Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Lady of McCamley]

Morning report.
Dotty, the single dot chick, did not recover over the night. So sadly she's/he's gone.

Bar was with the chicks in the main coop, happy. Though the male has escaped and is squawking in the run right now. I'm not going to intervene as that went badly last time. Chances are somebody will escort him back to the nest.

Poor Cochine made it through the night on her new nest only to have Creme push her off to lay eggs. That's the problem. Cochine is a lower order hen and gets pushed off easily, which is why she got the "what the heck" nest. I didn't expect her to go the distance....but maybe she will. We will see if she returns to her new nest or the old one. I'll have to check later today. She tried the main coop but Bar pushed her out.

Brownie, sweet Brownie, is like a statue in her corner nest. I'll have to check on her later today to see if I hear new peeps with her. That will more likely be tomorrow. She has food and water nearby.

Wish this year had a lot less drama. It's hard to hobble around on a sprained ankle and keep the squabbling hens taken care of.

Oh well....I've had such great experiences in the past with main coop hatching, of course there are those years when the chemistry of the hens is such that drama abounds.

Sadly we had to tear down my old brooding hutch (before it fell down). I have a new coop, but it's for my brown line of chickens not designated broody hutch. I may just have to have a designated hutch again...which would be my left split hutch where Brownie is. I'll have to reorganize things again for next time.

Keeping my fingers crossed.
LofMc

 

[Lady of McCamley]

...and it looks like I've lost another CL girl. Another one found abandoned, stiff with cold.

Momma is down in the run with the other 5 chicks...now 1 CL girl, 1CL boy, and 3 Barnies.

Barnies are doing great...what gives with the CL? Genetic defect. Stupid chick tricks? (Momma CL was never the brightest hen in the coop). Arrrrgggggg.

Cochine has been pushed off her new nest by Creme, who is STILL brooding those eggs. I just can't believe she will make the full time though.

Brownie is still faithful statue in the corner.

I guess I will have to go back to isolated brooding again next time. I was so hoping I'd managed to manipulate the flock into brooding in the main coop, but this time is ridiculous.

I'll ride out this horrible run, then the next hen that goes broody will get a boat load of turquoise eggs and an isolated nest. I won't tolerate any other hens disturbing her.

Sigh.
LofMc

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Evening report.

Bar tried to get babes back into coop (which I'd placed a temporary ramp for chicks on) to no avail, so settled in the enclosed coop run (which is fine). Interestingly the only chick that made it up the ramp was the CL girl. I wonder if that is how they kept getting separated. The rest of the group didn't follow and the CL's got stranded. Oh well, never know. Also in this CL batch some of the eggs were a bit old that I set. I just figured they wouldn't develop...but also wondering if that made some of the chicks weaker? Again, who knows.

Cochine went back to her original nest (that Bar threw her out of). I would have moved over the "iffy" eggs, but Creme was back on them, and of course Bar was sitting right in front of the door.

Sooo....I put a new batch of CL eggs under Cochine. With Bar out of the main coop, hopefully Cochine will have a chance with these new eggs. She's been brooding for just under 2 weeks, so hopefully she'll extend. We'll see. A bit of a Hail Mary pass this time.

Brownie is still a statue in her corner in the left coop. Chicks should arrive soon.

Now that I know the chemistry of this current flock, I will definitely set the left coop up as the brooding nursery next time and have any brooding hen in that coop, which is oversized and has a locking door. It makes for a really nice nursery. I was going to do that this time, but then I got one in the "nursery" with 2 in the main coop and thought I'd give it a try.

Too bad it isn't going as hoped.

Hoping to recover some CL. Good news is I still have the 5 chicks: 1CL girl, 1CL boy, 3 Barnies.

New Barnies should come soon.

If really, really, lucky Cochine will give me a batch more of CLs. Otherwise, I should have a hen go broody by end of summer and I will set a bunch more...in the nursery coop.

Signing off from
Coopberry RFD
LofMc

 

[fisherlady]

Picture from this evening in coop. A bit of drama going on. Group of 3 hens with 9 chicks. Two hens are white rock mixes, 3rd is a SPR. So the 2 white ones are bullying the SPR girl a lot, but she is sticking it out and the chicks aren't suffering, in the evening the 2 white hens try to get the chicks up on a roost already and most don't have it figured out yet... but the SPR hen to the rescue! She has a comfy spot on the floor and chicks stay with her for the night. I expect the white hens will give up the chicks @ 5 weeks and the SPR will keep them till 9 or 10 weeks. Seems their normal.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Drama has settled down in the coop.

Bar is happy in the run with the 5 remaining chicks who look good

Brownie has one Barnie little head poking up from her feathers. I won't look deeper until tomorrow. She has a safe set up for the chicks.

Cochine is happy as a clam in her old nest now undisturbed. She'd only been setting 10 days, so she should have no trouble on the 7 new CL eggs I put under her.

Time will tell.

Ankle is finally feeling better. Still a bit sore but definitely better. Hopefully I can get some picks soon.

LofMc

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Update:
Brownie hatched out 3 lovely Barnie babes. I've kept her locked up in that side coop so that Bar doesn't bully her or the babes as Bar is so defensive.

Bar lost the male CL I'm pretty sure to a rat. Found it chewed up in the run. Oh how I hate rats. But she has 1CL and 3 Barnie babes growing fine. Sure wish I had more CL girls.

Hopefully Cochine will provide them. She's faithfully sitting though someone keeps hoarding in and laying in the nest. One egg broke, but she has 8 others. I haven't checked for development yet. She's only 3 days into setting.

That means when Brownie has 2 week olds, and Bar will by then have 3 week olds, I'll let Brownie lose in the run. The babes should be fleet of foot enough to avoid the hazing Bar will give Brownie...and hopefully Bar will be less intense with older Babes.

So when Cochine is ready to hatch, I will block off the main coop, and everyone can congregate into the side coop.

Hopefully that will work, and I can get some CL hens.

LofMc

 

[Perris]

My 4 year old Norfolk Grey Eve started sitting on 8 eggs on Saturday 14th May; 4 Braekel and 2 Isabella Leghorn purchased as hatching eggs from a rare breed enthusiast nearby, and 2 Swedish Flower laid by my beautiful (also 4 yr old but never gone broody) SFH hen Venka.

She's got a coop to herself for the time being, netted off because in years past she has gone back to the wrong nest if someone else was laying in hers while she was off for daily ablutions. She adjusted to the move within the hour, and she is an experienced broody, so I'm hopeful for this hatch, which is due the weekend 4/5 June.

 

[fisherlady]

My 4 year old Norfolk Grey Eve started sitting on 8 eggs on Saturday 14th May; 4 Braekel and 2 Isabella Leghorn purchased as hatching eggs from a rare breed enthusiast nearby, and 2 Swedish Flower laid by my beautiful (also 4 yr old but never gone broody) SFH hen Venka.

She's got a coop to herself for the time being, netted off because in years past she has gone back to the wrong nest if someone else was laying in hers while she was off for daily ablutions. She adjusted to the move within the hour, and she is an experienced broody, so I'm hopeful for this hatch, which is due the weekend 4/5 June.

Hoping all goes well with her sit!

 

[Perris]

Hoping all goes well with her sit!

thanks!

 

[Perris]

It was a disappointing hatch - worst ever here in fact. Only 3 hatched (we're only a day over, but I'm not optimistic for the remaining 5), 1 each of the Braekels, Leghorns and Swedish Flowers. I hope to find out what the issue(s) were when she brings the chicks off the nest and I can do an eggtopsy. The 3 look great though!