Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[mamalaoshi]

I am glad the grafting went well!

Some hens can have trouble with being fertilized by the rooster if they have a lot of fluff around their bottom. I have heard of some breeders even clipping the butt feathers/fluff to improve fertilization odds.

That makes a lot of sense. A few of my hens do have extremely fluffy bottoms; they remind me of old fashioned ladies with bustles.

 

[mamalaoshi]

Nun hens!! Want let him touch her!

Ha, no, my hens are all very friendly with the roosters. I've been keeping all but one rooster separate from the hens for the last two weeks because they were getting a little beat up but the girls still try to escape to visit the boys whenever I open the door. I think it's probably what fisherlady said about their extra-fluffy bottoms getting in the way.

 

[slordaz]

Most of mine are fluffy butts with exception the leghorns, our main rooster is a barred rock , didn't have any problem even with a cornish x hen, the RIR's just matured and so far none have had problems. we did have to get an incubator though cause the hens seem to only go half broody, but are content to raise baby chicks as attested to by the avatar, Thats a Barred rock pullet not even old enough to think about laying eggs yet and chicknapped the 3 RIR chicks we brought home. Didn't think to do it but the other barred rock chick took to mothering the cornish x chicks we got too.

It might be the hens just aren't ready to breed so aren't letting the Rooster.

we have a mixture of hens:
Leghorns
Barred Rocks
Buff Orpintons

 

[Faraday40]

That is the funniest thing I've seen in a while! How is Cookie adjusting to her chicks being gone?

The chicks left about 1 week ago. Cookie's been spending a lot of time alone in the coop. She's also molting which makes hens act "off". I've seen her eat & drink, but she's not acting like her normal busy-body self.

 

[slordaz]

Warning not so good with pics in the dark lol

this is at the 3 day candle of eggs in the incubator , there is one I am really questioning what I am seeing. Eggs are leghorn,barrred rock, and an buff oprington( thats the one I am questioning) first time I am attempting hatch in incubator. Humidity is running between 45-55 temp is between 99.5 and 100

 

[PD-Riverman]

Warning not so good with pics in the dark lol

this is at the 3 day candle of eggs in the incubator , there is one I am really questioning what I am seeing. Eggs are leghorn,barrred rock, and an buff oprington( thats the one I am questioning) first time I am attempting hatch in incubator. Humidity is running between 45-55 temp is between 99.5 and 100

Slordaz, Its hard to tell anything at day 3 candling. I am sure you are interested in the growth so you are probably going to candle more often. I usually candle on day 12 and again on day 18. I am not sure about your humidity, but for ""me"" that 45-55 would be to high. Good Luck!

 

[slordaz]

we are up north not much humidity right now until snow starts flying lol and heater comes on a lot, not adding any more than the start up that it said to add when I started the incubator and it's keeping at that. not a fan of messing with them to much but that bottom egg has me kinda worried, there is a egg turner in the incubator, eggs are from our hens but the one seems to be lengthwise instead of at the top like the others.

Thanks I am gonna need it

 

[Bernadine503]

One more week before hatch time!! It's my first time hatching with two broody Silkie hens, so I especially nervous and excited. I put them under Fifi (black Silkie) and Gigi (white Silkie) on Friday afternoon, Oct 2, after letting the eggs rest for about 26 hours from their 1/2 drive. They both decided to brood along side each other. My calculations tell me they should start hatching next Friday. Is that right?

I bought the 7 fertilized Silkie eggs locally so they were not shipped. They have been sitting on them diligently, especially Fifi. I work all day but after work I go check on them, and I have never seen Fifi get up! Gigi will get up for about 15 minutes and runs around our enclosed yard to flutter her wings, poop, eat, and drink....and gets right back on the nest. By that time Fifi has taken and placed all the eggs under her! Fifi will not get up! Somehow Gigi ends up with some eggs under her so I'm assuming they trade often. Every evening I put water and food right in front of Fifi and those are the only times I see her drink or eat. I hope she'll be okay after the hatch!

I candled one egg on day 7 and it looked great! I haven't touched the others for fear of causing damage and not wanting to disrupt the girls.

Wish me luck people!!

 

[kilby]

One more week before hatch time!! It's my first time hatching with two broody Silkie hens, so I especially nervous and excited. I put them under Fifi (black Silkie) and Gigi (white Silkie) on Friday afternoon, Oct 2, after letting the eggs rest for about 26 hours from their 1/2 drive. They both decided to brood along side each other. My calculations tell me they should start hatching next Friday. Is that right?

I bought the 7 fertilized Silkie eggs locally so they were not shipped. They have been sitting on them diligently, especially Fifi. I work all day but after work I go check on them, and I have never seen Fifi get up! Gigi will get up for about 15 minutes and runs around our enclosed yard to flutter her wings, poop, eat, and drink....and gets right back on the nest. By that time Fifi has taken and placed all the eggs under her! Fifi will not get up! Somehow Gigi ends up with some eggs under her so I'm assuming they trade often. Every evening I put water and food right in front of Fifi and those are the only times I see her drink or eat. I hope she'll be okay after the hatch!

I candled one egg on day 7 and it looked great! I haven't touched the others for fear of causing damage and not wanting to disrupt the girls.

Wish me luck people!!

Depends on when they were laid not when they went under gigi and fifi. Unless they went dormant or from an incubator maybe you should calculate faster or later depending on how cold they got. Cheers, best of luck

 

[PD-Riverman]

One more week before hatch time!! It's my first time hatching with two broody Silkie hens, so I especially nervous and excited. I put them under Fifi (black Silkie) and Gigi (white Silkie) on Friday afternoon, Oct 2, after letting the eggs rest for about 26 hours from their 1/2 drive. They both decided to brood along side each other. My calculations tell me they should start hatching next Friday. Is that right?

I bought the 7 fertilized Silkie eggs locally so they were not shipped. They have been sitting on them diligently, especially Fifi. I work all day but after work I go check on them, and I have never seen Fifi get up! Gigi will get up for about 15 minutes and runs around our enclosed yard to flutter her wings, poop, eat, and drink....and gets right back on the nest. By that time Fifi has taken and placed all the eggs under her! Fifi will not get up! Somehow Gigi ends up with some eggs under her so I'm assuming they trade often. Every evening I put water and food right in front of Fifi and those are the only times I see her drink or eat. I hope she'll be okay after the hatch!

I candled one egg on day 7 and it looked great! I haven't touched the others for fear of causing damage and not wanting to disrupt the girls.

Wish me luck people!!

All should be hatched by friday---some will be hatching late thursday. Eggs start to incubate when they are put under the broodies, or in the incubator----when they were layed has nothing to do with it---except if they got to old after they were layed before they were 'set"----Meaning I can use a egg thats layed today, one tomorrow, one the next day----1 from several more days----once I put them under the hen---they will all hatch at the same time/day if they were fertile.


Edited to add, sometimes your hatch rate can be not as good when you got 2 hens broody in one nest----sometimes it can take a little longer for some eggs to hatch, sometimes one hen ends up with all the chicks, some times not. "I" personally do not allow double setters in one nest----but those are yours----and you can if you want---LOL.