Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[fisherlady]

I bet they are SPRs, lol

 

[BullChick]

How did you know?!

 

[fisherlady]

Just a Wild guess...

 

[fisherlady]

Nice to see the girls are keeping up the broody tradition.

 

[Faraday40]

Seeing pics of all the penciled rocks makes me miss mine. She was a good broody but since her eggs and my orpington eggs were the same shade of brown, I decided to rehome her. (When breeding orpingtons, I want to make sure I'm setting only pure orpington eggs.)

Now I sort of regret that decision. She was beautiful, a good mama, and decent layer - when not broody.

 

[CindyinSD]

One of my Partridge Cochin pullets from last spring (hen now, I guess) has been sitting on one egg or two or none for the last 3-4 days. I chased her out every time I saw her all flattened out in the communal nesting box, but she's always there in a pile of feathers when I come back. I'm not all that sure she's serious... I've had other hens do the same and end up getting bored after a week or two.

I gave her thirteen eggs from my chicken incubator that haven't started developing yet (prolly won't--five days in, but I would have left them for ten--only I needed a temporary home for a bunch of started goose eggs while their further-along sibs go into lockdown). Anyway, if the eggs I gave her haven't gone anywhere in another five, and if she's still in the mood, I will give her some of the thirty-two left in the incubator.

Any advice on how many? I was thinking maybe three or four at first... I don't want to lose a bunch if she suddenly gets fed up. I think I'll build her a little mobile broody coop with an integral yard. Would it be a bad idea to try to move her, and if not (necessarily) bad, when would be an optimal stage to do it?

Thanks so much for any advice you may be able to offer

 

[BullChick]

I get it about being serious. My experience with moving a broody is a mixed bag. Moving a hen once the chicks are out is easiest though.
I only had one time I absolutely had to move a broody. It was a co-brood (guess who’s coop those girls came from?) several years ago. The eggs kept getting crushed because other hens were jumping in the box to lay. Fisherlady dropped off a fresh batch of eggs (pure SPR instead of the mutts from Steven), and I moved the hens on day one. They got some, and the rest were hatched inside.

 

[BullChick]

Duckling couldn’t resist. Two tails facing out of the box begged to be pet.
The first girl is still running out for scratch. It’s not concerning, but it’s that behavior that kept me guessing about what to do. I’ll save the jabber.

 

[fisherlady]

I would set some eggs in your incubator and let the hens keep theirs, then if they hatch just a couple you can graft the incubator chicks to them to raise.

 

[BullChick]

You and Duckling are too much alike.