Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Sydney Acres]

Our broody is on day fourteen with eleven eggs. We candled on Tuesday and every egg looked good then. But you're saying, with a first time broody eleven is pushing it. So when we candle on Monday or Tuesday I guess there's a better than even chance that some eggs won't be viable? On the other hand if they all hatch, then perhaps we've got a professional grade broody in training? After the first few days I haven't noticed eggs sticking out at all, really. So, there's hope, eh?

And, truth is, on the second day I noticed she wasn't able to keep all the eggs under her, so I pulled two out and fed them to the dog. And then my partner decided randomly to stick two new eggs under her but didn't tell me until the next day. So maybe her skills got a bit better? I did gently chide partner about sticking eggs under her. So if all the eggs hatch, two will be considerably later than the others.

The 6-8 eggs that I've heard recommended might not apply to every bird. I think it's just to make things easier for a first timer. I have no doubt that there are some hens that could handle more.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I've been trying to get one of my hens to go broody to hatch some eggs. I'd be happy for any one of them to go broody at this point but I believe my Australorp is thinking about. I noticed she's been spending 4+ hours in the nest box everyday pulling out her belly feathers. She leaves the nest box and goes back to the flock though. This evening I put 8 eggs and all her feathers in one nest and added a curtain to it (half open so she knows she can go in). Will these things help? What else can I do to encourage her?

Not much more other than isolate her from the other hens with a hard partition if she is getting pushed off the nest (being lower on the pecking order and hogging the "golden nest")

I just had a first year pullet go broody (and I always encourage a brood), but she was low on the pecking order (somehow all my broodies are), and getting pushed about by the older hens so she was on the nest and off again...and hormonal! Oh my goodness, was she short tempered and growling at everyone and everything.

I have a separate broody hutch that I like to use, so I moved her to it. She didn't like it at first, so I let her out to see if she was serious about brooding. She regathered in a few hours back in her old place and clung in there for another whole day...so that night I put her back in my broody hutch on one of the end nests and put a partition board up...she has plenty of room to eat/drink/poo and stretch her legs but not so much room that she doesn't feel like she is in a cozy den. She settled in the next day and became secure enough I have trusted her with part of my next project (Rhodebars). She has sat tight for a week now and really looks like she will go the distance.

So I guess you could complete isolate her off, with food and water nearby, and see if she'll stick. If not, let her out and try again later if she starts acting like she really wants to brood.

Good luck,
Lady of McCamley

 

[Lady of McCamley]

My hen is currently broody. I shared this with my great grandma whom bred chickens many years in mexico.. She instructed me to soak the eggs in lukewarm water every 8th day in order to keep the embryos from sticking to the shell.. Today was the 8th day and my hen was cooperative with the whole process as I just picked them up when she got up to eat drink etc... Just thought I'd share that.. What do you guys think about this?

I wouldn't agree with that in most circumstances, but I can see where a modification of that might be necessary, or at least beneficial in unique conditions.

Chickens originated from places where it is normally very humid in the spring and summer. When a hen broods in a humid environment, the eggs loose a certain amount of moisture during incubation -- enough to create an adequate air cell in the egg so that the chick doesn't suffocate during hatching, but not so much that the chick is saran wrapped in the membrane and sticks in the shell. You really need that happy medium for a chick to hatch properly. As chickens developed in this humid environment, only the eggs with the right shell porosity hatched, so that specific trait was naturally selected.

Then humans got involved. We imported chickens to all areas of the world, many of which have a very different humidity than where the chickens perfected this egg porosity/air sac/air humidity relationship. Luckily, chickens are very adaptable and have done quite well under a variety of conditions, but there are certain extremes that are more difficult to compensate for than others. I suspect extremes in ambient humidity can cause great challenges to hatching chicks. Since chickens breed so well, in all likelihood shell porosity has been naturally selected to minimize moisture loss in naturally brooded birds in dry countries, and maximize moisture loss in birds in wet countries, but those small changes might not be enough during extremes in humidity.

Years ago I read that successful chicken keepers in some country (I can't remember which one, but it was a hot, dry place) in the 1800s would routinely set up special nests for their broodies. They would dig a 6-12 inch deep hole in the ground, line it with clay, fill it with sand, then put soft nesting material on top of that. Every few days they would add water to the sand under the nest. The idea was that the clay lined sand would hold the water for a while, the broody covered the "container" to keep the humidity on the eggs, and the hatch rates were quite high. It makes total sense, and is quite ingenious, considering all the air cell monitoring, egg weighing, and humidity adjusting we do when we use an incubator. I remembered that so well that when I had my first broody hen this year I called my broody-experienced friend with great concern, wanting to know how to do this when I planned to have my broody pen in the barn that had a concrete floor. After she got done laughing she reminded me that I live in western WA, where lack of moisture is rarely a problem.

But I can see where chicks might be more challenging to hatch in the heat and dryness of Mexico, and why someone would come up with this solution to compensate for the need for higher humidity. My concern for this method, as opposed to the moist sand trough method, is that water is put directly on the eggs. Water can wash off the bloom on the egg, which is the thin layer of oxygen permeable "sealant" that prevents most bacteria from getting through the shell and infecting the embryo. That is why eggs collected for hatching should not be washed at all, even if they are visibly soiled. There was also a discussion on this thread recently about cleaning eggs that are soiled during brooding. The conclusion was that it is best to just wipe the eggs off instead of wash them, even though wiping leaves some debris on the shell, because the bloom is that important to the health of the chick. So while I can see that soaking eggs in warm water might improve your hatch in very dry environments, it could simultaneously decrease your hatch if eggs became infected because the bloom was compromised. In all likelihood, it improved hatch rates for those that had everything very clean, but decreased hatch rates for those that had excess bacteria on the shells, in the nest, on their hands, in the water container, or in the water. So this method may do well for some, but is a huge risk. If additional humidity was needed, I would prefer to put water on the lower layers of the nest, but keep the eggs dry.

x2 I think Sydney Acres makes an excellent historical point about why that practice was wise in dry desert places like Mexico. However, in much of the US, humidity is not the problem.

Also, I know that dunking the egg in water can cause a transmission of bacteria through the shell in the process of osmosis. It is important to use water that is warmer than the inside of the egg to try to prevent this, but it is a real risk and can introduce harmful bacteria to the embryo. Also dunking too long can drown the chick. (I take these facts from a water test done for late hatch chick viability on critically endangered birds, link below).

So unless you live in a very dry, dry place, and that is a common accepted practice used by farmers in your area...I would let the hen do her work. I've noticed my hens "wet" the nest periodically adding water from their own bodies as they brood.

Lady of McCamley

https://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/resshow/gee/cranbook/chap04.pdf (go to pdf page 11 or document pg 69 for the Egg Flotation test)

 

[Sydney Acres]

I've been trying to get one of my hens to go broody to hatch some eggs. I'd be happy for any one of them to go broody at this point but I believe my Australorp is thinking about. I noticed she's been spending 4+ hours in the nest box everyday pulling out her belly feathers. She leaves the nest box and goes back to the flock though. This evening I put 8 eggs and all her feathers in one nest and added a curtain to it (half open so she knows she can go in). Will these things help? What else can I do to encourage her?

It doesn't sound like she's quite ready yet, but the privacy curtain and her feathers might help. Are the 8 eggs you provided the same eggs that you want her to hatch, or are they just to get her started? If she is on and off then on then off of the eggs, the embryos might start developing, then get cold and die. You'll probably get a better hatch if you wait until she's committed to brooding for a few days, then remove the starter eggs and put all the chosen eggs under her at once. Just be sure that you don't get them mixed up when you exchange them.

 

[bumpercarr]

Don't lose hope. Chickens are incredibly tough. If you can just keep her eating and keep her crop moving the odds are in your favor. Keep us posted. All fingers and toes are crossed for you.

She's managing to eat lots of dried meal worms. I figure the high protein, fat content is helpful in her recovery. She isn't quite able to pick up and eat the crumbles, but the worms go down nicely and they are her favorite treat. Still having to give her water (with electrolytes, vitamins and antibiotics). She can drink some, but having trouble keeping enough in her to keep her hydrated, hence the dropper watering. I've been able to get down to only having to do that three times a day since she can take some water on her own, for the last 4 days it was every hour on the hour until I finally saw her drink by herself. Although the 6 week old (actually 7 weeks tomorrow) has recovered nicely and I could move her in with the 4 week olds, I don't want to leave the 8 month old without any company, so she's still living in the hospital pen with the older pullet. It's funny to listen to her purr at the older pullet to encourage her to eat and drink. A week ago, she (and her siblings who were killed) was absolutely terrified of the bigger pullets. She's kind of taken on a mother role. I think the two will be inseparable if the older one pulls through. Even the 4 week olds all huddle close to the hospital pen and purr at the two that are separated. It is really touching to see how these guys are talking to each other, knowing that one is in a bad way.

Anyway, thanks for the encouragement. I'm doing the best that I can for her. Sounds silly to spend so much time and effort on a chicken, but I figure as long as she's fighting I'll fight right next to her. Everybody have a great Easter!

 

[acsteele]

So, I have a Buff Orpington broody, she's been sitting on three ceramic eggs for a week, did the switcheroo tonight, and slipped 7 fertile eggs under her. we don't have a rooster, so I had to "borrow" some from a friend. since she's started, a couple of the other girls are starting to get the urge also it seems to be contagious! I'll make sure they are committed before I get them the real deal.

So here's my question, if theses girls start their incubation on good eggs in three or four days, that should put all of the potential chicks close in age, will that work with the moms all having chicks in the same age range?

New to broddy hatching, so any advice appreciated!

thanks!

 

[Sydney Acres]

Quote:
I doubt anyone here thinks it's silly how you care for her. I think it's heartwarming.

I have found that seriously injured birds often have a hard time returning to their regular crumbles or pellets, but often times will eat healthy treats. The foods I've had good luck with are oatmeal flavored with applesauce, spaghetti cut into 1" long pieces, bite sized pieces of pancakes or bread, cottage cheese, grated carrots, strawberries, shredded fish, canned corn or peas, shredded chicken, hard boiled eggs, hot chili rice, bananas, chopped or chewed peanuts, chopped grass or dandelions, almost any greens, chopped cantaloupe, baked potato/squash/sweet potato, etc. Anything that's healthy. Weirdly, I've found that if they like something in particular, then they are more willing to try something else of the same color -- case of mistaken identity? Four to five years ago I had a bird attacked by a neighbor's dog, and sustained severe wounds. She stopped eating and wanted to die, but I didn't give up on her. I was working long hours at the time and didn't have time to cook for her, so I stopped by the market deli every night after work, just to find anything that she would eat that day. She got to the point that she begged for oriental spicy sesame noodles with edamame and taboule. Chickens have quite a palate, and sometimes will eat better if it is challenged.

Don't be concerned if it seems like her wounds are not healing right away. Keep giving her the antibiotics and anti-inflammatories that the vet prescribed. If there are open wounds, I like to keep them moist with triple antibiotic eye ointment. I like it a lot better than Neosporin -- it's a much lighter ointment and is designed to become near liquefied when in contact with body temperature. It can keep the wound moist without turning the feathers into a greasy mess, as long as it's used discretely and carefully only in the open wound. Sometimes the wounds don't seem to heal much at all during the first 7-10 days, but then suddenly they heal at amazing speed. It's like they have to rest and reorganize, then wow, faster than any mammal!

 

[Sydney Acres]

So, I have a Buff Orpington broody, she's been sitting on three ceramic eggs for a week, did the switcheroo tonight, and slipped 7 fertile eggs under her. we don't have a rooster, so I had to "borrow" some from a friend. since she's started, a couple of the other girls are starting to get the urge also it seems to be contagious! I'll make sure they are committed before I get them the real deal.

So here's my question, if theses girls start their incubation on good eggs in three or four days, that should put all of the potential chicks close in age, will that work with the moms all having chicks in the same age range?

New to broddy hatching, so any advice appreciated!

thanks!

Are you asking if the broody hens will get along with each other, or if the chicks will get along with each other as they age, or both?

 

[Scrambles55]

Don't lose hope. Chickens are incredibly tough. If you can just keep her eating and keep her crop moving the odds are in your favor. Keep us posted. All fingers and toes are crossed for you.

I agree.... she will be fine and be your next broody!

 

[Scrambles55]

My wonderful DH and I are making plans for a new coop and I plan to add a broody section. My how I love having chickens!