Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[BullChick]

Get outa my living room!
“Okay, honey. I am going to put the dog kennel back in the coop, and put the sheet back over it. That way the girls can go outside to dust bathe, and I don’t have to move them again later.”

We also discussed whether or not we need more eggs.

 

[fisherlady]

For those only following along here... The dog kennel comment is a continuation of a suggestion I made on the Pennsylvania Unite thread for BullChick to use a dog kennel type container on the floor for the SPR hens to brood, because birds from my flock seem a bit crazy about wanting to set in pairs and trios and even crazier about liking to raise chicks in a group rather than as single broody family units.

honest BullChick, I didn't bug your living room when we dropped off the birds! My ESP was just working overtime

 

[Lady of McCamley]

according to the article, the benefit of point up is that the blastoderm on the yolk stays more central and gives rise to fewer malpositions/deformities in the chicks.
The article does address these issues directly; it is entitled "EFFECT OF PACKING ORIENTATION, DAILY POSITIONAL CHANGE AND VIBRATION ON THE HATCHABILITY OF CHICKEN EGGS STORED UP TO FOUR WEEKS" (caps in original copied here, not me shouting!)

What's even funnier...my broodies never read a book or a study. They seem to turn their eggs and not worry about pointy side down or up...they are, as another poster stated flat.

If you watch an egg as you turn it, you will see the tuberous attachments at the ends (the chalazae) act like bungee cords to turn the yolk so the full blastoderm is always nearest the hen. Since no end is higher than another, there is no reason for the air sac cell to detach, as there could be pointy side up.

I tend to take my cue by the hens. Nature seems to know what it is doing.

LofMc

 

[BullChick]

The two girls are in the cage. I’ll see what the third is doing when things are settled down later.
I wore gloves, but the girls were bottoms out, so I wasn’t in danger anyway.

 

[BullChick]

Two settled on the floor, and the third on the roost. For now.

 

[BullChick]

I didn’t used to believe in drinking at all with a child in the house. Today was an exception. I’m chill now.
The move was done later in the evening, after everyone was situated. They didn’t miss the opportunity to go outside for scratch though. There was so much happening (like Duckling realizing she could get into the run once in the coop), that when I moved the two broodies, their complaining finally set the third girl, and the other birds off. I shut the two in until things settled down.

I know the girls are glad they are finally able to lay comfortably. They settled against the door. Isn’t it nice that those cages have a side door?

 

[Perris]

I tend to take my cue by the hens. Nature seems to know what it is doing.

me too, and once the eggs are being incubated they're sideways of course. The study was about storage prior to incubation. Is there an egg holder that stores them sideways? The old books recommended sitting them in bran, and any orientation is possible there of course.

 

[CindyinSD]

me too, and once the eggs are being incubated they're sideways of course. The study was about storage prior to incubation. Is there an egg holder that stores them sideways? The old books recommended sitting them in bran, and any orientation is possible there of course.

I don't think it really makes a practical difference in hatch rate for small-timers like us. I do whatever's convenient. One thing though, is to store them loosely draped with plastic--such as a grocery bag--to keep dehydration down, so the air cell doesn't get too large before hatch time.

 

[aliciaplus3]

so this happened...
And my chickens must have heard I was shutting off the incubators cuz we now have 7 broody chicken hens sitting

 

[fisherlady]

Yep, that seems about right, lol

The Turkey broody and poults are adorable! Seems strange seeing such a big, awkward looking bird being such a careful mama.... very sweet!