Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[PouleChick]

That is so gorgeous! I look forward to hearing about what happens once they hatch!

 

[Faraday40]

We had a silly silkie hen go broody in Nov. Lots of snow & cold, but she managed to hatch some chicks on Dec 2nd. Since some were seramas, we brought the family inside.

Here's a serama & a blue orp.

We gave some chicks away & let her keep 2 seramas & an orp. Here's the little family at almost 6 wks

.... and here they were at 7-8 weeks

10 wks

Forgot to mention: The seramas hatched on day 19-20 and the orp on day 21.... Yes the giant blue orp is the "little sister." LOL

 

[MedicDog]

Just stuck six Welsummer/ISA Warren eggs under my broody silkie. I had such a game on, I tried to move her to a more accessible and newly built broody house and run but she wasn't having any of it.

So in the end I've just put her back in her old nest box and I'll have to adapt it to keep the others out and so the future chicks can't fall out and not be able to get back in.

 

[nchls school]

The eggs have hatched-two died in the shell and another died a few days later. Three are still alive. The chicks are very fragile; looking like a bumble bee. Mom and chicks are now living in our bath tub where it is warm. I check them every little while-if they fall on their back, they are unable to turn over on their own.

 

[nchls school]

 

[Searsmom]

Trouble's chicks are doing great. 1 week old now.
(They're in a quick-n-easy chicken tractor for some grass time during the day to protect them from hawks.)

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Well, I've lost track of what's in my quotes.

I did want to say, I have an identical chicken tractor!!

How are the baby bumblebees?

Ok, so my legit broody story. Last summer I had a hen who decided to be broody...somewhere. She reappeared with 5 chicks. Because she wouldn't go in the pen, only 1 survived, and bless it, it's a roo. He's currently being chased off by my existing roo, but here in a few weeks, 12 babies will be going out to the chick pen, so he will hopefully find himself some lady loves later this summer.

 

[Faraday40]

W
I did want to say, I have an identical chicken tractor!!

The baby fences are sturdy, lightweight, and waterproof. Very easy to clean.... just slide a couple feet to a new area of grass!

You should see my brooder. It's a re-purposed playpen: a Peck N Play! It's not like I can put my 8yr old son in it, and it's far from newish condition to sell or give away. At the end of hatching season, I hose it off, let it dry out in the sun, and fold it up until next year.

 

[Faraday40]

Back to broody hens....

The silkie from my last post (one who hatched chicks on Dec 2, 2018) went broody again. However, she never fully abandoned her chicks. When she resumed laying, they followed & sat next to her nest. So when incubating eggs, two seramas & one big, fat orpington also stuffed themselves into the silkie's nest. Too many helpers led to a minor tragedy, so the silkie is back inside the house with her new batch of chicks. Today her 3 December chicks are now 4 months old pullets, so they should be on their own anyway. In fact they're getting red and one spent several hours in the nest box today.

Here are the 2 seramas today at 4 months old

Biological mama is in the background here:

... and here's the broody mama with her new chicks:

 

[Jennrz]

Hello everyone. New to this topic and I just started my first broody hatch. She's a BO that I've had for 3 years. She went broody fairly regularly last summer so I decided to see what she would do with eggs that have the ability to hatch. (I can't keep a rooster in the city so I had to buy hatching eggs.)

So far I've moved her from the coop nesting boxes to a brooder box in the house. She got a little verbal about the move, but rearranged the nest and eggs then settled down nicely to hatch. She's in a back room that is mostly for storage so the only time there is foot traffic is when I go in to check on her. She has food and water available at one end of the brooder box.

Everything has been fairly uneventful however I'm concerned that she's not eating or drinking. She hasn't pooped since Sunday (meaning she hasn't gotten up?) and her comb is getting white at the tips. I tried spoon feeding her some feed mash and she pecked at it a bit but didn't get up and go to the bowl I left for her.

Is there a point at which intervention is necessary? She wont expire on the nest will she? This is her first go with "live" eggs so I'm not entirely sure what to watch for and how she's going to cope.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.

 

[Molpet]

Hello everyone. New to this topic and I just started my first broody hatch. She's a BO that I've had for 3 years. She went broody fairly regularly last summer so I decided to see what she would do with eggs that have the ability to hatch. (I can't keep a rooster in the city so I had to buy hatching eggs.)

So far I've moved her from the coop nesting boxes to a brooder box in the house. She got a little verbal about the move, but rearranged the nest and eggs then settled down nicely to hatch. She's in a back room that is mostly for storage so the only time there is foot traffic is when I go in to check on her. She has food and water available at one end of the brooder box.

Everything has been fairly uneventful however I'm concerned that she's not eating or drinking. She hasn't pooped since Sunday (meaning she hasn't gotten up?) and her comb is getting white at the tips. I tried spoon feeding her some feed mash and she pecked at it a bit but didn't get up and go to the bowl I left for her.

Is there a point at which intervention is necessary? She wont expire on the nest will she? This is her first go with "live" eggs so I'm not entirely sure what to watch for and how she's going to cope.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.

lots of mine sit tight the first and last 3 days
I had one that sat tight the first and last 5 days and only got off every other day in between