Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

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elaineinspain said:
This is my first time with chickens and first time with a broody hen.
My black australorp is broody. She has been for over a week. She is sitting on plastic eggs in a large dog crate with food. water and nesting box inside (she isn't sitting in the nesting box) I can see that she eats a little each day, and she must move around some because she is often in a different position than when she was last time I saw her.

I plan to set her on fertile eggs on Monday. Is there anything else I need to be doing? Should I open the dog crate door and leave it open in case she wants to go outside with the other chickens? It was open today for 20 minutes but she didn't seem to notice. She hasn't shown any interest in leaving her plastic eggs at all.
3 days ago I moved her from a regular nesting box over to the dog crate and she immediately settled carefully on the plastic eggs as if she gets moved around every day! The litter in the dog crate is wood shavings and dried leaves sprinkled with some wood ash and I put some sprigs of lavender, mint, rosemary and thyme in there with her. I can't see any horrendous broody poop in there, but she must've pooped in there!

Is there anything else I should be or shouldn't be doing?
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Sounds good. You may want to simply place her in a quiet corner so she can come and go, unless the dog crate is really a large dog crate, then you can close the gate as she has room enough to relieve, stretch and go back to the nest.

I personally would remove the springs of lavender, mint, rosemary and thyme. Birds are susceptible to the oils, and you don't want the chicks nibbling on them.

LofMc
 
Lady of McCamley said:
Sounds good. You may want to simply place her in a quiet corner so she can come and go, unless the dog crate is really a large dog crate, then you can close the gate as she has room enough to relieve, stretch and go back to the nest.

I personally would remove the springs of lavender, mint, rosemary and thyme. Birds are susceptible to the oils, and you don't want the chicks nibbling on them.

LofMc
Click to expand...

Thank you for your advice. The dog crate is a really big one, designed for large breed dogs. Almost a meter wide, and over a meter long (a meter is more than a yard)
I put her in there because my buff orpington was getting into the other nesting box with her to lay each day when she was loose in the coop. I was concerned that it may lead to broken eggs.
The dog crate is in the coop (the coop is a large stable that I converted) When the Buff orpington goes in the coop to lay she hangs around the dog crate, looking in at the Australorp, almost as if she wants to get in there with her. It was because of the buff orpington's attentions and behaviour that I moved the broody into the dog crate.
 
@karenerwin Thank you for your advice. The dog crate is for large breed dogs. Approx 1 meter wide and well over a meter long. I put her in the dog crate because when she was with the other hens in the coop my buff orpington continually got into the nest box with her and laid in there and I was concerned that when I place real fertilised eggs under her that they may get broken.
The dog crate is in the coop and when the orpington goes into the coop now to lay she hangs around the dog crate looking in at the broody - almost yearningly!

I can keep an eye out for when the orpington lays and then open the dog crate only AFTERWARDS.
 
Olive has cheeping under her. :D

I didn't look as she is still on lock down due tomorrow, but I've got some early hatchers of the 8 that were developing last check.

Rosie is sitting tight on the CL eggs. Blue is always hard to candle, especially early, but I'm pretty sure I've got 4 developing with 2 likely not...and washing and not washing made no difference...the 2 looking still clear are 1 washed and 1 unwashed, which means the 4 washed plus 1 unwashed appear to be developing. Now to get them to hatch day. We'll see if the washing of the eggs creates more bacterial growth to prevent maturity. (Not an intended test, but oh well, we'll see what happens).

Vivi is still undecided but sitting more than ranging. If she stays, I'll give her a couple of backyard eggs to hatch...maybe some of my black sex links or the cream eggs (which I think are Rhodebar/Barnevelder).

LofM
 
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Hi everyone! Was just outside and saw a whole bunch of ducks and chickens on nests, then saw this thread, so hope you don't mind if I join.
big_smile.png
 
Okay...here is the final count.....Olive has finished her brood (my Isbar/Marans hen).

Of 10 eggs set....2 were not fertile and pulled on day 5. (Eggtopies showed no development at all).

That left 8.

Of those 8 set, 5 were F2 Olive Egger (Isbar/Marans OE momma...Olive...wiith Barnevelder poppa) and 2 F2 Splash Marans/Barnevelder (blue/grey daughter) and poppa Barnevelder (set my darkest eggs) and 1 was F2 RSL/Barnevelder (who laid a lovely terra cotta like her RSL momma) and my Barnevelder rooster.

ALL 8 hatched. Way to go Bernard....100% hatch rate with 80% fertility rate (some eggs were getting well over a week in age as I waited for Olive to settle into a full brood, which may have played into development.) So with the condo brooding...keeping Olive completely out of foot traffic....really improved her hatch rate and early chick loss...so condo is going to be the way to go....I'll have to resist filling up that second coop with birds again.

I have 6 lovely black babes (expected from the Isbar/Marans black momma or 50% chance from the Grey Splash heritage daughters....no straight blues)

1 lovely red chipmunk....that would be from my RSL/Barney and Barney cross

and then a bit of a surprise....I've got a silver chipmunk...guessing that would be a Splash Marans/Barney and Barney "blue?" @donrae

3 of the chicks are from his daughters, so will be 3/4 Barnevelder now (?)

Momma was NOT happy with my messing with her to get a photo shoot. (I couldn't even clean up all the shells as momma was not happy with me messing anything up at all). They all came early and were hatched sometime yesterday...all fluffed and dried. All look healthy.

Photos below. :D



 
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Lady of McCamley said:
Okay...here is the final count.....Olive has finished her brood (my Isbar/Marans hen). Of 10 eggs set....2 were not fertile and pulled on day 5. (Eggtopies showed no development at all). That left 8. Of those 8 set, 5 were F2 Olive Egger (Isbar/Marans OE momma...Olive...wiith Barnevelder poppa) and 2 F2 Splash Marans/Barnevelder (blue/grey daughter) and poppa Barnevelder (set my darkest eggs) and 1 was F2 RSL/Barnevelder (who laid a lovely terra cotta like her RSL momma) and my Barnevelder rooster. ALL 8 hatched. Way to go Bernard....100% hatch rate with 80% fertility rate (some eggs were getting well over a week in age as I waited for Olive to settle into a full brood, which may have played into development.) So with the condo brooding...keeping Olive completely out of foot traffic....really improved her hatch rate and early chick loss...so condo is going to be the way to go....I'll have to resist filling up that second coop with birds again. I have 6 lovely black babes (expected from the Isbar/Marans black momma or 50% chance from the Grey Splash heritage daughters....no straight blues) 1 lovely red chipmunk....that would be from my RSL/Barney and Barney cross and then a bit of a surprise....I've got a silver chipmunk...guessing that would be a Splash Marans/Barney and Barney "blue?" @donrae 3 of the chicks are from his daughters, so will be 3/4 Barnevelder now (?) Momma was NOT happy with my messing with her to get a photo shoot. (I couldn't even clean up all the shells as momma was not happy with me messing anything up at all). They all came early and were hatched sometime yesterday...all fluffed and dried. All look healthy. Photos below. :D
Click to expand...
:yesss: :celebrate :jumpy Awesome hatching Olive! They look great! Will look forward to seeing some more pictures as soon as Mama broody allows. :)
 

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