Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Lady of McCamley]

@fisherlady
Your coop brooding was the inspiration to me to let my girls (and flock) become coop broody friendly.

I always appreciate pics of your lovely pencilled rocks. <3
LofMc

 

[Lady of McCamley]

UPDATE
Bar is doing a great job with the 8 chicks. She still won't let me get a good look at all chicks, but I'm confident (if my genetics are right) that I've got some girls (no head dots).

Brownie sits on 4 Barnie brown eggs due this Sunday-ish. The blue egg I moved to her has not hatched and likely dead chick in shell.

Cochine is mostly on in her nest. She broke an egg, so there is some slop on some of the shells. I pulled off the eggs that had been laid after marking. I personally don't worry about the egg mess unless it's really bad as I think it's worse to wash the eggs and the bloom off. This is "what the heck" bumper nest anyway. Maybe some of the olive eggers will hatch in this. I've got a lot of olives right now, so not crucial.

More later

(And if I'm really organized some pics....but I've been hobbling on a sprained ankle so don't know if I'm up to getting photos at the coop yet....we'll see.)

LofMc

 

[fisherlady]

@fisherlady
Your coop brooding was the inspiration to me to let my girls (and flock) become coop broody friendly.

I always appreciate pics of your lovely pencilled rocks. <3
LofMc

Thank you! Enabling seems to be one of our favorite past times here on BYC

UPDATE
Bar is doing a great job with the 8 chicks.

Cochine is mostly on in her nest.... I personally don't worry about the egg mess unless it's really bad as I think it's worse to wash the eggs and the bloom off.

(And if I'm really organized some pics....but I've been hobbling on a sprained ankle so don't know if I'm up to getting photos at the coop yet....we'll see.)

LofMc

I'm glad Bar is doing so well. I agree with you about messed eggs... I also just wipe the worst off, replace bedding if needed and leave them at that.

Sorry to hear about your ankle! I can certainly sympathize, I broke my foot last March and thank goodness my DH did all the chicken tending through the extended journey through surgery and recovery time (which was horribly complicated by a very aggressive onset of rheumatoid Arthritis). It really hasn't been till warmer days in late this winter that I started spending much extended time in the coops again.

Photo ops in the coop are certainly low on the priority list during times like your ankle injury. Definitely don't worry about pics till you are back to normal with the ankle, it's not worth the risk of a fall.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Whelp. Frustrating morning. Mom is up and I fully counted 7 chicks which made sense as I thought I'd set 10 eggs and 3 didn't hatch.

3 no head dot female
1 head dot male or female
1 double dot male
2 Barnie down undetermined

Sadly 1 girl was dead in the nest. Crushed? No signs of what was wrong.

Then later mom tried to lead them into the run but 1 female wouldn't follow. She ran out into the yard. Bar, Brownie, and the rooster all tried to call her back and guide her but she refused to follow.

Of course when I tried to hobble and guide her back she zipped out of the wood pile and into the neighbor's yard. I tried to find her with no luck.

Gag. So frustrating. Why is it always the ones you want.

So 1 girl and 1 hopeful,,

Breeder in me says I want the double barred roo and the hopeful single barred female as they would create a true CL autosexing line.

But I just want lots of pretty tourquoise eggs.

Whelp. Browne is settled with 4 Barnie eggs. Cochine gets pushed off by Bar or Creme but always goes right back. She has1 blue egg and some olive. We'll see.

I'll be collecting turquoise eggs for awhile hoping for another hen to go broody.

LofMc

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Well...glory be....I just went out again, Momma Bar is up and feeding/watering the chicks in the coop feeders...and get this...there are SIX, SIX chicks again.

Babe obviously made it back. Literally when I left to run errands, the whole flock was heads up listening and looking for her. Rooster walked sevaral times from the peeps to the coop to show the way.

So somebody escorted the little escapee back.

Or I simply can't count.

THINK I have 2 no head dot girls, 1 unsure dot, 1 male double dot, 2 Barnies.

News at 11.

Reporting from Coopberry RFD,
LofMc

 

[fisherlady]

Well...glory be....I just went out again, Momma Bar is up and feeding/watering the chicks in the coop feeders...and get this...there are SIX, SIX chicks again.

Babe obviously made it back. Literally when I left to run errands, the whole flock was heads up listening and looking for her. Rooster walked sevaral times from the peeps to the coop to show the way.

So somebody escorted the little escapee back.

Or I simply can't count.

THINK I have 2 no head dot girls, 1 unsure dot, 1 male double dot, 2 Barnies.

News at 11.

Reporting from Coopberry RFD,
LofMc

Awesome news! Will stay tuned for updates.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

...and news at 11

The drama continues with the vying broody hens. Bar took Cochine's (the "whatever" nest) with the chicks pushing Cochine to the empty Bar nest....WITH the single dot chick, who Cochine obviously didn't cover well enough as I just found the chick cold stiff, expiring its last breaths. I tried to recover it, but I don't think it will make it. I put it under Brownie to hopefully warm, but pretty sure I've lost this chick now.

I could just about fricassee these two stupid hens. If they'd stop pushing each other off the nest (mostly Bar to Cochine) I don't think I'd have the chick loss. The other chick must have succumbed to cold with a similar scenario.

So back to 5 chicks:
2 no dot females
1 double dot male
2 Barnies

Argggg. I've had such excellent hatches in this flock groupwise, and last year I wasn't even trying...but this year...this year...when I really care.

I left things alone tonight but tomorrow will look at taking all of Cochine's eggs and putting Cochine elsewhere.

Sigh.

LofMc

 

[Lady of McCamley]

BREAKING UPDATE:

The more I thought about it, I just decided to pull the plug on Cochine. So I moved her to the other side coop where Brownie is. Cochine has awhile before these eggs hatch, and Brownie is less aggressive than Bar...so here's hoping I don't have the same scenario with the side coop.

I lifted up Bar and took Cochine's eggs. I counted, finally in one stable place, 6 chicks still, plus the cold chick (who by some miracle is still alive).

So I put the cold chick back under Bar in the main coop.
2 no dots females, possible a 3rd (hard to tell)
1 dot male
1, very cold, probably dying one dot male/female (I had a female vibe)
2 possibly 3 Barnies (as one down was not clear if CL or Barnie)

So 7 babies still. One MUST have made it back to the coop from this afternoon.

Cochine accepted her new nest. Sadly it's where the birds have chosen to lay since Bar has taken the main nests. I'll salt the other main coop with some eggs for them to decide to lay.

We'll see what tomorrow brings, but hopefully Bar's warmth will resurrect Dotty (she was still living when I moved her as she warmed).

Cochine is happy on her eggs in the new nest....and not in the same coop as Bar.

Hopefully Brownie who is due this weekend isn't disturbed by Cochine...but Cochine was the one being bodily thrown out of her nest by Bar....so I think these two Barnie/Cochine hybrids will be better together.

Here's hoping tomorrow brings me 7 healthy chicks.

Oh my the drama this year.

Reporting from Coopberry RFD,
LofMc

 

[Molpet]

UREAKING UPDATE:

The more I thought about it, I just decided to pull the plug on Cochine. So I moved her to the other side coop where Brownie is. Cochine has awhile before these eggs hatch, and Brownie is less aggressive than Bar...so here's hoping I don't have the same scenario with the side coop.

I lifted up Bar and took Cochine's eggs. I counted, finally in one stable place, 6 chicks still, plus the cold chick (who by some miracle is still alive).

So I put the cold chick back under Bar in the main coop.
2 no dots females, possible a 3rd (hard to tell)
1 dot male
1, very cold, probably dying one dot male/female (I had a female vibe)
2 possibly 3 Barnies (as one down was not clear if CL or Barnie)

So 7 babies still. One MUST have made it back to the coop from this afternoon.

Cochine accepted her new nest. Sadly it's where the birds have chosen to lay since Bar has taken the main nests. I'll salt the other main coop with some eggs for them to decide to lay.

We'll see what tomorrow brings, but hopefully Bar's warmth will resurrect Dotty (she was still living when I moved her as she warmed).

Cochine is happy on her eggs in the new nest....and not in the same coop as Bar.

Hopefully Brownie who is due this weekend isn't disturbed by Cochine...but Cochine was the one being bodily thrown out of her nest by Bar....so I think these two Barnie/Cochine hybrids will be better together.

Here's hoping tomorrow brings me 7 healthy chicks.

Oh my the drama this year.

Reporting from Coopberry RFD,
LofMc

Figures a year you care has so much drama

 

[fisherlady]

It is hard when you have to juggle multiple broody stages when someone is aggressive about nest stealing. Separation hopefully will give everyone some peace of mind. If Bar is an aggressive broody you can probably expect her to cause some more coop drama for the next 2 weeks or so but at least your expectant hens will get some relief. We have a couple of hens who seem to walk around with a giant chip on their shoulder who I swear make up reasons to be upset at others in the flock. Thankfully the majority are content to take care of their chicks with minimal conflicts (which are appropriate when they happen).

I am glad you were able to resurrect the cold one. I have done that twice with success, twice without. It is amazing how well they can recover with time and heat.