Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

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HHandbasket said:
Well, my little Uma, who is half bantam dark brahma and half bantam cochin, started laying about 2 or 3 weeks ago and has already gone broody, We gave her 5 eggs to sit on--one of her own, 3 WFBS, and one EE mutt (mom's an EE, dad's a mottled java/FBCM mix).

What's so interesting is she started laying at only 4 months of age and just turned 5 months old the other day (she was hatched in mid August). We were shocked when she started laying so young! I think she was 17 weeks old when she laid her first egg. Does anyone know if that's normal for banties?? I haven't had a lot of bantams. My porcelain d'uccle started laying at about 24 weeks and laid for a couple of months, but then her mate passed away about 3 weeks after being injured in an accicdent with a larger chicken that got the zoomies & accidentally ran him down when he was running across the yard. She laid one egg the day after Charlie passed away, and she hasn't laid an egg since--that was in September. She is just recently, the last week or so, letting our cuckoo silkie roo mate her. That might produce some funky little offspring, eh?

So we are waiting on Uma's eggs to hatch! Going to be an interesting little mix. I love broodies! It's been a couple of days & she is due to hatch her babies out on the 10th of February.

Edited for typos.
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My bantams are around 5 months when they start to lay, sounds like your girl is pretty early, but am looking forward to hearing how it goes and seeing pics of course... Bantams make awesome mamas..
fl.gif
 
I don't know if this has been asked yet or not, but 633 pages is a lot to look through
barnie.gif
So I will ask anyway! :) I am hatching eggs with a broody hen for the first time, and reading in a few books that the hen goes out into the grass when she is off her eggs and get some dew on her breast to keep the humidity right in her eggs. I have my broody inside with no way to get to grass or dew. She does however have a water bowl which she could walk in if she so chooses. What should I do to keep humidity up?
 
moomee56 said:
I don't know if this has been asked yet or not, but 633 pages is a lot to look through
barnie.gif
So I will ask anyway! :) I am hatching eggs with a broody hen for the first time, and reading in a few books that the hen goes out into the grass when she is off her eggs and get some dew on her breast to keep the humidity right in her eggs. I have my broody inside with no way to get to grass or dew. She does however have a water bowl which she could walk in if she so chooses. What should I do to keep humidity up?
Click to expand...

I've never heard of this for chickens. Ducks, yes, chickens no. I'm pretty sure you are just fine. I've never noticed my broody's doing this.
 

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