Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Perris]

my novice broody has led her chicks (hatched Friday) out of the coop and is teaching them to forage in the shrubbery. The rest of the flock are interested but keeping their distance - she's top hen. Instinct seems to be working well thus far

The chicks are a week old today, and instinct is still working well for all. They all sleep together in the coop; broody slept on the floor with the chicks until last night, when the three of them started using one of the nesting boxes for the night (and thereby got out of danger of being stepped or pooed on!). Some of the rest of the flock have developed a taste for chick crumb, while mum is keen for her chicks to eat fermented feed. She has been a devoted mum throughout the week, teaching them what's edible, where the water is, how to forage, protecting them from all comers, and leading them into hiding when she thought it sensible etc. It makes me very glad that I got her some eggs when she'd gone broody, instead of trying to break her - fortunately I don't need her egg production to make ends meet.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

The chick drama continues.....

@fisherlady you will enjoy this tale.

Okay, so remember I'm shuffling broodies and babes and pens. Mostly, things have gone swimmingly....other than I seem to be hatching mostly boys...but healthy chicks.

I am down to my last broody, the grey Marans-Barnevelder, who took up residence at the end box in the main coop...actually, not a bad place as it is oversized. I've had good success there before.

I only gave her 2 eggs. I've candled several times (with a couple of students in tow who are interested in the science and doing the 4H chick hatching unit with me).

As we candled, we noticed the 2 eggs were at different growth spots...about day 17 and about day 14. (I may have actually mistakenly set eggs on different days, as I've been swapping stuff out so much, or because of our wacky hot weather, one had "bolted" in the heat).

Anywhooo.....the more progressed chick hatched on a day my student was here. We carefully documented the event, and I gave her a quick peak under momma. I noted then something a bit odd, but just told the student we need to leave momma alone as babe sleeps.

Later, I went back and checked on the babe. It looked "flat" on one side of its head, no kidding. On eye was closed too. It had been laying a bit flat in the nest, oddly (which I had noted with student but obviously didn't point out). I couldn't figure out if the hen had stepped or slept wrong on it. It had the "S" curve in its head and neck that usually means fused vertebra in the neck. I figured the really hot temps we've been running had messed with its incubation causing cranial and vertebra malformation.

As it was still alive, and as it was night, I thought I'd give it a chance though I fully expected to pull out a dead chick in the morning. I just didn't have the heart to cull it that night.

The next morning, I took a careful peak, and low and behold, a healthy little chick emerged. It had not been wet the night before, it was flat on one side of its head. It was malformed from all I could see...but now...a miracle (or maybe not)...at least flat head had fluffed out and looked totally normal. Two normal eyes. Normal neck. Normal chick.

Anyway, as the other babe was less developed in the egg, and mom was still very determined setting, with our very hot weather, I chose to move this chick to my bantam Rosie with her sole surviving Cochin-Barney chick (the other had fallen out and died in the run). Momma Rosie promptly took it under her wing, all was well.

Everything has been well, this week, though Rosie is a little impatient being cooped in the top large broody coop with the 2 babes. She would prefer to be in the run, but as I have the run already occupied with the first Broody and 2 growing babes, I felt these little ones shouldn't be down there as they wouldn't make it back up the ramp. I have noticed Rosie leaning against the wire doors longingly, but chose to ignore her longing and tempt her instead with a dirt box all her own in the large broody coop.

So tonight, I go for lock up. I check on Rosie. She has only ONE babe, the bantam Cochin mix. The little flat head is nowhere to be seen (actually fluffed chick now, but I'll call it flat head). I look, and look, and look. It is NOWHERE in the broody coop.

Now mind you, this is a 2 by 4 by 8 foot totally sealed box made of packing crates. It has wired doors that are fully clasped and locked and ventlated wired holes. It is filled with shavings, and one dirt box. Food and water at both ends. No open holes that I can find. No chick. No where. No signs of blood or struggle.

Either it fell through some unknown hole, or gasp, a rat somehow crawled in an unseen gap and hauled the babe off.

After looking for about 30 minutes, I finally give up thinking it must have succumbed to whatever flat head syndrome it had, died, and was buried deep in the pine shavings. It was becoming totally dark, so I closed everything up thinking I'd find a dead body in the shavings with morning light. Gave a final check, upstairs in the broody box, and down stairs in the dog crate and run, and went into the house.

My little rat terrier was finishing up his final check on the property, so about 20 minutes later, I called him inside. When I open the back door, I can hear mad peeping coming from the broody box hutch.

This little chick has suddenly appeared under the broody hutch, behind the dog crate.

Now mind you, I had been crawling on my knees under there, first in twilight then with flashlight. I had poked in every corner both above and below. I had seen nothing.

But this little guy must have hidden and hunkered down. Now it was screaming its little lungs out.

Fortunately I was able to scoop it up. It was very active and squirmed hard. No sign of trauma anywhere.

I put it back under Rosie, who clucked reassuringly to the little guy. I did give it a dip of water which it glugged down, then placed it deep under Rosie.

Wow. Is this chick lucky or what? (BTW....it is a 2nd gen breedback to my Barnevelder, and looking very properly Barnvelder....I'm hoping it will have nice lacing...so I am happy to still have it).

Name suggestions anyone?

LofMc

 

[Perris]

Buster?

 

[PouleChick]

Wow that is amazing it is still alive and doing so well!

 

[fisherlady]

@Lady of McCamley
Wow! Lucky chick! You have a Houdini on your hands..... so Harry, Houdini or HH...or Casper, since he apparently hides as well as ghosts do!

 

[Kabootar]

I don't mean to be rude, but is it economically wise to give just 2-3 eggs to a broody hen? We give somewhere between 12-18 eggs to a broody hen. I mean the broody is going to sit for 21 days and is going to spend somewhere between 45 looking after chicks and after all that you end up with just a couple of pullets or cockerels. Don't you think that hen is underused?

 

[1cock2hens]

if a person is in a backyard setting and dosnt want to deal with 12-18 chicks and rehoming most of them then the hen is doing exactly its job by raising just a couple.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I don't mean to be rude, but is it economically wise to give just 2-3 eggs to a broody hen? We give somewhere between 12-18 eggs to a broody hen. I mean the broody is going to sit for 21 days and is going to spend somewhere between 45 looking after chicks and after all that you end up with just a couple of pullets or cockerels. Don't you think that hen is underused?

Fair question.

I often give only 2 or 3 eggs per hen as I don't want a batch of 12 chicks each since I often have 3 or 4 broodies at the same time. I would soon drown in birds. I'm not breeding for sale as I don't want the headaches with customer satisfaction on a hobby. (Been there. It turns it into work not fun.)

Also, I am breeding for self satisfaction of egg color and plumage fun. Thus I have mutts which are not as easy to place. People in my area want pure breeds.

If you are breeding for show or egg color, it definitely isn't efficient, but I have a smaller plot. I don't have room for a lot of breeding pens.

I do however want to stagger the ages of my sustainable flock, and slowly breed for egg color and feather patterns, and still keep about 14 birds on less than 1/3 acre including house.

The hen is just as happy with 1 or 2. They are only disappointed with none.

 

[aliciaplus3]

I am down to one broody currently. ... silly bird ,she is a white cross that I hatched last year some time. She had been broody for around 6 weeks maybe more.... the first time I gave her eggs after a week but when it came time to hatch we had another hen interfere and a baby lost so I took the eggs away and finished the hatch in the bator. bUT I couldn't get her to break.... so I gave her some turkey eggs that had been in the bator and had about 3 weeks to go, she did great until I decided to try and move her and the eggs to a more secure location for hatch time..... crazy bird sat in the crate looking at the eggs screaming at me....and when I opened the crate she shot oUT like a rocket.... so I thought she was broke.... nope she is sitting on air again tonight.sigh..... I might let her try again I am still not sure.

 

[fisherlady]

Why not start a few eggs in the incubator, a day or so before hatch secure the spot of her choice with temporary wire and give her either the ready to hatch eggs or even hatched chicks? The hen has been trying for 6+ weeks and the failures haven't been her fault so she should either get chicks or be broke the right way soon for her health.