Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[K Epp]

Oh, you little hatchoholic, I knew you weren't done this early in the summer!!  I bet you haven't even done the final cleaning and boxed up your incubator for the season yet.

Those GA storms can be brutal!  Hopefully it will clear soon and all the rest your birds and chicks will be safe.  So sorry about the four little ones that drowned.

I knew you would be laughing. Of course I say I'm over it and the next day one how's broody. The Mama Silkies are both laying now. We are deposed the get scattered stormed through next week. The juvenile chicks are back in with the poults who were excited to see their friends. Spa La'Garage is full once again. Silkie and 3 chicks still in lg kennel. Poults and Juvies in the xl kennel. The rabbit cage and two small kennels hand quail in them. 1 brooder box has 1 of the chicks I thought would be dead that's still hanging on and a juvenile Silkie who may be coming down with wyr neck in it. I'm giving them medicated starter and vitamins. This chick and its hatch mate care D'anver and were with two mother hens. They had pasty butt. I foundctgecEe in the mud where we scatter their food. The Silkie was in its house, but wet. I don't know that they drown, but died due to weather.

I didn't switch the broodies eggs yet. I got the littles moved back in and a barrier up do the others couldn't lay in her nest and the rain started again do I will do that tomorrow.

 

[fisherlady]

I have been searching for this but I may not be asking the question right. I have a broody sitting on eggs only day 2 now. I also have 2 / 2 week old chicks and 2 / 4ish week old chicks. So when the babies hatch will be 5 and 7 weeks. Is there a possibility that I will be able to sneak the older chicks in with the new chicks and mom?

No... although a hen may care for older chicks you will be inviting a possible disaster as the older chicks may injure the younger... at 5 and 7 weeks the older chicks would be nearing the age that a hen would normally 'wean' them anyway.
The older chicks would most likely not graft to the broody anyway.. they are getting independent by their age and would not listen well. What you can do is begin introducing the chicks to the rest of the flock by placing them in an open wire cage within the coop run during the day so the others in the coop can see and hear them, and even free range them in a safe area of the yard with members of the flock present. With the warmer weather here you can expose the chicks to the outdoors much earlier than you can the rest of the year, so short 'field trips' to start getting them used to the outside world will help ease their full integration later.

one of our broodies leaves her chicks usually about 4.5 weeks when the weather is warmer... these youngsters then get to roost on their own in the coop at night and free range unsupervised all day. She has done this with hatches last year and this year and those chicks did just fine.

 

[Tabatha]

How soon after a broody hatches her eggs can I bathe her? She smells absolutely horrid. She's the BO (how fitting huh?) I have sitting on pipped phoenix eggs. She is in broody jail (between my couch and aquarium) right now. She is so dedicated, but definitely not taking care of herself. I cleaned her nest out and replaced everything, thinking that was were the smell was coming from...but it's HER. I still smell it when I move her to check on the eggs. I've been having a hard time finding what she will eat or drink, and having to force a little water with a syringe. Only forced the water because she is getting pale and droopy looking.

 

[fisherlady]

How soon after a broody hatches her eggs can I bathe her? She smells absolutely horrid. She's the BO (how fitting huh?) I have sitting on pipped phoenix eggs. She is in broody jail (between my couch and aquarium) right now. She is so dedicated, but definitely not taking care of herself. I cleaned her nest out and replaced everything, thinking that was were the smell was coming from...but it's HER. I still smell it when I move her to check on the eggs. I've been having a hard time finding what she will eat or drink, and having to force a little water with a syringe. Only forced the water because she is getting pale and droopy looking.

Give it a few days (probably 4 or 5) at least... the first few days the little ones will be under her most of the time. If you have a brooder area set up for her and the little ones wait till she has them up for an hour or so scratching or eating. Even then I would only bath her bottom half and then dry with a hair dryer till she is warm and fluffy again. The problem is that she is going to freak about being separated from her chicks, so I'm not sure you will be able to get her bathed without help.
Is there any way you can provide her with a dust bath area while she .has the little ones with her? I notice any bird who can't take a dust bath for more than a few days definitely develops an odor!

 

[Tabatha]

Give it a few days (probably 4 or 5) at least... the first few days the little ones will be under her most of the time.  If you have a brooder area set up for her and the little ones wait till she has them up for an hour or so scratching or eating.  Even then I would only bath her bottom half and then dry with a hair dryer till she is warm and fluffy again.  The problem is that she is going to freak about being separated from her chicks, so I'm not sure you will be able to get her bathed without help.
Is there any way you can provide her with a dust bath area while she .has the little ones with her? I notice any bird who can't take a dust bath for more than a few days definitely develops an odor!

I'm putting her back outside after the eggs hatch, maybe when she decides to get them out of the nest. I have a place set up for her where my over zealous new momma phoenix won't bother her. She's the reason Janet is in the house right now. I'll set her up a dust bath and see if that can tide her over for a week or two. I feel bad for the chicks being under her...lol. to go from being stuck inside a smelly egg marinating in their own funk, to being stuck under funky momma has to suck...lmbo.

 

[fisherlady]

I'm putting her back outside after the eggs hatch, maybe when she decides to get them out of the nest. I have a place set up for her where my over zealous new momma phoenix won't bother her. She's the reason Janet is in the house right now. I'll set her up a dust bath and see if that can tide her over for a week or two. I feel bad for the chicks being under her...lol. to go from being stuck inside a smelly egg marinating in their own funk, to being stuck under funky momma has to suck...lmbo.

Hopefully chicks can't smell for a week or two!!
Your plan sounds like a good one.... if there is any way for you to do it, add some wood ashes to the dust bath. I found our birds love the mix of play sand and wood ashes. The ashes don't need to be all fine and powdery either, they aren't picky! DE can be added also, but that is a personal choice, some folks are concerned it can cause a respiratory issue. I use it in moderation and it doesn't bother me to add it to the outside dusting area at all (we use a kids plastic turtle sand box as a dust bath area in the coop's run))

 

[Tabatha]

Hard to see under all stink butt's fluff, but first one is out of its shell! I'm so excited! One down, seven to go!

 

[Sydney Acres]

How soon after a broody hatches her eggs can I bathe her? She smells absolutely horrid. She's the BO (how fitting huh?) I have sitting on pipped phoenix eggs. She is in broody jail (between my couch and aquarium) right now. She is so dedicated, but definitely not taking care of herself. I cleaned her nest out and replaced everything, thinking that was were the smell was coming from...but it's HER. I still smell it when I move her to check on the eggs. I've been having a hard time finding what she will eat or drink, and having to force a little water with a syringe. Only forced the water because she is getting pale and droopy looking.

If it's just body odor from not bathing that's not too much of an issue. Just let her dustbathe as soon as she's able to go outside. She'll probably dive in as soon as she sees the dirt, since hens hate to be unbathed. But if she really has a nasty odor you might want to check around the vent. Some birds can get a little poo stuck to their feathers (or worse, maggots, which really stink). Then more gets stuck over the next several days. Then before you know it there's a mat of feathers glued across her butt and she can't get the poop to fall down at all, and it just keeps building up and creates a fecal mat. It's easy for a highly feathered bird like an Orpington to have this happen when she's brooding. I check the feathers around their vent on my broodies frequently, and keep them powdered with corn starch if they're not dustbathing at least every other day. The corn starch decreases the poop sticking to the feathers, helps loosen what's already stuck, absorbs some of the odor, and won't hurt the chicks.

Having a fecal mat could make her feel uncomfortable or even feel sickly, which could wholly or partially explain why she's not eating as well as she should, and is pale and droopy.

 

[OHfarmerswife]

I am totally puzzled!
I have a broody Cochin, who I tried to move to the maternity pen. When moved she didn't sit on the nest but on the roost. I left her for 3 days.
I figured maybe I moved her too soon. Put her back in her pen she went straight to the nest box she had previously occupied. I let her sit on fertilized eggs fir over a week & moved her to the maternity pen last night. Went out at 6 this am & she was not on the nest, but sitting on the roost. The eggs are cold .
Put her back in her original pen & yes right back to her box she went.

I am at a loss!!!!!

 

[poodlechicks]

I guess she is making it loud and clear to you that she wants to brood where SHE wants to brood

Would it be possible to place the eggs where she feels comfortable brooding? And move her to the maternity pen after the chicks have hatched? Just a suggestion, as this is my first time dealing with a broody myself.. There are so many experienced people here on this thread that will be able to guide you all through the process.

If the eggs are over a week old, you'll be able to tell if they are still viable by candling.