Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[bobbieschicks]

My Salmon Favorolle has gone broody. It has been so busy around here that I didn't write down what day I knew for sure that she was broody. I reached for her and she huffed just a bit but I thought she was just laying an egg. I kept going out to get the eggs out of the nest she's sitting on but she was still there. The next day I reached as though to get the eggs out from under her and she huffed just a bit again so I realized she has gone broody but they are not all her eggs. She wasn't on the nest one time and I took a duck egg out but I don't know how many of the eggs she is sitting on are hers and how many the other hens are laying with her. I haven't been finding any eggs for about 3 days now so I think she has been sitting for about 4 days.

Congrats on the broody!

 

[bobbieschicks]

Cute pic gotta love watching them learn. X2 on the broodie mind set. MY current broodie buff is the wimp of the flock and has been for life.  But she got up yesterday for fermented mash and water and the red who is the roost boss was sitting on her eggs. She jumped up and gave her a peck so the red left the box!

Haha! Broodies are definitely funny to watch especially all the sides of their protective personalities.

 

[dldolan]

Sounds like she thought six was a good idea.

Most excellent point!

 

[bobbieschicks]

Most excellent point!

Honestly it depends on how small she is, how large the eggs are, and how bad are the weather conditions.

My tiny silky lays a small egg. She could handle eight of her own size in good weather, but if it got extremely cold I'd only trust her to cover six.

When it comes to medium to large eggs, she's good with five in great weather, but drops to three for really cold winter.

Remember she has to hatch and then keep the chicks warm until around 4-6 weeks old. So it's not just a matter of her coverings the eggs. She has to be able to cover the chicks until they feather out and can huddle together on their own.

 

[Sylviaanne]

Congrats on the broody!

Thank you. I am excited for her, this is the 2nd time she has gone broody. The other time was earlier this year, she left the eggs and didn't go back and 22 babies hatched in the incubator, those were not all hers either. I hope she makes it all the way this time. I have a young Salmon Favorolle cockerel and I hope to breed them next year. I want to get some purebreds and see their colors. It will be hard to lock her up for 6 weeks plus but I just have to know.

 

[polarbearpilot]

Hi everyone. This is my first time having a broody (Buff Opr) raising 4 chicks (3 brown leghorns and 1 barred rock) that I bought from a feed store. They are now about 4 weeks old.My hen is a very good mom, is very protective and always calls the kids to come and eat. They are free-ranged and the chicks run around and scratch all day in my backyard with 4 other layers. I put out the usual chicks food for them in one place and food for my other layers including veggies in another place. The mom takes her chicks everywhere to eat and they eat about everything. Last year, I hatched eggs and raised the chicks in a broody box. I notice that the chicks now are slower in development compared to the chicks at the same age I raised last year in a broody box. Last year's chicks were Easter Eggers. I wonder if it's because the ones I raised didn't run around and spent most of the time eating just the chick food I gave so they grew bigger quicker. Or maybe brown leghorns are smaller so they grow slower? Compared to the pictures of last year's chicks, the chicks now look more like 2 1/2 to 3 weeks in term of feather development and size. The feed store told me they were LF, not bantam. Does anyone have similar experience of hen-raised chicks growing slower than chicks raised in broody box? My chicks are healthy and very active and run fast when I come close. Hard to take pictures. Thanks in advance.

 

[bobbieschicks]

Hi everyone. This is my first time having a broody (Buff Opr) raising 4 chicks (3 brown leghorns and 1 barred rock) that I bought from a feed store. They are now about 4 weeks old.My hen is a very good mom, is very protective and always calls the kids to come and eat. They are free-ranged and the chicks run around and scratch all day in my backyard with 4 other layers. I put out the usual chicks food for them in one place and food for my other layers including veggies in another place. The mom takes her chicks everywhere to eat and they eat about everything.  Last year, I hatched eggs and raised the chicks in a broody box.  I notice that the chicks now are slower in development compared to the chicks at the same age I raised last year in a broody box. Last year's chicks were Easter Eggers. I wonder if it's because the ones I raised didn't run around and spent most of the time eating just the chick food I gave so they grew bigger quicker. Or maybe brown leghorns are smaller so they grow slower? Compared to the pictures of last year's chicks, the chicks now look more like 2 1/2 to 3 weeks in term of feather development and size. The feed store told me they were LF, not bantam. Does anyone have similar experience of hen-raised chicks growing slower than chicks raised in broody box? My chicks are healthy and very active and run fast when I come close. Hard to take pictures. Thanks in advance.

The hen raised chicks will be hardier in the long run and because she's integrating them as they grow they will move into the pecking order with far less pecking.

There may be something to your thought as my first flock of WL chicks were bator hatched and brooder raised until six weeks old. They grew very fast according to several other WL owners. Maybe it was the feed, Medicated Chick Starter. The chicks raised in brooders have nothing to do but feather in, eat, poop, drink, and sleep, so perhaps that's why they grew larger faster.

I've noticed in my current flock, that was broodie hatched and raised, that my WL chicks, who are one week older, are about the same size as my EE chicks right now. I think the mutts grow faster. Lol. I don't know about the barred rock as I haven't any experience with that breed.

 

[Peep-Chicken]

My broody Cochin bantam hatched out a chick. The one that hatched (leghorn bantam) follows her around. But the mother, Luna will jump the fence and leave her baby cheeping. She doesn't share treats. She doesn't peck him or do mean things like that. Why does she do this?

 

[bobbieschicks]

My broody Cochin bantam hatched out a chick. The one that hatched (leghorn bantam) follows her around. But the mother, Luna will jump the fence and leave her baby cheeping. She doesn't share treats. She doesn't peck him or do mean things like that. Why does she do this?

Awh poor chick. Some mommas are just more attentive then others. She may just trying to teach it separation. How old is the chick?

 

[Peep-Chicken]

Awh poor chick. Some mommas are just more attentive then others. She may just trying to teach it separation. How old is the chick?

About 6 weeks.