her back into the coop tonight, place her, nest and all, on the floor in the coop and see if she will continue to set there. (pick a corner you can partition off with chicken wire if need be). Give her a few days to settle down, she may quit brooding, but it is a risk you take to ensure the well being of the one you have setting well already. She may be ok with brooding in the coop instead of the run, some hens don't care for separation, some seem great with it. (I have hens who are total opposites with their choices also) After a few days you could try returning her to the broody box set up to see if she is more ready to set also.

If they all did their brood the same it would be way to easy on us silly humans, so I think they keep it complicated just to amuse themselves while they do their 3 weeks of boredom!

and remember, she may still be broody in 2.5 weeks after the first hen hatches hers out... and with better weather and such you may be able to find her an alternative nest spot a bit easier at that time.

Thank you Fisherlady. That puts everything in perspective. I can easily throw a sheet over the cage and see what she does.

 

[purplesquirrel]

MY FIRST BABY HAS HATCHED!!
Her name is Betty (aka Black Betty)

She is the offspring of my hen and cockerel, who I hatched from eggs exactly 6 months tomorrow, how strange is that?!

Isn't she beautiful



my hen had only been laying eggs for a month, but I couldn't wait any longer! So I just chose 2 of the best looking eggs.
Her sister/brother is just drying off. I had to help them both out as they were so tightly packed in there.
There dad was a black Jersey Giant and mum is a very small Buff Sussex, I think the egg size for a huge breed was a bit of a dodgy one, but worked out brilliant in the end

 

[fisherlady]

MY FIRST BABY HAS HATCHED!!
Her name is Betty (aka Black Betty)

She is the offspring of my hen and cockerel, who I hatched from eggs exactly 6 months tomorrow, how strange is that?!

Isn't she beautiful



my hen had only been laying eggs for a month, but I couldn't wait any longer! So I just chose 2 of the best looking eggs.
Her sister/brother is just drying off. I had to help them both out as they were so tightly packed in there.
There dad was a black Jersey Giant and mum is a very small Buff Sussex, I think the egg size for a huge breed was a bit of a dodgy one, but worked out brilliant in the end

Congrats! She is beautiful!

 

[Sydney Acres]

MY FIRST BABY HAS HATCHED!!
Her name is Betty (aka Black Betty)

She is the offspring of my hen and cockerel, who I hatched from eggs exactly 6 months tomorrow, how strange is that?!

Isn't she beautiful



my hen had only been laying eggs for a month, but I couldn't wait any longer! So I just chose 2 of the best looking eggs.
Her sister/brother is just drying off. I had to help them both out as they were so tightly packed in there.
There dad was a black Jersey Giant and mum is a very small Buff Sussex, I think the egg size for a huge breed was a bit of a dodgy one, but worked out brilliant in the end

Ahhh, she's still wet (insert soft cooing voice here). What a cutie. With those two parents, she should make a fabulous pet, or a fabulous Sunday dinner, whichever you chose.

You will probably find that your pullet's egg size enlarges with age. The pullet eggs are always a bit small. That being so, I have found that the large dual purpose (DP) birds don't usually have a larger egg size to match their bodies. In fact, many have eggs that are smaller than their wispy "layer breed" counterparts, even though the layer breeds may weigh less than half as much as the giant DPs.

I love that you mentioned that you chose the two best looking eggs. So many people don't realize that part of the selection process for successful breeding isn't just selecting the right parents, but also selecting the right eggs. Eggs are a certain size, shape, porosity, brittleness, strength, etc. for a reason. In certain breeds, egg color (as well as all the other factors) can be a strong indicator of undesirable recessive genes or long ago cross-breeding in the hen's background, and should influence your selection of that hen if you're breeding purebreds toward the SOP. But even if you're just breeding for some fun, wonderful chicks, proper egg selection can make a difference in your hatchability and your hatchling's health, so it should always be considered.

 

[Sydney Acres]

Quote:
I took the sheet out and she (hen #4) started to panic, so I put it down and went to get her some of her favorite scratch grains. She became very focused on the bowl, so I was able to get all sides and top of the cage covered. I used an older thin sheet so she wouldn't be in total darkness, but it would be dimmer than normal in the cage. I checked her brood box and found that she had scratched all the "nest toppings," including her two ceramic eggs, into the corner of the box and covered them with straw (thank goodness they weren't real eggs). I rearranged the box while she was eating, re-covered the cage, and left her alone for 20 minutes. When I checked on her again she was happily sitting in her brood box in a broody trance. Hopefully it will last. Hen #1 seems to have been oblivious to the whole issue.

Thank you so much, Fisherlady, for your help. It really made a difference.