Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Miss Lydia]

Too bad we don't live closer!!! I'm picking up more Silkie eggs this weekend. Incubator will be loaded at my place yet again!

(Ella, my almost 10 week old white bearded Silkie is acting more female than male so fingers crossed

, I will have a coop FULL of broody Silkies later this year!!!!)

You must have a BIG coop BG with all the chicks you have been hatching you'll need one.

 

[BlueCamas]

I have a broody!

She had hoarded 10 eggs before I gave her 5 new ones! Poor girl

she was trying to scoot them all under her, but she can barely fit 5 under her! This is going to be her second try. Last time she hatched 3 out of 4 eggs but lost all three chicks due to lack of experience on both our parts. Hopefully she has better luck this time!

 

[Miss Lydia]

I have a broody!

She had hoarded 10 eggs before I gave her 5 new ones! Poor girl

she was trying to scoot them all under her, but she can barely fit 5 under her! This is going to be her second try. Last time she hatched 3 out of 4 eggs but lost all three chicks due to lack of experience on both our parts. Hopefully she has better luck this time!

How exciting, how many eggs did you let her have, just from my experience not a good idea to give them too many it may over whelm them especially when they are first starting out.. All the best and keep us updated on her progress.

 

[bloom chicks]

Hi everyone, I hope I am doing the right thing. I put 12 eggs under my broody tonight. She is insistent on staying in the nest she picked so I am letting her stay there. It is in the coop in one of the nesting boxes. I have 9 boxes. I have another broody that I put in a large dog crate. I left the gate open so she could come and go as needed. Her babies are 4 weeks old today. Everyone in the flock is great with the babies. I marked all the eggs that I put under my 2nd broody. Am I doing the right thing by letting her stay in the box instead of the dog crate? My other broody stayed in the coop as well but the dog crate was on the ground, the nesting box is 18" off the ground. Any advice or input would be great thank you so much.

 

[bloom chicks]

Our second chick hatched today! Just one more egg left under the broody hen, and theres two more under the broodies up in the chicken coop! Looking at the chicks I think the light chick is probably from our white hen, so it'll be interesting to see what colours she gets when she's older

Congrats on your new babies. Thank you for sharing.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I would move her as soon as they hatch so they don't fall out of the nest and get injured or hurt by another chicken, unless mama vacates the dog kennel before then move her along with her eggs at night and close the door so she won't go back to the nest box thats off the floor. And good luck sounds like you have everything under control... But don't forget those pics. Most of us are still waiting for our first broody of the new year.

 

[bloom chicks]

Thank you so much.... I am feeling a little more confident that she will be okay where she is right now...... Nobody seems to bother her except the 4 week old chicks like to observe her.... LOL..... The one thing about this broody she seems meaner then my 1st broody....... I will definitely post pictures....I am so glad to have this site to come too..... I love having broody mamas

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thank you so much.... I am feeling a little more confident that she will be okay where she is right now...... Nobody seems to bother her except the 4 week old chicks like to observe her.... LOL..... The one thing about this broody she seems meaner then my 1st broody....... I will definitely post pictures....I am so glad to have this site to come too..... I love having broody mamas

 

[bloom chicks]

Here is Mama in her nest....

 

[bloom chicks]

Here is Lily with her 4 week old babies....