Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[CandylandRanch]

It's a funny show, isn't it?



. My broodys sister pushed her out of the best along with the eggs today. One of the eggs was colder. I don't know if they will hatch now, but it will be a miracle if they do!

http://www.brinsea.co.uk/downloads52
This is a link I read when I was worried about when my broodys eggs were cold for hours. Silly girl got on the wrong nest after her break. Luckily my eggs were at the temperature of suspended development, but I found the information very helpful and quite interesting!!

 

[bumpercarr]

Not boring stuff at all...thank you for sharing this.

BTW...what is a good place to start to learn this stuff. I am picking up bits and pieces on BYC, but I know I do not have my head anywhere close to wrapped around this. On one breed thread, a knowledgeable poster looked at a photo of chicks and could tick of the genetics that were present....that long list of letters and plus/minus that leaves my head spinning yet.

Is there a "Chicken Genetics for Dummies?"

Thanks again for sharing.
Lady of McCamley

Well, you can read about it here.... http://sellers.kippenjungle.nl/page0.html, unfortunately it isn't really for Dummies so you'll have to do what I had to do, look up a bunch of words. How I read it was to go through a chapter once without looking anything up, second time, look up all of the words that I haven't figured out yet and then read it one more time. It is pretty deep (but not as deep as some others I could point you to). It took me about a month to read it in "my spare time". I still refer to it frequently.

Then start playing with the chicken calculator. Just google "chicken calculator", get to the calculator, at the bottom of the page select try the new chicken calculator, then select plug in chicken calculator with tabs and trees. I'd book mark it if I were you and then just play with it a lot. Use the tabs to select your male and female until you get really good at figuring out what genes do what to the offspring and the parents. I'd put the link to the "new" chicken calculator here, but it is way too long so it is best if you book mark it and play with it. You can go to the punnet square, run it and then select the offspring that you plan to breed and then run it all again. It's really fascinating and gives you some good ideas about what to expect from various breeding pairs. At the bottom of the front tab, you can choose various other characteristics from the type of comb, frizzles, silkie, crested, etc. Anyway, play with it and let me know if you have any questions. Usually it is best to send me a PM, I check those every day but don't check the boards everyday.

Then, on top of all of that, you can google most problems that you've run into to find out if they are genetic or environmental (or both), i.e. fused toes, cross beaked, etc. If they are genetic, it is a little harder to find out if the specific problem is dominant or recessive. Just always remember if a problem is genetic and the parents don't show the problem, then it has to be a recessive trait (requiring one copy from each parent to show).

Good luck! Hope this helps. You'll really enjoy reading this if you are interested in why.............but it is a looooong read.

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

http://www.brinsea.co.uk/downloads52
This is a link I read when I was worried about when my broodys eggs were cold for hours. Silly girl got on the wrong nest after her break. Luckily my eggs were at the temperature of suspended development, but I found the information very helpful and quite interesting!!

Thank you! That really gave me some hope. We have to remember, that left alone, the hen I'll naturally leave for the nest for short periods, and the eggs will cool. I really do appreciate the sharing!

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

It is day 20 and I can hear peeping from under my broody. I'm leaving her tucked in for the night and will check the nest in the morning.  

If it were day 22 I'd take the broody off the nest and see what is going on under there.  They should be pipping by now.  

How's it going?

A few hours ago my broody got off the nest for a drink and I leaned over the eggs and looked for pipping, none that I saw but I did hear peeping!!! Any ideas on how long it can take from internal pip? Can mom hear them making sounds? I cried when I heard the peeping,.. It was pure magic..

That's awesome, I hope I hear it too in a couple weeks. Keep us posted!

 

[CandylandRanch]

I have seen TWO fluffy dry chicks just about five minutes ago.. And last night not a single external pip!
I'm expecting two more.. When should I check the progress/status of my entire hatch? I'm so curious about the other two eggs, especially if two are fluffy already..

 

[bumpercarr]

I have seen TWO fluffy dry chicks just about five minutes ago.. And last night not a single external pip!
I'm expecting two more.. When should I check the progress/status of my entire hatch? I'm so curious about the other two eggs, especially if two are fluffy already..

I wouldn't check at this point....probably wait at least 2 days. I know about being curious, but it would be best if you can wait.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I have seen TWO fluffy dry chicks just about five minutes ago.. And last night not a single external pip!
I'm expecting two more.. When should I check the progress/status of my entire hatch? I'm so curious about the other two eggs, especially if two are fluffy already..

I wouldn't check at this point....probably wait at least 2 days. I know about being curious, but it would be best if you can wait.

x2...I'd wait at least another full day...this is the most precarious part of the process...you KNOW chicks are hatching, and they always stagger such that there are those who are dried and fluffed while others are still pipping..and you do not want to disturb a chick who is partially pipped as that can dry out those membranes and cause them to get stuck in the shell!

Patience...let momma take care of things....EDITED TO ADD: and congratulations on the 2 that hatched!

Lady of McCamley

 

[CandylandRanch]

x2...I'd wait at least another full day...this is the most precarious part of the process...you KNOW chicks are hatching, and they always stagger such that there are those who are dried and fluffed while others are still pipping..and you do not want to disturb a chick who is partially pipped as that can dry out those membranes and cause them to get stuck in the shell!

Patience...let momma take care of things....EDITED TO ADD: and congratulations on the 2 that hatched! 
Lady of McCamley

Thank you for the heads up. I'll let them be and check tomorrow evening.
There is one egg I am most curious about.. There were three that were "pure" easter eggers, but one that was a brown egg, would be an EE and buff orp cross. My little cross baby is a very small egg.. I shouldn't have let her set on it even, but someone layed it under her and I was too dreamy eyed about baby chicks to think of it being too small... I'm praying my tiny Tim makes it!

 

[A6chickenhome]

I have seen TWO fluffy dry chicks just about five minutes ago.. And last night not a single external pip!
I'm expecting two more.. When should I check the progress/status of my entire hatch? I'm so curious about the other two eggs, especially if two are fluffy already..

Woohoo! Exciting isn't it?

 

[ochochicas]

Seven hatched out of eight eggs on day 20. I found a different hen in the nest box this morning and the broody had moved her chicks, She's now in her own kennel with the chicks and the one remaining egg. I know it won't hatch, so we'll crack it open tomorrow to see what happened. The chicks are tiny, but doing well and eating out of their little bowl already.