Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Sylviaanne]

My Salmon Favorolle on the nest.





EE hen wanting in to lay an egg.


A short while later I went in and found the EE sitting half on, half beside the SF. I guess she got her egg laid because she wasn't there a little later.
How many eggs can a SF hen sit?
I'm going to have to go out tonight and take her off the nest and see what she's got. One thing I know, she has 2 fake eggs in there and they got to come out. LOL
How do you remove a broody? Does it need to be dark in the coop or just after dark when everyone has gone to roost?

 

[bobbieschicks]

About 6 weeks.

Oh that explains it. The baby isn't a baby anymore to her. She's moved into the independent stage. If it's warm weather then she won't stay with it by four weeks. She might tolerate it near her, but soon she might peck it away.

Do you know for sure if it's a cockerel or might it be a pullet? I've noticed my broodies will allow the pullets to stay with them longer then the cockerels. Usually by 8 weeks they start to crow so it's pretty noticeable by then, but not always.

 

[bobbieschicks]

My Salmon Favorolle on the nest. EE hen wanting in to lay an egg. A short while later I went in and found the EE sitting half on, half beside the SF. I guess she got her egg laid because she wasn't there a little later. How many eggs can a SF hen sit? I'm going to have to go out tonight and take her off the nest and see what she's got. One thing I know, she has 2 fake eggs in there and they got to come out. LOL How do you remove a broody? Does it need to be dark in the coop or just after dark when everyone has gone to roost?

Awh, what pretty girls. I don't know how big a SF is compare to an EE. If she's small like a silky, maybe 6-8 small eggs or 4-6 medium to large eggs. I usually just take them down from the nest when I want to and they will return shortly. But if I'm moving them to a new nest I've had the best success doing it at dusk.

 

[polarbearpilot]

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.

I am so glad to hear your experience is similar to mine. Yes, I agree that the chicks will integrate better with the flock. The 4 week-old chicks are already hanging around with the big hens without being pecked on. The barred rock chick I have is actually bigger than the brown leghorns but still smaller than the EEs raised in broody box at the same age.

 

[Sylviaanne]

Awh, what pretty girls. I don't know how big a SF is compare to an EE. If she's small like a silky, maybe 6-8 small eggs or 4-6 medium to large eggs. I usually just take them down from the nest when I want to and they will return shortly. But if I'm moving them to a new nest I've had the best success doing it at dusk.

She's bigger than the EE in the picture but not by a lot.

 

[Peep-Chicken]

Oh that explains it. The baby isn't a baby anymore to her. She's moved into the independent stage. If it's warm weather then she won't stay with it by four weeks. She might tolerate it near her, but soon she might peck it away.

Do you know for sure if it's a cockerel or might it be a pullet? I've noticed my broodies will allow the pullets to stay with them longer then the cockerels. Usually by 8 weeks they start to crow so it's pretty noticeable by then, but not always.

Oh ok thank you!

I honestly have no idea. The chick still doesn't have all of its feathers. I will defiantly post an update when I know it's gender , I'm not an experience vent sexer, but it does look like a little cockerel. Kinda hoping for one, but I bet it's going to be a pullet.

 

[calichicken]

Guess what??? I have...or rather broody momma Peep...has a baby!!!!! They weren't due to hatch until next weekend?????? I picked these eggs up and I am thinking that the dates on the eggs were mixed up? Peep has one more egg under her that I think will hatch with this baby because when I candled super fast they looked the same in development. I thought the 3rd egg just stopped but now I am thinking it is just earlier in development! YIKES!!!! Guess for now I am just waiting to see if the other egg hatches...but what about egg 3 that is next weekend? Too long for momma to sit..right??? HELP!

Here they are

 

[bobbieschicks]

Guess what??? I have...or rather broody momma Peep...has a baby!!!!! They weren't due to hatch until next weekend?????? I picked these eggs up and I am thinking that the dates on the eggs were mixed up? Peep has one more egg under her that I think will hatch with this baby because when I candled super fast they looked the same in development. I thought the 3rd egg just stopped but now I am thinking it is just earlier in development! YIKES!!!! Guess for now I am just waiting to see if the other egg hatches...but what about egg 3 that is next weekend? Too long for momma to sit..right??? HELP! Here they are

Congrats! A week is a stretch in difference in ages. She will probably leave the nest long before it hatches. If it's still viable and you have a bator you may want to transfer it there or give it to another broody to hatch.

 

[calichicken]

Congrats! A week is a stretch in difference in ages. She will probably leave the nest long before it hatches. If it's still viable and you have a bator you may want to transfer it there or give it to another broody to hatch.

Okay..thanks! I have 4 other eggs I received with this batch that I have in a bator now thinking that they weren't developing but wanted to place them in the bator just in case. Guess I will just add the egg that is actually due next week to the bator group! Wow..I really hope the second egg under her is actually due the same time as this baby that just hatched! Then at least she will have 2 babies!!!

One more question if you don't mind? Will my broody be able to mother the babies due next weekend since they will be a week apart now?

 

[bobbieschicks]

Okay..thanks! I have 4 other eggs I received with this batch that I have in a bator now thinking that they weren't developing but wanted to place them in the bator just in case. Guess I will just add the egg that is actually due next week to the bator group! Wow..I really hope the second egg under her is actually due the same time as this baby that just hatched! Then at least she will have 2 babies!!!

One more question if you don't mind? Will my broody be able to mother the babies due next weekend since they will be a week apart now?

That's trickier. When they hatch you can try and see if she will raise them by slipping them under her in the evening and checking to see what happens, but with the week olds already there she may reject the day olds. I guess it will come down to whether the week olds are troubled by the day olds and whether she wants to momma anything that cheeps. I've had broodies take over chicks from other broodies, usually it's a silky who will take over the mothering.

Right now I have three girls with chicks. Two of the girls have 3 weeks olds (silky and Maran) and one has 4 week olds (RIR). I've noticed that the silky and her chicks stay pretty much by themselves, but on occasion the little OE will mingle with the EE and WL chicks. But the Maran and RIR often mingle their chicks. The Maran is the one who doesn't mind the older chicks with her younger ones. The RIR tolerates it because she's lower on the pecking order then the Maran. None of the younger chicks has minded the older ones with them.

So I guess I'm saying it's a risk, but you could try it.