Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[jwyles]

I'm honestly not positive,she wasnt laying long, hardly 4 months old. She was playing musical nests for a couple days but has finally plopped down on her own clutch, I candled them, left her two eggs and she seems to be content

That would be pressed incredible if she became a mom at 5 months and successfully raised chicks. She would definitely deserve a gold star for that. My frizzle Cochin hatched chicks at around 9 months but they were someone else's eggs and she was basically just the incubator. They took the chicks day after hatch so I don't know how she wouldn't done raising them but Im sure we would've been great.

 

[1cock2hens]

righttt, we will see // My buff was a first time broody and is doing great with her chicks // my two gamehens are constant broodies(4 times in a year), if I would have had fertile eggs last year i believe they would have both been mamas around 6-7 months. I think 9 more days and they will have there first chicks.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Okay....first chick has hatched in the quiet broody coop that is still housing grow outs.

The grow outs are quiet, and mom is nicely tucked into a corner. That coop ramp is accessible to chicks, all flock is in the feeders, and a chick safe water source, and I've got chick feeder and water in the coop itself....so hopefully all will go well as I simply don't have enough room in the other coop to house all adults and grow outs right now. I'm dragging my feet culling the older hens as they have been such sweet tempered...but nobody is taking me up on free 3 year old layers. Sigh.

And 4 of the other, later set, eggs are developing.

I hope to move those moms over to the quiet coop just before or just after hatching in a week and half after these babes have gotten mobile and able to handle the other coop or can simply camp out in a dog crate in the run.

We'll see how "coop" brooding goes. I have loved the experiences in the past in this coop....if I can keep the hawks from flying off with my babes since this time I have to let the birds out....just have to block nests at the appropriate time so that babes are not crushed during the hatching in the main coop...or maybe the teens could hang in the run the first week while these babes adjust...I could do that...and then move moms from main coop....hmmmm.

@fisherlady your thoughts? I've got a pretty mellow flock now. Do I just take the leap and see how things go?



LofMc

 

[fisherlady]

At some point it is a leap of faith. With a more mellow group and chick proofing of major dangers I think you can. We have hardware cloth pieces cut to fit in front of boxes for the last day before hatch and the first day after, then shift them to improvised floor boxes, sometimes cat carriers without the doors, sometimes just plastic laundry shelf baskets. The mamas usually keep them inside a day or two, then venture out. Watch the teens for bullying behind the broodies back.
Once the flock gets used to seeing the littles it will be easier.
And I hear you on culling older birds, our flock definitely has some older ladies but I just haven't decided to do the job yet. Most still egg once in a while and raise chicks yearly and seem half and hearty. Hard to decide it is 'that time' .

 

[Lady of McCamley]

One little girl has hatched (as this is a sex linked combination...mom CL, dad Barnevelder).

The other two eggs were developed but have not hatched, yet. I found mom in the opposite corner with the chick and another hen in the nesting spot. The first time ever the hen has allowed anyone to take her spot. I suspicion she knows the last 2 aren't going to hatch, or has become impatient.

I placed the last 2 eggs, still warm, under her and closed the coop door for the day. I'll have to figure out what to do with the displaced grow outs who forage all day with the flock come sundown. I don't want to cause too much pressure in the other coop (which is attached to the same run) as it might cause a dog pile on the 2 brooding hens on eggs in that one.

I'll put the dog crate down today to accommodate somebody. I've proofed the coop, mostly, as it is older stuff and there is always a new hole in a fence line. But the water bowl is safe (lost a few in a dog bowl type a few years back when I last tried open coop hatching).

I really didn't expect to have this many broodies for such a consistently long time....it gave me too many ideas and the feeling to use a good broody when I had one.

LofMc

 

[Faraday40]

I understand about being overwhelmed with broodies! I had SIX, but the number's going down.

Smudge finally left her babies. They're about 10 weeks. Here's one we kept:


Trouble's orpington babies are almost 6 weeks. She's a Sebright, so they're already bigger than she is. She laid an egg yesterday.... but then returned to mothering them. She just hates letting go.


My broody duo's chicks are 4 weeks. The silkie isn't always the best mom (somewhat scattered & distracted) but she enjoys motherhood. This is PR's 1st time, so having a back up broody was a good idea. The silkie sort of wandered off yesterday but still joins the family from time to time. I guess she doesn't have much issue letting her babies grow up.


Jewel is a great mama. She has 3 turkeys & 2 chicks. I have no problem with her, but those turkeys are nothing but trouble. They don't listen & stay close, so when one is lost/scared, they start peeping very loudly. To every predator in the vicinity it must sound like they're screaming, "Eat me! Here I am! Easy prey!" I haven't lost any but that's pretty much because we lock them up in a tractor all day & escort them back to the coop at night.


Cookie is my champion broody in setting, hatching, & raising. We sold 11 chicks and are down to 15. They're 1 week old today. (Pic below is when they were a few days old.)

 

[Lady of McCamley]

@Faraday40
Thank you for sharing your awesome photos and stories of your current broodies. I LOVE it.

I now have ANOTHER hen who has decided to brood. I can't believe it. This Marans line is SOOOOOOOO broody. ALL the daughters seem to want to brood. The Isbar-Marans, and ALL her daughters want to brood. It is totally clogging up the coops.

I am getting practically no eggs due to the fact that either the hens are brooding or have been chased out screaming and laying eggs somewhere. I haven't found the stash yet, but I know there must be one.

Barney, my Barnevelder roo, is such a sweetheart. He has covered the Cream Legbar in his overnight stay. I've got another chick hatched from the first set, and momma was really mad at me checking tonight, so I think the 3rd is about to hatch. (I tossed one quitter).

My teens were locked out of the side coop to their great confusion as I don't want momma disturbed...she was shifted from her nest this morning before one of the babes hatched to protect her chick. Time for her to be isolated.

So I put the dog crate down in the run, lured the scattered teens into the run, and locked the gates. They'll just have to "camp" outside tonight and tomorrow. They'll survive as it is a covered run and weather is pleasantly warm.

I will resettle momma 1 with the hopefully 3 Olive Egger Cream-a-barns in the run when all babes are stable.

Then I will resettle mommas 2 and 3 into the side coop with door locked. Hopefully by freeing those 2 nests, I will convince the teens they can go into the main coop as my teens usually hide in the nests until they integrate fully in the main coop. Poppa is good about making sure life stays sensible for all.

Now, I'll wait and see if momma 4 is serious. Momma 0 (she started before momma 1) is my faithful broody, but she started brooding at a bad time so I didn't use her and I don't want to extend her behavior. She needs to stop, and is getting out daily for longer periods, so I don't trust her to set.

If Momma 4 is serious, Barney is going to get another visitation with my bantam Cochin. Her bantam eggs didn't develop, though one that was cracked certainly looked fertilized when I opened it. I gave him an overnight stay a couple of weeks ago, but I think another is warranted. I've been saving her infrequent eggs. I have just 3. I would love, love, love to have Barney mops. The mille fleur bantam Cochin and the Barnevelder should make for a totally delightful combination. Rosie, the bantam Cochin is also flirting with brooding too, so I could totally set some of her eggs under her.

So many ideas for ways to use these gals. Now that I've convinced myself that I don't have to set one momma in that side coop, totally isolated....I think I CAN shuffle things successfully.

Here's hoping.

LofMc

 

[aliciaplus3]

You sound like you have your act together.....or is it your broodies together? Anyway much better than mine. I have a German bielefelder that has been broody mostly since like april..... crazy bird, so I gave her 8 eggs that are due Saturday and last week every day I would go to check on her she would be dislodged and a white leg horn would be on her eggs, so I finally gave half to each girl. ... whew I think they are happy for now, we will see how the hatching goes but so far so good. Then Friday one of my cuckoo marans girls decided to go broody, she has tried before but I didn't let her keep any eggs, so Sunday I gave her 4 eggs and she has been good so far. Then yesterday I gave eggs to a white leg horn cross that has been trying to brood for a couple days, and today the screetchy marans cross got 5 eggs..... so i currently have 5 hens sitting on eggs. I must be crazy!
Oh on a side note my hubby helped me build a broody crate that hopefully will help with the hatching stage. I will have to post pics tomorrow after we finish the door.

 

[PortlandHen]

After reading through this thread I guess I have to start planning for when the eggs hatch. I’m not too worried about the other chickens bothering the babies, but just in case. I’m down to 5 hens. 3 are sitting on eggs, 1 is five years old and she’s slowing down, and the last chicken is small and nice.

I am wondering about our ladder up to the coop? Our coop is about 3 feet off the ground and the ladder is more built for bigger hens. Not sure how easy chicks can go up and down. Hmmmm.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

After reading through this thread I guess I have to start planning for when the eggs hatch. I’m not too worried about the other chickens bothering the babies, but just in case. I’m down to 5 hens. 3 are sitting on eggs, 1 is five years old and she’s slowing down, and the last chicken is small and nice.

I am wondering about our ladder up to the coop? Our coop is about 3 feet off the ground and the ladder is more built for bigger hens. Not sure how easy chicks can go up and down. Hmmmm.

Ladders depend on momma....I have a 3 foot ladder on the "official" broody coop (which nobody is using right now ) Some of my mommas have successfully gotten babes up, others not. That is a long steep climb (which I regret in hindsight). I have a dog crate at the bottom for those who don't make it up/down. I've had too many evenings picking up babes to replace with momma as she went up at night.

I have another coop that has a knee high ladder (so what...2 feet) that isn't overly steep and has toe grabs. Most times momma and babes make it up, but one year I had 2 babes that stayed in the coop and chilled and died while momma and the rest were down below.

So it is a risk.

Safest is to have a dog crate on the floor of the coop if that is predator proof and isolated enough. Most babes have the sense enough to go down the ramp; it is coming back up that can be tricky. Usually momma sets up camp below with all babes.

Congratulations on your broodies Keep us posted with developments.

LofMc