Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[bobbieschicks]

I have 2 broody silkies. They have been broody for a week. Can I put some EE/maran eggs under them now? Or will they stop being broody too soon to hatch now that they are a week into it? I would love to get olive eggers. Also, if they hatch how long should I keep them away from the rest of the flock? Mine are free range so I would hate to keep them locked up. Thanks for your help!

A week is not too late as long as no eggs are under them right now. They will stick with the clutch to hatch according to everything I have read. But you don't want to slip eggs in a week later once you have eggs under the broody or adding those eggs will cause problems at hatch. Either she will abandon them to help her new chicks or ignore her new chicks to wait for the unhatched eggs. I don't know about keeping them separated. My guess is it will depend on your flock dynamics, and how many predators the momma will have to defend against.

 

[cat1994]

I just love this thread it is such a good idea! I’m a big fan of using broody hens, that is the only way I hatch my eggs, I don’t even have an incubator lol. In fact my blue fawn Call duck, Millie is broody right now on 6 eggs that are due to hatch on the 29th or so. I’m so excited! Last year my white Call duck, Angel hatched out 7 lil ducklings, she was such a good mom, right now she is still laying, gathering up her eggs before she to begins sitting on them just like Millie. So this year if all goes well I will have to good batches of new lil Calls. Plus my two Silkie girls just went broody so I ordered some Silver Laced Wyandotte fertile hatching eggs that I will be putting under them soon. I love using broodies weather they are chickens or ducks, when my first duck I ever had, Susie a mallard hen, went broody and was such a good mom I just knew that natural was how I wanted to go. Then my Sussex hen, Freckles went broody and seeing her take care of her lil one was so great, I couldn’t imagine doing it any other way.
Here are some pics
this is Freckles with her chick, who didn't even come from one of her own eggs lol

here is Angel with her brood of 7

this is my Millie on her nest if 6 eggs right now

here is Susie with her lil duckling

 

[bobbieschicks]

Edit

 

[Miss Lydia]

I have 2 broody silkies. They have been broody for a week. Can I put some EE/maran eggs under them now? Or will they stop being broody too soon to hatch now that they are a week into it? I would love to get olive eggers. Also, if they hatch how long should I keep them away from the rest of the flock? Mine are free range so I would hate to keep them locked up. Thanks for your help!

yes you can put eggs under them. and no need to keep them separate, actually mamas will protect chicks and they will be accepted into the flock easier if left with them.

 

[bobbieschicks]

My 27 week old EE Smokey is sitting on 3 WL and 3 EE/WL eggs and Tuesday, Feb 21st will be 21 days. I candled the eggs yesterday and there isn't any development in the WL eggs and the EE/WL eggs are so far behind in development that I don't believe they will hatch tomorrow. This is her 1st time of going broody. I'd like to take advantage of it if possible. I don't know if they didn't develop because of the cold - the temps have dropped to 20Fs & 30Fs at night with only 40Fs to 50Fs in the daytime. When she went broody we were having a warm spell with 40s at night and 60s in the day.

I have 6 Welsummer and 6 Ameraucana eggs in my bator right now - due to hatch on Feb 28th - and only 1 looks not on target. I originally purchased these to slip under her. But haven't yet because I wasn't sure whether or how to do it. This thread has inspired me to go ahead and be bold about it

So - advice please:
Would it be wise to just remove the eggs she's sitting on now since they are not developing properly - I can candle again to be certain - and then move the Wellie & AM eggs that are developing under her?
Would you move just a few or all of them?
Should I wait until the eggs are closer to hatching or would that be too late for her to want to continue hatching them?
Should I just wait for the Wellies and AMs to hatch and then move them under her at night, remove her eggs then and hope she takes care of the chicks?
I'm considering putting half under her to see if she can hatch them and leaving half in the bator - then putting those under her after they hatch so she can raise them all. Is this even wise?

Smokey in her broody area - it's a wired off portion of the main coop. She has food & water in there with her. She is allowing me to pet her back - something she never would do before going broody. She has been getting off the eggs to eat & poop (phew) and bokking and getting back on the nest.

 

[Niss]

So - advice please:
Should I wait until the eggs are closer to hatching or would that be too late for her to want to continue hatching them?

I'm considering putting half under her to see if she can hatch them and leaving half in the bator - then putting those under her after they hatch so she can raise them all. Is this even wise?

Smokey in her broody area - it's a wired off portion of the main coop. She has food & water in there with her. She is allowing me to pet her back - something she never would do before going broody. She has been getting off the eggs to eat & poop (phew) and bokking and getting back on the nest.

I'd give her till Wensday at least. I had a hen sit at least 25 days on a clutch then sit on a new clutch 18 days when the first didn't hatch and I gave up an purchaced day olds. So you can try again if these don't hatch...if she looks okay and eats and drinks a little she should be in for the long haul.

Introducing chicks usually works if they are the same age as any she hatches. I don't have an incubator (thank God, I'd be overpopulating the world), but others have done this to have the hen take on the work of raising chicks when they wanted more than the girl can effectivly sit on.

 

[cat1994]

My 27 week old EE Smokey is sitting on 3 WL and 3 EE/WL eggs and Tuesday, Feb 21st will be 21 days. I candled the eggs yesterday and there isn't any development in the WL eggs and the EE/WL eggs are so far behind in development that I don't believe they will hatch tomorrow. This is her 1st time of going broody. I'd like to take advantage of it if possible. I don't know if they didn't develop because of the cold - the temps have dropped to 20Fs & 30Fs at night with only 40Fs to 50Fs in the daytime. When she went broody we were having a warm spell with 40s at night and 60s in the day.

I have 6 Welsummer and 6 Ameraucana eggs in my bator right now - due to hatch on Feb 28th - and only 1 looks not on target. I originally purchased these to slip under her. But haven't yet because I wasn't sure whether or how to do it. This thread has inspired me to go ahead and be bold about it

So - advice please:
Would it be wise to just remove the eggs she's sitting on now since they are not developing properly - I can candle again to be certain - and then move the Wellie & AM eggs that are developing under her?
Would you move just a few or all of them?
Should I wait until the eggs are closer to hatching or would that be too late for her to want to continue hatching them?
Should I just wait for the Wellies and AMs to hatch and then move them under her at night, remove her eggs then and hope she takes care of the chicks?
I'm considering putting half under her to see if she can hatch them and leaving half in the bator - then putting those under her after they hatch so she can raise them all. Is this even wise?

Smokey in her broody area - it's a wired off portion of the main coop. She has food & water in there with her. She is allowing me to pet her back - something she never would do before going broody. She has been getting off the eggs to eat & poop (phew) and bokking and getting back on the nest.

Would it be wise to just remove the eggs she's sitting on now since they are not developing properly - I can candle again to be certain - and then move the Wellie & AM eggs that are developing under her?
I don’t see why you couldn’t move the Wellie and AM eggs under her if the eggs under her now aren’t developing well. I would just be sure to do the switching at night, I’m always worried that they won’t be broody any more if I mess with them a lot so I do all my switching at night that way she will be less likely to not accept the new eggs.
Would you move just a few or all of them?
If the other eggs are doing well and she is seems to be a good broody then I would move all of them especially if you don’t want to have to raise the other chicks yourself.
Should I wait until the eggs are closer to hatching or would that be too late for her to want to continue hatching them? I don’t really think they can tell how long they have been sitting before the chicks hatch. It is my understanding that most determined broodies will sit as long as you will allow them to, weather they are on real eggs or not. If you put the eggs under her closer to their hatching date and she accepts them then I don’t think it will matter if they hatch soon afterwards. All she will now is that her lil eggs are now talking and that soon her chicks are now here, she won’t notice or care that it happed really soon.
Should I just wait for the Wellies and AMs to hatch and then move them under her at night, remove her eggs then and hope she takes care of the chicks?
This has a lil more risk to it IMO then just putting the eggs under her. If you do go with hatching out the chicks yourself and then putting them under her defiantly do it at night and as soon after they hatch as you can. If you wait to long the chicks may not accept her as their mom and instead be afraid of her and in turn all the hen will she them as is a threat to her eggs. If you do go that just be sure to keep an eye on the hen and the chicks, make sure that all is well between them, if she isn’t allowing them to come under her or isn’t showing them how to eat or caring for them like that then the poor lil chicks could die easily if you aren’t there to save them.
I'm considering putting half under her to see if she can hatch them and leaving half in the bator - then putting those under her after they hatch so she can raise them all. Is this even wise?
Well I suppose it would work but it seems like a lot of hassle, if she seems like a good broody then I think she can handle the eggs her self, but if you don’t want to risk it then you can always hatch them out yourself and then put then under her and hope she accepts them as her own.

 

[lcw1995]

this is nugget. she was hatched on 7/18/2007
she was my best broody.she would raise anything. she wouldve
probly raised a goose if i gave her the egg. sadley a hawk got her
summer 2011. she was actually raising chicks then too.
in her 5 years of life she probly raised 5-10 clutches of babys.
guineas and chickens mostly. didnt have ducks or geese at the
time. i have many pictures but if i posted them all theyrd be 100's.












HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE PICS
I HAVE A HEN SETTING RIGHT NOW
NUGGETS BABY ACTUALLY
NUGGET WAS RAISING HER WHEN SHE GOT KILLED
ILL POST PICS OF HER BABIES THE END OF THIS WEEK WHEN THEY ARE DUE TO HATCH

COLE.

 

[bobbieschicks]

My 27 week old EE Smokey is sitting on 3 WL and 3 EE/WL eggs and Tuesday, Feb 21st will be 21 days. I candled the eggs yesterday and there isn't any development in the WL eggs and the EE/WL eggs are so far behind in development that I don't believe they will hatch tomorrow. This is her 1st time of going broody. I'd like to take advantage of it if possible. I don't know if they didn't develop because of the cold - the temps have dropped to 20Fs & 30Fs at night with only 40Fs to 50Fs in the daytime. When she went broody we were having a warm spell with 40s at night and 60s in the day.

I have 6 Welsummer and 6 Ameraucana eggs in my bator right now - due to hatch on Feb 28th - and only 1 looks not on target. I originally purchased these to slip under her. But haven't yet because I wasn't sure whether or how to do it. This thread has inspired me to go ahead and be bold about it

So - advice please:
Would it be wise to just remove the eggs she's sitting on now since they are not developing properly - I can candle again to be certain - and then move the Wellie & AM eggs that are developing under her?
Would you move just a few or all of them?
Should I wait until the eggs are closer to hatching or would that be too late for her to want to continue hatching them?
Should I just wait for the Wellies and AMs to hatch and then move them under her at night, remove her eggs then and hope she takes care of the chicks?
I'm considering putting half under her to see if she can hatch them and leaving half in the bator - then putting those under her after they hatch so she can raise them all. Is this even wise?

Smokey in her broody area - it's a wired off portion of the main coop. She has food & water in there with her. She is allowing me to pet her back - something she never would do before going broody. She has been getting off the eggs to eat & poop (phew) and bokking and getting back on the nest.

Thanks for all the input - I have scoured the BYC pages and this is THE MOST HELPFUL THREAD! I would like to see more info on what to do after the chicks hatched - but maybe there is a thread for that somewhere else?

Anyway - I've decided to wait until Weds evening just to see if my candling skills aren't as good as I think they are. Then when nothing happens with her eggs
I will switch them out for the Wellies & AMs I have in the incubator after candling those to make sure they are developing correctly. Last time I candled those I had veins and proper sized embryos for 11 out of 12 eggs.

Would her eggs that are on the nest still have a chance to develop even if they are behind in growth - I don't know if they would be okay to move into the incubator to try and finish developing - or if I should just give up on them and chalk it up to learning experience. I can't see any veins in 5 out of the 6, and the 6th one is too dark to determine whether anything inside of the green egg is still developing. I have been using my high power flashlight in the bathroom without windows or light to try to see through them. I was under the impression that no veins=no growth. Is that correct?

Well - I'm happy to have a plan at last - and now I just have to be patient and wait for Weds. If by some miracle she does hatch any of those eggs she is sitting on - I will let her keep her chicks and put the Wellies & AMs in the brooder. Otherwise I will be happier to have her hatch out those guys for me - I only have one brooder and it is occupied with two 2 week old EE/WL mix chicks. So I will have to scramble for a brooder when they new babies hatch.

 

[Miss Lydia]

this is nugget. she was hatched on 7/18/2007
she was my best broody.she would raise anything. she wouldve
probly raised a goose if i gave her the egg. sadley a hawk got her
summer 2011. she was actually raising chicks then too.
in her 5 years of life she probly raised 5-10 clutches of babys.
guineas and chickens mostly. didnt have ducks or geese at the
time. i have many pictures but if i posted them all theyrd be 100's.












HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE PICS
I HAVE A HEN SETTING RIGHT NOW
NUGGETS BABY ACTUALLY
NUGGET WAS RAISING HER WHEN SHE GOT KILLED
ILL POST PICS OF HER BABIES THE END OF THIS WEEK WHEN THEY ARE DUE TO HATCH

COLE.

Thank you for sharing the story about Nugget, how sweet and the pics are precious, I am sorry for your loss of her, but now he daughter is continuing her legacy, looking forward to seeing pics of Nuggets Grandkids..