Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Sydney Acres]

My broody butt, Janet, is doing an awesome job. It's day 20, and the phoenix eggs i have under her are pipping and peeping. She is so dedicated that she has gone pale. I have food and water 2 inches from her face, but she turns her beak at it. I cooked her some rice, grits, and eggs...hopefully she will eat some of it. Congrats to all who are hatching!

Oh dear, I always worry about a broody that goes pale. But at the same time it's so difficult to intervene on day 20. Is she tame enough, and tolerant enough of you being around her, that you could give her water via an oral syringe without upsetting her? If so, then once you get her rehydrated you can put some of the foods that you've offered her in the blender on puree, then strain so it'll go through a syringe, then syringe feed her also (or you can get baby food, which is basically the same thing, although probably without as much eggs). I hope she holds out long enough to hatch those eggs and start taking care of herself.

 

[K Epp]

I have polydactyl cats too. I've done all kinds of research on them. If your interested PM me. My original had 26 toes total. They are hunting machines. Is yours bobtailed?

 

[Dumb Kluck]

I have polydactyl cats too. I've done all kinds of research on them. If your interested PM me. My original had 26 toes total. They are hunting machines. Is yours bobtailed?

She is not bobtailed, I PM'd you

 

[Tabatha]

Oh dear, I always worry about a broody that goes pale.  But at the same time it's so difficult to intervene on day 20.  Is she tame enough, and tolerant enough of you being around her, that you could give her water via an oral syringe without upsetting her?  If so, then once you get her rehydrated you can put some of the foods that you've offered her in the blender on puree, then strain so it'll go through a syringe, then syringe feed her also (or you can get baby food, which is basically the same thing, although probably without as much eggs).  I hope she holds out long enough to hatch those eggs and start taking care of herself.

She is very tame. She's in broody jail right now (in a quiet corner between my couch and aquarium) for letting a hen a third her size run her off her nest daily. She will eat blue berries and black berries from my hand, but I figured that eating only that would give her the runs XP . I also figure she needed the protein and fat. I'll try feeding it to her by hand, and if that doesn't work, I'll try the syringe. Thanks for the advice

 

[Sydney Acres]

Thanks! I've been wondering about my polydactyl chicks LOL one has SIX toes on each foot, most have five and some are shaped very strangely?!! I hope to photo them soon, but the chicks are just too quick and wiggly to get a good shot.
Oddly enough we have a polydactyl cat as well, 7 toes on each front foot & 6 on each back foot, oddest thing I've ever seen, a cat with a pair of opposoable thumbs on both front paws! Should have named her mittens?

OK, this should teach me to read the text before looking at the pictures!!! I kept trying to find the chick, couldn't figure out what part of the chicken's body this was, kept wondering what breed of chick had down that looked so much like the paw of a tortoise shell colored cat, and then I saw whiskers!

Polydactylism is actually quite common in cats, and some people intentionally breed for it. Many people in the FL, GA, SC area of the country have told me that they believe their polydactyl cat is a descendent of Ernest Hemingway's cats, as he owned an island off the coast of FL where he famously had a large colony of cats that were all polydactyl. I don't know if it is a disqualification for show quality cats, but I have seen it in most of the breeds that have a robust or "cobby" body style, but not in any of the svelte breeds that have an "Oriental" body style. Many of the front polydactyls have opposable thumbs, and cats can be quite coordinated at using them. Twenty five years ago I had a polydactyl with very functional opposable thumbs, so I named him Darwin. As he grew he became very skilled at using his thumbs, and could not only hold his toys like a professional basketball player holds a ball, but could open things that other cats couldn't. But there were more claws that toes, so some of the claws couldn't retract properly and were getting stuck on things and got infected a few times, so when I had him neutered I also had the dewclaws-only declawed. And sadly, even though the extra-long toe was still there, with the nail gone he stopped using it as an opposable thumb.

There are several breeds of chickens that normally have 5 instead of 4 toes on each foot. There may be more, but the ones I know of are the Dorkings, Faverolles, Houdens, Sultans, and Silkies. Are your chicks a purebred or mix of any of these breeds?

 

[bumpercarr]

Please send some of those people who are doing projects to my thread. I'm trying to make a place to people to learn by seeing results and reading stories. It hasn't really taken off

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/895132/breeding-project-recipes-show-tell#post_13631872

Happy to do so. I'm trying some projects myself (as soon I have some old enough to breed) so I will certainly at least subscribe to it. We have a separate brahma projects thread, so I usually ask my questions and post my results there.

 

[bumpercarr]

I don't know anyone who doesn't live near a nuclear power plant anymore... if you ask me, Fukushima is too close :/ Cat sure can hunt though, nothing gets away. On Christmas morning she woke me up to let her in & showed me the fresh bird she'd nabbed, she held it up, spread the wings & made it dance the limp headed dance of recent death, offering to share with me her prize. I'm not sure she's ever forgiven me for refusing her generosity :/

My brother just retired from one that is still active in Ohio. It is difficult to read about the cancer rates in children in the area, yet the claim is that there is no link.

 

[audfish7]

Please help. I had an overzealous broody that I found sitting on 32 eggs. I split the clutch, leaving 12 with the broody and putting the other 20 in the incubator. Three hatched from the broody three days ago. Two hatched in the incubator and I put those two with mom last night. She seemed to take to them right away. Ask of then were happy this morning. I opened the door to the coop portion of the chicken tractor so mom could have fresh air and grass. I just went our to check on them and one of the incubator chicks had been pecked to death. I'm just shocked. Do you think Mama Goldie did it? The run portion of the tractor is enclosed in chicken wire. I didn't think any of the other birds could get at them. Do you think one of my other birds could have done it or should I take the remaining for chicks from Mama? Anyone have experience with something like this?

 

[OHfarmerswife]

My Olive Egger Prissy, who I hatched last year, has been sitting on mixed eggs from my flock. Today is day 20 & we have a little yellow chick. Free range time is soon, so will take another look when the rest of the flock is outside munching on grass & bugs.

Hopefully pics to follow!!

 

[audfish7]

I just feel absolutely sick over this. That was the prettiest chick.

It was the light colored chick RIGHT NEXT to Momma in this picture. I don't think she did it. I suspect the turkey.