Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Miss Lydia]

There's a problem with BYC, Miss Lydia. Don't panic. Fix is anticipated tonight or tomorrow.

Thanks BG I just hate to miss the action on here..

 

[Moochie]

Well I'm sad and partially crying. Very confused too. I hope one of you more expirienced broody users know why my broody hen did this awful thing... So today I checked the eggs in the morning and the bigger egg of the two pipped. I checked on the egg in the afternoon and the crack was bigger and going around the egg. Mother hen wasn't acting funny although when I did give her some mealworms and when she went back in the nest she was pecking sort of roughly at the bigger egg. So I took the egg away until she finally settled herself in the nest, I didn't want her breaking the egg and harming the chick inside. All the other broodies I've had never pecked the eggs rough so I thought what she was doing was rather odd.
I went back to check at 5:30pm pacific time, so not too long ago, to check on the progress of the peep and I found something awful.... I stuck my hand under the momma as I always do... I felt something sticky.. I took my hand out and saw blood and yolk. I took the momma out and there was chick, but not alive. I took the chick out, it was still connected to some shell, it's intestines were pulled out, very sticky and bloody. The other egg (banty cochin egg) was totally untouched though. Why would she do such a thing?
I'm very shocked at what she has done and I'm not sure if I can trust her with the other egg. I candled the banty egg and the head of the chick has already poked into the air sac, it should start hatching tomorrow...
Please tell me that the broody did this because she sensed something was wrong with the chick or something of the sort. I was really excited to have chicks! Now I'll only have 1 hatch again and that's a 50/50 chance. Someone please tell me that what my broody did was normal...

 

[stonykill]

I've had that happen. I have felt that the hen knew something was wrong with the chick, or knew it had died. I had pretty much the same exact thing happen to me last week. I still trusted mine to sit on eggs when they have either eaten an egg, or killed a newborn chick. It's nature, and I trust that the broody's know best. It is sad when it happens. If your mama were mine, I would trust her

Well I'm sad and partially crying. Very confused too. I hope one of you more expirienced broody users know why my broody hen did this awful thing... So today I checked the eggs in the morning and the bigger egg of the two pipped. I checked on the egg in the afternoon and the crack was bigger and going around the egg. Mother hen wasn't acting funny although when I did give her some mealworms and when she went back in the nest she was pecking sort of roughly at the bigger egg. So I took the egg away until she finally settled herself in the nest, I didn't want her breaking the egg and harming the chick inside. All the other broodies I've had never pecked the eggs rough so I thought what she was doing was rather odd.
I went back to check at 5:30pm pacific time, so not too long ago, to check on the progress of the peep and I found something awful.... I stuck my hand under the momma as I always do... I felt something sticky.. I took my hand out and saw blood and yolk. I took the momma out and there was chick, but not alive. I took the chick out, it was still connected to some shell, it's intestines were pulled out, very sticky and bloody. The other egg (banty cochin egg) was totally untouched though. Why would she do such a thing?
I'm very shocked at what she has done and I'm not sure if I can trust her with the other egg. I candled the banty egg and the head of the chick has already poked into the air sac, it should start hatching tomorrow...
Please tell me that the broody did this because she sensed something was wrong with the chick or something of the sort. I was really excited to have chicks! Now I'll only have 1 hatch again and that's a 50/50 chance. Someone please tell me that what my broody did was normal...

 

[PtldChick]

Sorry to hear that happened. You have two choices - neither without a price or risk...

You can leave the other egg with her and see if she does the same thing - if she doesn't, then maybe there was something wrong with the first chick or an accident. If she does, then you've learned this is probably not a hen you want to use as a broody, especially with expensive or rare eggs. Mixed breeds maybe if you want to give her another chance.

Or you can bring the other egg inside to hatch in an incubator, prevent any issues with the hen, but then not know the answer to your questions about why it happened, or if your hen is trustworthy.

Good luck with whatever way you choose. If it were me, I would probably go with #1 so I could learn about the hen - something I would want to know long-term and imo worth the risk of the other chick to find out.

 

[PtldChick]

4 days ago, I posted




Yesterday evening, Nutmeg was sleeping in the nest box. Not wanting to get too excited, I ignored it. Today, she is still there! I gave her some golf balls to sit on till Tuesday, if she is still there she will get 6 LF eggs to hatch. It will be her first clutch but this is her 3rd time broody. She is 9 mos old.

3rd time broody at 9 mos old?!

Did she start in the egg?

 

[jak2002003]

I once had a broody Japanese Bantam who was still sitting on the nest after one and half months! I only noticed when I checked the dates she started incubating, as I had others brooding too. Poor girl. I just took the eggs away (were infertile) and shut outside in the run with the other hens for the day.

She seemed glad to get off the nest and when I let them in for the night she had completely forgotten about her old nest (thank goodness). I was surprised how good she looked after sitting all that time. She was fat and feathers were cleaner than the other hens that had been out in the dirt and rain.

I think she would have stayed on that nest for ever unless I took her off!

 

[Miss Lydia]

I once had a broody Japanese Bantam who was still sitting on the nest after one and half months! I only noticed when I checked the dates she started incubating, as I had others brooding too. Poor girl. I just took the eggs away (were infertile) and shut outside in the run with the other hens for the day.

She seemed glad to get off the nest and when I let them in for the night she had completely forgotten about her old nest (thank goodness). I was surprised how good she looked after sitting all that time. She was fat and feathers were cleaner than the other hens that had been out in the dirt and rain.

I think she would have stayed on that nest for ever unless I took her off!

They are dedicated to the task.

 

[BarnGoddess01]

Quote:

It looks like they got thing fixed up yesterday. Notifications should be properly flowing again now.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Well I did get mine this morning, so I am a happy camper...

Hows the weather up your way BG? whats ya got cooking in the bator?

 

[bloom chicks]

Just wanted to share that we have 2 babies that have hatched so far. Now we have 10 more to go. There is one chick that the shell is off and the white part (don't know the name) is still around the chick. Will it be okay? I will post picture when there are more. Mama is doing a great job so far.