Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[stryker]

I agree!. I just had two hens hatch out chicks and one hen is trying to go broody but she turns into Lucifer when my hand gets close to her. I am not going to let that hen go broody at all...

 

[fisherlady]

I agree!. I just had two hens hatch out chicks and one hen is trying to go broody but she turns into Lucifer when my hand gets close to her. I am not going to let that hen go broody at all... 

Actually a very defensive broody is the type I prefer...their protective instincts are strong and they usually do well in the flock after the chicks hatch. They aren't being 'mean and nasty' for no reason, they are doing their job.
Even defensive and biting broodies do well for us after the chicks hatch, we sit on the ground with treats and even grumpy hens know that we feed their kids, so we get to interact with them and within a short time the chicks race up to us looking for goodies as soon as we come into sight and the hen follows behind them....

 

[ezell5]

So this is my first experience with a broody. My aunt has a lot of game chickens and several went broody but the other hens or the rooster keeps eating the eggs before the chicks hatch and the eggs are all bloody. SO I went and got all the eggs and the broody hen and put in coop by herself, well that was Tuesday and yesterday (Wednesday) on of them hatched. They will all have different hatch days because they were all laid different. The hen took baby to ground and was being excellent mother but I want her back on the eggs to hatch the rest so I took baby from her. Will she sit on the rest of the eggs again?

 

[stryker]

Actually a very defensive broody is the type I prefer...their protective instincts are strong and they usually do well in the flock after the chicks hatch. They aren't being 'mean and nasty' for no reason, they are doing their job.
Even defensive and biting broodies do well for us after the chicks hatch, we sit on the ground with treats and even grumpy hens know that we feed their kids, so we get to interact with them and within a short time the chicks race up to us looking for goodies as soon as we come into sight and the hen follows behind them....

Then I should same some eggs up so she can be broody.

 

[Velvet Hairpiece]

My first little baby hatched today!

I came home from work and saw the broken egg shell. I was afraid it was going to be a dud like the broken shell I found last night. So I sat and watched mama Hooch for 15 minutes and she was super alert and kept making soft clucking noises and I heard a little peep respond to her and out popped his little head!

Day 19/20! Come on the other 8! I'm so excited!

 

[h2oratt]

Sally sunshine has a hatching thread going all the time, assisted hatches are heavily covered. I don't incubate so I am about worthless on assisted hatching but go find one of the current hatching threads and jump in, they are usually really quick to help...
I think one is 'hatching with friends'....

Hands on hatching is a good one also.

 

[Home Tweet Home]

I am also a beginner on the broody method. My Silver Lace Wyndotte went broody, but she has not yet come in contact with a roo. So, I collected the real eggs while they were fresh and swapped them for training eggs. I ordered some Swedish Flower Hen eggs from eBay this morning and they'll arrive in about 4-6 days. I am super excited, but I have some questions. Firstly, is it possible that she will leave them? Will the other hens be a problem? I plan on separation, but I'm unsure if I should move her. Also, will the chicks be okay as far as my lead hen? She hates newcomers, and any hen who isn't doing what she's supposed to do is pecked at or even evicted from the laying boxes. I don't want any trouble between the lead and the chicks. Thanks for any feedback!

-Kara

 

[tobit]

I am also a beginner on the broody method. My Silver Lace Wyndotte went broody, but she has not yet come in contact with a roo. So, I collected the real eggs while they were fresh and swapped them for training eggs. I ordered some Swedish Flower Hen eggs from eBay this morning and they'll arrive in about 4-6 days. I am super excited, but I have some questions. Firstly, is it possible that she will leave them? Will the other hens be a problem? I plan on separation, but I'm unsure if I should move her. Also, will the chicks be okay as far as my lead hen? She hates newcomers, and any hen who isn't doing what she's supposed to do is pecked at or even evicted from the laying boxes. I don't want any trouble between the lead and the chicks. Thanks for any feedback!

-Kara

She may leave the nest, but after they have been broody for a couple of days they seem to be determined to hatch, i always make sure a broody has been broody for a few days solid before providing her with eggs! I have never hatched within the flock, but if you block off her nest box I'm sure it could work. A broody will defend her chicks against all other chickens provided she is physically fit to do so and doesn't have a huge number of chicks if you're worried about the lead hen and also about her being in the flock with chicks you could always move her, either before she sets on the real eggs (she may not settle straight aeay after the move so fake eggs would be best at that stage), or after they hatch, but with her box blocked off from the other hens

 

[tobit]

I've just had a silver pencilled wyandotte bantam go broody, she's a horrible chicken that screeches when you go near her when she's broody, but that's just get protective nature I guess. Anyway, we're away on holiday for a month so I have arranged for the person caring for our chooks to swap the fake eggs she is on for some of our own cream legbar/cream legbar cross eggs from our large fowl run in just off a week's time so they hatch out just after I come home has anyone had a wyandotte bantam hatch out average side LF eggs before, I'm not sure how many she can cover? Also will she be okay sitting for a week-ish before getting her real eggs, as I know sitting for too long can cause health issues?

 

[sjturner79]

So this is my first experience with a broody. My aunt has a lot of game chickens and several went broody but the other hens or the rooster keeps eating the eggs before the chicks hatch and the eggs are all bloody. SO I went and got all the eggs and the broody hen and put in coop by herself, well that was Tuesday and yesterday (Wednesday) on of them hatched. They will all have different hatch days because they were all laid different. The hen took baby to ground and was being excellent mother but I want her back on the eggs to hatch the rest so I took baby from her. Will she sit on the rest of the eggs again?

Once the hen takes a baby away from the nest she won't hatch the rest of the eggs. If you want them to hatch they would need to go in an incubator, and probably won't hatch naturally anyway.