Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[ChickenCanoe]

I really want a broody hen! Which one will go broody faster?
Arcana (don't know how to spell that..)
Wyandotte
Buff Rock
Buff Orp
Light Brahma
Red Star (aka Red Sexlink)
Barred Rock

Silkie first
Then of yours, the Brahma, Orp, possibly the Araucana.

My penedesencas and ameraucanas are broody a lot.
That said, I had a black leghorn that was broody all the time.


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I took the unfertile eggs away from one broody and moved her to another broody apartment with clean shavings and a new plastic nest pad with 5 eggs due to hatch next week. She refused to sit on them and went to the roost. I put the eggs back in the incubator, cleaned out her old housing unit and nest box but instead of putting a plastic nest pad in I put pine shavings in. Then I pulled the eggs back out of the incubator, put them in the nest and put her back in there. She promptly went to set.
Then I put eggs due to hatch in 2 weeks in the other clean unit and pulled the fickle broody that kept switching boxes into that unit. She squawked for a long time but eventually went in to sit on the eggs. With only one box in that unit I think she'll do ok.
It's so hot, I not too concerned that they were off of the eggs a while.
We shall see.

 

[Jacqdiva]

Do broodies dispose of their own rotten eggs? I think mine ate one! It STANK!!! She is dutifully sitting on 6 now.

 

[ApiaryandAviary]

Do broodies dispose of their own rotten eggs? I think mine ate one! It STANK!!! She is dutifully sitting on 6 now.

Wow, no I have not seen mine eat rotten eggs but I have seen them scratch and kick them out.

 

[Sylviaanne]

My silky is fond of making a new nest under the coop. Big pain in the butt, each night I scooped up the babies and her and tossed them inside the coop overnight. Usually by the fourth night she took them in herself. Perhaps she would be fine under there without my intervention, but we get all kinds of wildlife at night and I don't want to chance what I would find in the morning.

Apparently, that is just what my hen has decided to do. It is crowded in our coop right now so I guess I can't blame her but she goes so far back under the coop there is no possibility of us catching the chicks without hurting them. I am just praying that no new predators show up.

 

[rebrascora]

Apparently, that is just what my hen has decided to do. It is crowded in our coop right now so I guess I can't blame her but she goes so far back under the coop there is no possibility of us catching the chicks without hurting them. I am just praying that no new predators show up.

I find a fishing net or butterfly net is really helpful for catching young chicks safely in difficult to reach places.

 

[ochochicas]

One of my broodies and her three chicks. They are so cute!

 

[Sylviaanne]

I find a fishing net or butterfly net is really helpful for catching young chicks safely in difficult to reach places.

LOL I have a butterfly net but they get so far back that you can't even see them under there. It is very low at one side an not very high at the other side. We blocked off the sides and back where the run is but my husband didn't block the front. Before her babies hatched, they used the higher end for their dust baths so we left it when we found out they were going under there.

 

[AmericanMom]

OK... Not my first time with a broody but first time with a broody who not only refuses to be moved (which ok I can deal with) but is low on the pecking order and gets kicked out of her nest and forgets which nest is hers. We have tried to move her twice to no avail, she either refuses to sit on the eggs or jumps the 5 foot gate to get back to the coop so I went ahead and gave her the eggs in the nesting box she has claimed.. I didn't think I would be able to block other hens from getting to her but I on the fly just closed her off with a piece of ply board for now.. My thought is to leave her enclosed until the other 20+ layers are done , usually around 2-3 pm and then remove the ply board so she can go out for her daily constitution.

I will add a photo in a bit of what my quick fix was and would love some feedback and or advice.. I didn't think I was going to get another broody this year. She is a 7 month old Jersey Giant and is so fully determined to sit in the nest I thought I would let her try.

As a side note... I have only allowed her fake eggs until last night so she hasn't been on and off fertile egg.

 

[Turk Raphael]

I've been following this thread for some time, hoping to make a decision to use broodies or an incubator. The hens I'll be using are very broody but I'm not sure I can deal with all the personality quirks that can pop up when they get down to business.

I can handle their evil attitudes but some of the things these birds put you folks through are bending me toward the 'bator!

I'll keep reading ....I got until early in the up-coming spring.

 

[poodlechicks]

Turk Raphael, go for the broody!!! There is such good information here on this thread that you might just run into minor issues. The bonus is of course, you don't have to deal with incubator temp or humidity fluctuations, cleaning brooders, heat lamps in most cases, etc. The hen will do all the work for you, plus introduce the chicks nicely to the whole flock.
I may be a "little" biased, but I think broodies are the way to go.