Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[BarnGoddess01]

Quote:
Congratulations on your young broody! In my opinion, 18 eggs is too many for a first timer. Maybe half a dozen or so. I put 10 eggs under a first time broody last year and it was a disaster. Broken eggs, 24 days to hatch - only 2 made it to hatch, 1 survived. I have 5 eggs under my second broody this year. It's going much better. I'll let you know on the weekend how the hatch worked out.

I tried to leave my broody in a nest box in the coop but it only lasted just over a week. The other hens booted her off the nest to lay eggs. It was hard on her and can risk breaking eggs. Plus, you then have to sort out which one is the new egg so you can get it out. I now have mine in an enclosed box still within the coop. I don't believe the other birds will forget her even if you do have to remove her completely for a month or so. 20" is still a tumble for the little ones. On the ground is best if you can swing it some how.

I don't remove my broody from her nest and definitely not twice a day. Once a day, at most if you are determined. I have food and water within reach but she doesn't eat much. The water goes down a tiny bit. But I leave the leavin' up to her. At first, she stuck to the nest for days at a time. Now she seems to be coming off every other day for 20 minutes or so. (Gives me a chance to check the nest and the eggs.)

If you get shipped eggs, they should sit for a day (24 hours) before putting them under her. Room temperature worked for me. Is your broody sitting on eggs now? Perhaps you should try some sacrifice eggs to make sure she's serious until you get the real eggs sorted out. That will also give you an idea of how many eggs she can comfortably handle and get her used to having eggs under her. When you are ready, remove the sacrifice eggs and put all the real ones under her carefully. Wish her well and walk away!

Wait 21 days. Impatiently.

JMHO. Good luck!

 

[mstricer]

Quote:
Congratulations on your young broody! In my opinion, 18 eggs is too many for a first timer. Maybe half a dozen or so. I put 10 eggs under a first time broody last year and it was a disaster. Broken eggs, 24 days to hatch - only 2 made it to hatch, 1 survived. I have 5 eggs under my second broody this year. It's going much better. I'll let you know on the weekend how the hatch worked out.

I tried to leave my broody in a nest box in the coop but it only lasted just over a week. The other hens booted her off the nest to lay eggs. It was hard on her and can risk breaking eggs. Plus, you then have to sort out which one is the new egg so you can get it out. I now have mine in an enclosed box still within the coop. I don't believe the other birds will forget her even if you do have to remove her completely for a month or so. 20" is still a tumble for the little ones. On the ground is best if you can swing it some how.

I don't remove my broody from her nest and definitely not twice a day. Once a day, at most if you are determined. I have food and water within reach but she doesn't eat much. The water goes down a tiny bit. But I leave the leavin' up to her. At first, she stuck to the nest for days at a time. Now she seems to be coming off every other day for 20 minutes or so. (Gives me a chance to check the nest and the eggs.)

If you get shipped eggs, they should sit for a day (24 hours) before putting them under her. Room temperature worked for me. Is your broody sitting on eggs now? Perhaps you should try some sacrifice eggs to make sure she's serious until you get the real eggs sorted out. That will also give you an idea of how many eggs she can comfortably handle and get her used to having eggs under her. When you are ready, remove the sacrifice eggs and put all the real ones under her carefully. Wish her well and walk away!

Wait 21 days. Impatiently.

JMHO. Good luck!

I am also doing 2 small broody hatches one has 5 eggs and the other 4 eggs. Good luck to everyone.

 

[Niss]

Welcome slurrywidow!
Miss L is the expert, but I'll add my experiance on Qs 2 & 4. My broody is doing an excellent job raising the chicks and keeping them safe. She's only had to give a few other hens what for, most ignore the chicks. However, when she was sitting I had an aweful time. Anytime she was up other hens got in her nest, twice new eggs popped up, so I would mark the eggs as sujested. But the real problems was two naughty leghorns that found her eggs irresistable. I'd only had some scattered egg eating before, but those bad hens desided the broody nest was a buffet! I tried to gaurd her nest when she got up but it didn't always work. I ended up giving up after 1 and 3/4 failed attemps and gave her 4 day olds.

It's about time for an update on those, so here they are! They don't seem to be growing very fast, they ignore chick starter in the tray in favor of whatevery they scratch up

I took these photos just a few wet mornings ago. Mama freaks out sometimes because they will run though the fencing

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
Congratulations on your young broody! In my opinion, 18 eggs is too many for a first timer. Maybe half a dozen or so. I put 10 eggs under a first time broody last year and it was a disaster. Broken eggs, 24 days to hatch - only 2 made it to hatch, 1 survived. I have 5 eggs under my second broody this year. It's going much better. I'll let you know on the weekend how the hatch worked out.

I tried to leave my broody in a nest box in the coop but it only lasted just over a week. The other hens booted her off the nest to lay eggs. It was hard on her and can risk breaking eggs. Plus, you then have to sort out which one is the new egg so you can get it out. I now have mine in an enclosed box still within the coop. I don't believe the other birds will forget her even if you do have to remove her completely for a month or so. 20" is still a tumble for the little ones. On the ground is best if you can swing it some how.

I don't remove my broody from her nest and definitely not twice a day. Once a day, at most if you are determined. I have food and water within reach but she doesn't eat much. The water goes down a tiny bit. But I leave the leavin' up to her. At first, she stuck to the nest for days at a time. Now she seems to be coming off every other day for 20 minutes or so. (Gives me a chance to check the nest and the eggs.)

If you get shipped eggs, they should sit for a day (24 hours) before putting them under her. Room temperature worked for me. Is your broody sitting on eggs now? Perhaps you should try some sacrifice eggs to make sure she's serious until you get the real eggs sorted out. That will also give you an idea of how many eggs she can comfortably handle and get her used to having eggs under her. When you are ready, remove the sacrifice eggs and put all the real ones under her carefully. Wish her well and walk away!

Wait 21 days. Impatiently.

JMHO. Good luck!

I am also doing 2 small broody hatches one has 5 eggs and the other 4 eggs. Good luck to everyone.

To you too!!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
Cute, cute.!!! mine didn't eat alot of chick starter either because mama found such goodies for them. but they are eating good I bet..

 

[BarnGoddess01]

I wonder if my broody friends can help me. I have a friend in southern California (L.A. area - San Gabriel). They have 3 hens at a pre-school. One of the girls has gone broody. No roos around so they don't have any fertile eggs. Apparently this poor girl has been sitting for weeks now - on unfertilized eggs. Is there anybody in the area that might be willing to sell them a half dozen fertile eggs? Anything will do. It would be great fun for the kids to see the eggs hatch and mama hen with some chicks. Please PM me if you can help.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
In a pinch you could try some Trader Joes Fertile eggs. They are only four days or so out of the egg farm and kept at an optimal temp. You get them to room temp first.... There is a Trader Joes thread here for more info. There is a date code on the carton But I have read that people are getting between 1 and 5 that actually hatch out. Good luck.

 

[Fuffy]

Hermione decided it was time to leave the babies and go back to being a hen yesterday.

I was actually going to move her when it was dark, since she did seem rather restless.

So she found her own way back with the grown ups. There was much swearing in chicken and an awful lot of parading.

But noone was hurt and everyone went to bed.

And when I let them all out this morning there was a beautiful little silkie cross Hermione egg for me

The 2 babies don't seem overly upset. But they are a little clingy to each other and a bit subdued. They even stayed in their bit of the run all day (My fence mending seems to be

working)

The next step will be introducing the babies to the grown ups...but that's not for another 6 to 8 weeks

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
good going Fuffy, my fence mending leave lots to be desired.

we have so much rock it's really hard to drive a fence post or dig one in. Can all the chickens see your 2 little ones? I still have 1 mama with hers they are 9 weeks old, I saw the roo trying to separate mama from her chicks so he could have his way with her this morning, but she out smarted him..

.

 

[BarnGoddess01]

perchie.girl :

Quote:
In a pinch you could try some Trader Joes Fertile eggs. They are only four days or so out of the egg farm and kept at an optimal temp. You get them to room temp first.... There is a Trader Joes thread here for more info. There is a date code on the carton But I have read that people are getting between 1 and 5 that actually hatch out. Good luck.

Fabulous lead!!! Thank you, Perchie.girl.​