Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Savcluckers]

Well, the babies FINALLY hatched!!! Only 3 chicks, but that's better than none! The mommas are co parenting and all seems to be going well. So exciting to see the babies out and about and not under a heat lamp in my house!!!

 

[omilona]

I had

I have searched this thread, but even the results are quite a bit of material to go through, and i'm a bit stressed right now.  If anyone can answer some questions, I would greatly appreciate it.  One of my first year BOs went broody, and i gave her a dozen fertile eggs to sit. On about day 6 an egg broke over all the others.  I removed the shells and wiped the goo off the eggs with a dry cloth.  I quick changed the straw in the nest too, as it's on ground and ants can be a problem.  She's in a chicken tractor, and I nudged her off the nest daily to eat and drink. She was always back on the next within about 10 minutes. I did not candle the eggs.  Yesterday was day 21 and we heard several of the chicks peeping through the shell. There were some tiny bugs all over one egg, so i quick changed the straw again, thinking they were lice and not good for the coming chicks, replacing the eggs pretty much like they were.   Went out to check her today, and 8 of the 11 eggs had hatched, but the chicks were dead.  One was missing most of it's head, so i KNOW she killed that one.  One still had some yolk showing, so I am assuming it died on it's own. One was still curled up in the fetal position almost like some one had removed the shell before it was ready.  All their shells were still there.  I examined the bodies, no marks on them, no ants, just squished, damp,  limp little bodies.  And i was looking so forward to chicks!   So my questions are:

• It was 100 degrees yesterday, do you think the heat was too much?
• do you think Mom killed/smothered the chicks?
• should i keep her in my breeding program?
• if i let her brood again, should i remove the chicks when they start peeping so she doesn't kill/smother them?

Thanx,

a Silkie who sat like she was in a zen trance. However, when the three chicks hatched, she killed and ate all three! If she had not been totally sequestered, I would not have believed it. She's broody again now, but will never get eggs again. I would have sent her home for dinner with the gardener, but one of my showgirls turned out to be a Roo and I thought I would try to breed some more. So with a showgirl hen, a silkie x showgirl and the homocidal silkie I hatched 16 in the incubator 10 of them SG. I then gave them to 3 Broodies to raise who are excellent mamas. The 'breeding program' is on hold as all 3 hens are now determinedly broody and not laying.

 

[Faraday40]

WE HAVE CHICKS!






So far, the broody has once again been faster than the incubator. (Eggs from the same source were set at the same time. Only 1 pip inside incubator & most of Cookie's eggs have hatched.) I cannot tell exactly what hatched yet, but one looks like a silkie. Of course the goal is to find out which has the higher hate rate, so I don't want to mess around with her until all the eggs are done hatching. Tomorrow is supposed to be the hatch day.

It's going to be a crazy assortment: Barnevelders, Marans, LF Cochin, Sebrights, Silkies, Easter Eggers, & Olive Egger. (Basically, I bought whatever was available locally.) Princess Lay-a is patiently waiting for her golf balls to hatch. She's even "talking" to them. I'm definitely going to give her a few incubator chicks when they hatch.

 

[kilby]

I had
a Silkie who sat like she was in a zen trance. However, when the three chicks hatched, she killed and ate all three! If she had not been totally sequestered, I would not have believed it. She's broody again now, but will never get eggs again. I would have sent her home for dinner with the gardener, but one of my showgirls turned out to be a Roo and I thought I would try to breed some more. So with a showgirl hen, a silkie x showgirl and the homocidal silkie I hatched 16 in the incubator 10 of them SG. I then gave them to 3 Broodies to raise who are excellent mamas. The 'breeding program' is on hold as all 3 hens are now determinedly broody and not laying.

I am so sorry. My Chantecler did the same. and no more broodiness allowed. Even if it was to do with the chicks I never want to experience that again.

 

[kilby]

WE HAVE CHICKS!






So far, the broody has once again been faster than the incubator. (Eggs from the same source were set at the same time. Only 1 pip inside incubator & most of Cookie's eggs have hatched.) I cannot tell exactly what hatched yet, but one looks like a silkie. Of course the goal is to find out which has the higher hate rate, so I don't want to mess around with her until all the eggs are done hatching. Tomorrow is supposed to be the hatch day.

It's going to be a crazy assortment: Barnevelders, Marans, LF Cochin, Sebrights, Silkies, Easter Eggers, & Olive Egger. (Basically, I bought whatever was available locally.) Princess Lay-a is patiently waiting for her golf balls to hatch. She's even "talking" to them. I'm definitely going to give her a few incubator chicks when they hatch.

Wowser Bowser! you have the greatest looking chicks.
what is higher hate rate mean?
Princess Lay-a: Cute name, cuter Mom.

 

[rexannastar]

@ Faraday40, CONGRATS!!! and here we have our first peep here, too!

 

[Faraday40]

Wowser Bowser! you have the greatest looking chicks.
what is higher hate rate mean?
Princess Lay-a: Cute name, cuter Mom.

Thank you.

For trial 1, the incubator hatched 19 out of 22 eggs (about 86%) & the broody hen hatched 6 out of 7 eggs (about 86%). Because Cookie went broody again, this is our 2nd trial. Hoping to get different numbers, but we get what we get. There are 13 eggs in lockdown inside the incubator, & 7 eggs were under the broody. The broody got less eggs, because I wanted to make sure she could cover them.

So far, Cookie has hatched 6 out of 7 eggs, so about 86%. If the last egg hatches, then 100% hatch rate. There are 2 pips in the incubator, but the hatch date is tomorrow. There's plenty of time.

"Princess Lay-a" went broody a little too late to be our 3rd trial volunteer, so she'll get to be a foster mom. Here's a pic from last year.

Cookie is our only bantam & nicknamed, the "Bantam Menace." We also have a Darth Layer, Chew-BAWK-a, & Hen Solo.

 

[rexannastar]

Quote: LOVE the names

 

[The Raw Mama]

I have two broody Jersey Giants (one black and one blue) who have been sitting on mixed breed eggs from our flock (our roosters are black Jersey Giants but our hens are a mix of Jersey Giants, white leghorns(battery rescues), and a red sex link. I couldn't remember when they started setting the eggs so I didn't know when to expect babies but I went out this morning and found 3 in the one box! They're so cute. There were 15-20 between the two hens so I'm hoping a lot more hatch!i know all of them weren't fertile but I didn't touch them because I know the mamas are capable of dealing with everything themselves! Here are the little cuties!!!!!

 

[rexannastar]

I have two broody Jersey Giants (one black and one blue) who have been sitting on mixed breed eggs from our flock (our roosters are black Jersey Giants but our hens are a mix of Jersey Giants, white leghorns(battery rescues), and a red sex link. I couldn't remember when they started setting the eggs so I didn't know when to expect babies but I went out this morning and found 3 in the one box! They're so cute. There were 15-20 between the two hens so I'm hoping a lot more hatch!i know all of them weren't fertile but I didn't touch them because I know the mamas are capable of dealing with everything themselves! Here are the little cuties!!!!!

so cute! hope you get lots more!