Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[cwrite]

My hatch is finally done.

I put 12 fertilised eggs under Snowy on the 20th September. I suspect the first two hatched on the 11th (due date), 4 hatched on the 12th, another 4 hatched on the 13th - Monday. By Monday afternoon Snowy was out and about and appeared to have abandoned the last two eggs which I left in the nest. Yesterday when I topped up their food & checked their water, I counted the chicks to make sure that they were all ok & kept counting 11. I looked in the nest and there was only one egg left! So, one little chick hatched after three days of being left to go cold all day! It still boggles my mind. This morning, I found the last egg turfed out onto the sand in the run. I'm so glad Snowy did that because at at least now I know she can get rid of eggs that won't live. This was her first brood and she is a Leghorn with a dash of Ancona, so a slender bird which is probably why her hatch was so staggard.

The insert is the one chick that wouldn't join the others for the group pic.


Our newest addition to the flock.

 

[oolyboolu]

My hatch is finally done. I put 12 fertilised eggs under Snowy on the 20th September. I suspect the first two hatched on the 11th (due date), 4 hatched on the 12th, another 4 hatched on the 13th - Monday. By Monday afternoon Snowy was out and about and appeared to have abandoned the last two eggs which I left in the nest. Yesterday when I topped up their food & checked their water, I counted the chicks to make sure that they were all ok & kept counting 11. I looked in the nest and there was only one egg left! So, one little chick hatched after three days of being left to go cold all day! It still boggles my mind. This morning, I found the last egg turfed out onto the sand in the run. I'm so glad Snowy did that because at at least now I know she can get rid of eggs that won't live. This was her first brood and she is a Leghorn with a dash of Ancona, so a slender bird which is probably why her hatch was so staggard. The insert is the one chick that wouldn't join the others for the group pic. Our newest addition to the flock.

They're adorable! Congrats! That's so cool about the last one too today was hatch day but nothing's happening yet :/ I must be patient!

 

[Blooie]

Oh, I just can't wait until October 28th! I just hope Agatha has as much success! (And I hope she and I are still friends when this is all over with. Right now she hates me!)

 

[cwrite]

Oh, I just can't wait until October 28th! I just hope Agatha has as much success! (And I hope she and I are still friends when this is all over with. Right now she hates me!)

If you mean by all over, when she has finished raising the chicks, then I'm sure you will be friends again then.

Thanks Oolyboolu : ) When you find some of this patience thing you speak of, let me know what it is.

 

[oolyboolu]

If you mean by all over, when she has finished raising the chicks, then I'm sure you will be friends again then. 

Thanks Oolyboolu : )  When you find some of this patience thing you speak of, let me know what it is. 

Step 1) glass (or 2!) of wine
Step 2) find something to be busy with
Step 3) laugh because you know these steps won't work
Step 4) check eggs (again)

 

[cwrite]

Step 1) glass (or 2!) of wine
Step 2) find something to be busy with
Step 3) laugh because you know these steps won't work

Step 4) check eggs (again)

Now that I recognise.

 

[earlyredrooster]

Hatched September 8th by a n.h. hen. They are Cayuga, magpie and Peking mixed breeds and pure breeds.

 

[greenacregirl]

Beautiful chickens.

Good morning! I'm a first time egg mama with a first time broody from my first ever flock I have 10 hyline browns (don't care if they aren't fancy, I love them!) and one is set in her broody ways so I picked up some eggs from a local lady. Mamma is currently laying on buff orpingtons and Wellsummers (10 left of 12), and hatch day is Thursday/Friday and I'm SO EXCITED!!

 

[Citychick11]

Update on our broody. She was doing funky things like burying the eggs in bark chips and pooing in the nest. She had been laying eggs and letting the eggs cool too which made me think she stopped being broody. After day 21 came and went, I brought all the eggs inside the house and candled them. I put a few promising ones in the incubator. Then I put the under developed ones out in the nest with Lilly. A few hours later, the ones in the incubator had a foul smell. I sniffed each one and found the culprit. Eggtopsy showed a quitter at day 7. Really stinky. But the smell in the incubator didn't improve. The others were quitters too. One looked like it was close to hatching from the outside, but on the inside it was green and stinky. Ew. So this morning I am going to let Lilly out of her duty to the nest and assume the others are quitters too. She just didn't stay broody long enough. So sad. 0 of 11 eggs for Lilly. Good thing the ones in the incubator are healthy and growing. I had 4 hatch on Sunday and have 2 more due this Sunday and 4 more due the next Saturday.

 

[fisherlady]

Update on our broody. She was doing funky things like burying the eggs in bark chips and pooing in the nest. She had been laying eggs and letting the eggs cool too which made me think she stopped being broody. After day 21 came and went, I brought all the eggs inside the house and candled them. I put a few promising ones in the incubator. Then I put the under developed ones out in the nest with Lilly. A few hours later, the ones in the incubator had a foul smell. I sniffed each one and found the culprit. Eggtopsy showed a quitter at day 7. Really stinky. But the smell in the incubator didn't improve. The others were quitters too. One looked like it was close to hatching from the outside, but on the inside it was green and stinky. Ew. So this morning I am going to let Lilly out of her duty to the nest and assume the others are quitters too. She just didn't stay broody long enough. So sad. 0 of 11 eggs for Lilly. Good thing the ones in the incubator are healthy and growing. I had 4 hatch on Sunday and have 2 more due this Sunday and 4 more due the next Saturday.

Sorry to hear she didn't stick with it.... some hens just don't commit like they need to. Glad you opted to remove the eggs before you had an explosion! Congrats on the incubator hatches!