Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Miss Lydia]

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I could have spent all day reading your blog "sweet pea" has Big mama had her clutch out and about yet? she will be the talk of the barn yard when she does

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Thank you!! Yes she is in my breeder grow out pen, so any of the other chickens get too close, she swiftly chases them away. All the chicks are doing well and so is big mama.

keep us updated with news and pics.

 

[Rachel'sFlock]

Greetings, all!
I am delighted to find this thread in plenty of time to catch up, before the Big Day!

I have a small flock of Black Australorps, 6 year-old hens, 2 5 month-old roosters and 3 pullets, just coming in to laying.
One of my year-olds is AliceAnn, my resident broody. She has been broody 5 times since she began laying last fall. Up to now, I have been forced to break up her setting, which has made us both unhappy. But now, we have fertile eggs coming by the day, and the next time she sets, I am going to let her try to hatch a clutch. I am only going to let her sit on the Big Girls' eggs, as they are healthy, excellent layers and only she is a broody (a trait I don't wish to pass on to her daughters).

I just finished breaking her for the last time a week or so ago, but I would be willing to bet she goes broody before the season changes again.
Really excited to work my way through this thread (I am in 65 pages or so of 335), and to be learning from you all and your experiences. Looove the pics!!!!
Thanks for all of your sharing!!!

Brightest Blessings

 

[Miss Lydia]

Rachel'sFlock :

Greetings, all!
I am delighted to find this thread in plenty of time to catch up, before the Big Day!

I have a small flock of Black Australorps, 6 year-old hens, 2 5 month-old roosters and 3 pullets, just coming in to laying.
One of my year-olds is AliceAnn, my resident broody. She has been broody 5 times since she began laying last fall. Up to now, I have been forced to break up her setting, which has made us both unhappy. But now, we have fertile eggs coming by the day, and the next time she sets, I am going to let her try to hatch a clutch. I am only going to let her sit on the Big Girls' eggs, as they are healthy, excellent layers and only she is a broody (a trait I don't wish to pass on to her daughters).

I just finished breaking her for the last time a week or so ago, but I would be willing to bet she goes broody before the season changes again.
Really excited to work my way through this thread (I am in 65 pages or so of 335), and to be learning from you all and your experiences. Looove the pics!!!!
Thanks for all of your sharing!!!

Brightest Blessings

Well you have to keep us updated on all the news!! and hope all goes well and AliceAnn finally gets to have her clutch!! AS you can see most of us have been there done that and we're taking deep breathes and relaxing, but we're all here for the ones still waiting [actually I have 3 broodys left but they have already had 1 clutch so they aren't actually sitting on anything] they just won't give up. We'll be waiting for updates...

 

[Gulfstream]

Morning! My Broody Blue Swede is now the proud momma of 6 (so far)! She has gotten nastier as the eggs hatch and she still has a pile of eggs underneath so there is no telling how many more. I am leaving her to the task and provide food and water and the occasional "well done"! I have her sectioned off from the other adults who are curious and protective. My question is when will she want to leave and venture out into the world with this new flock? As it stands she cannot until I move the wire section. Just wondering if I should move it during the day or leave it for a bit? Any advice appreciated.

Kinda hard to see..

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

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What a cute picture!

~ Aspen

 

[Chicklette 1]

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Baby ducks are soooooo cute!

 

[Rachel'sFlock]

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Thank you, Miss Lydia! I am very excited to have this wonderful resource at my fingertips!
I have some minor questions I haven't seen addressed in the first 80 pages of this thread, but if the answers were there, please forgive me. I read until my eyes cross at night, I swear!

* I have begun to supplement my regulars feed with plenty of leafy greens. I have read that greens are high in folic acid, and other birth-defect-preventing minerals, vitamins and compounds. It has been likened to women wishing to conceive taking folic acid in preparation to conceive. I understand a min. of 6 weeks of supplementing greens, in advance of collecting eggs to hatch, is a good guide. I feed grass, dandelions and clover. My question (finally, I know,

) is, does anyone here feed or supplement anything specific and/or out of ordinary to their hens (or roos) to help prepare them for successful breeding?

I am kind of a freak about all the reading, research and fact-analysis about (well, everything) my chooks and their upbringing. I talk to everyone about everything they know, read everything, and then try to decide what is best for our flock. Often I have leaned in favor of the Old Ways (as per actual homesteading, covered-wagon travelling Great Grandmas and Grandpas), but also consider and incorporate the latest technology, information and advice as it applies to my situation.

I obtained my first 6 1-week-old chicks last May, and first, just wanted sweet, healthy, egg-layers, which I was handsomely rewarded with (Blessed be!). The very instant they were all laying, I began to yearn for a roo, and to create a flock of my own. I feel buying chooks is kinds of a genetic crap-shoot, and want to be a little more in control about my own breeding.
Then I got roosters. 5 of them (talking of hatchery crap-shoots!

) in a batch of 8 straight run, purchased for me by my neighbor and close chicken-croney) . So, I had the opportunity to observe them all as they grew; behavior in the flock, aggression toward people and the hens, and general physical characteristics. All along, I had my heart set on one (the only one with a name, from 4 weeks-old), but he began to be more aggressive than I liked. One roo emerged as a polite, charming little man, who was beautiful and seemed to be a good FlockFather to me.
Having so many roos began to drive my poor hens crazy, and egg production has suffered this summer for it.
In a bit of amazing fortune, my husband's aunt and uncle came to visit the week the boys all turned 20 weeks, and they happen to live on a Century Farm in ND, and usually process 100 birds at a time. When I asked them to give me a live tutorial on processing roos, they sighed and asked "how many?" When I said 2, their eyes lit up, and Uncle Marty started sharpening knives.
So, now I have a balanced flock, the hens are happy and laying, and my eggs are fertile, so of course I am now obsessing about the next thing which is hatching fuzzy butts.
I finally grasp the nature of "chicken math" (which I also have found includes subtraction), and am so excited about this whole process.
Thank you all for having shared your experiences. As with all things chicken, I see so many different stories, and see that I will continue to have to learn everything and then call an audible about what we will do in this flock, in any given situation.
As I mentioned, I am so delighted to have found this thread before I got ready to allow AliceAnn to complete her life's work. She is a serious broody, who commits to the task, regardless of eggs, golf balls or anything. But I have seen how she tenderly rolled the golf balls, arranged them just so beneath her...and she didn't google a single thing! She had never set a clutch in her life, yet she knew exactly what to do.

I can hardly wait to document this experience, as I have all the rest of our milestones ( first roost in the brooder, noodle-lympics, first day in coop, first egg, first perfect egg day, first rooster, etc, etc...ad nauseum to anyone who doesn't have a baby, a puppy or a chicken they love~ I feel sad for them).
Thanks for being my forum about this. My obsession drives most people crazy...it is great to have a team of folks who already are!!!

Brightest Blessings!

 

[Rachel'sFlock]

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Ahhhdorable!!! Well done, BlueSuede and Chicklette!

 

[Gulfstream]

Got 8 now! 9th is pipping and the 3 day old chick keeps pecking at the pipp hole everytime the hole moves. I got some really interesting colors. Guess its true those Swedish Blues don't breed true. I have 4 that look like the "norm", 2 that are definitely a lighter version, 1 that is most definitely going to be white (its all yellow), and 1 that is super freaking coal black with yellow tipped wings (so white), jet black legs with yellow feet. Least I will be able to "name" these as obviously I can tell them apart. Gonna go sneak a pic for you all. There are still a mess of eggs in the nest. We are on day three of hatch. EEEEEK! I have already tripled my flock in 3 days! Anyone want some cute chicks? Or what about 3 big daddys not shooting blanks?

lots of eggs....

 

[Rachel'sFlock]

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Congrats Gulfstream!