Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[stonykill]

Im guessing thumbs up means it looks good!! YES!

yes. That is all I ever see when I candle. A big blob. I just candled 37 eggs today. Tossed 3. Incubator however, not a broody. That would be a big broody or tiny eggs....lol

 

[aoxa]

I candled the last five of my eggs today, and I saw them moving around! All five that have been there for the past week, and are doing extremely well I am very excited to see Janet be a mommy! She was pecking me something fierce when I went to candle them

 

[JakRat]

I think my silkie is trying to test my patience. I went in tonight to check on her, and she was sleeping. Super cute of course. I went to see if there were any droppings that I needed to clean and I didnt see any. This made me really worried as I thought that they poop when they get up to drink and eat. I thought she wasnt eating or drinking so I went to see if she was still doing ok and to feel around for the eggs to make sure they were all still around her. They were, and so was her poop!!!! I stuck my hand right in the most gigantic pile I have ever seen. So what to do now right? I did my best a getting it all while she was on her little nest, but geez there was just no way. I then picked her up and put her on my lap and tried to get as much of it as I could. Her nest is mostly straw so it is hard to get it all. I might have to clean more tomorrow. Luckily she didnt really get any on her eggs, but geez was there alot!

Is this a problem? I dont think she is supposed to be going in her nest. I have her food placed far enough away for her to get up and get to get a stretch in... This was so bad I think that tomorrow I will have to change over to just shavings for her instead of the straw.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I think my silkie is trying to test my patience. I went in tonight to check on her, and she was sleeping. Super cute of course. I went to see if there were any droppings that I needed to clean and I didnt see any. This made me really worried as I thought that they poop when they get up to drink and eat. I thought she wasnt eating or drinking so I went to see if she was still doing ok and to feel around for the eggs to make sure they were all still around her. They were, and so was her poop!!!! I stuck my hand right in the most gigantic pile I have ever seen. So what to do now right? I did my best a getting it all while she was on her little nest, but geez there was just no way. I then picked her up and put her on my lap and tried to get as much of it as I could. Her nest is mostly straw so it is hard to get it all. I might have to clean more tomorrow. Luckily she didnt really get any on her eggs, but geez was there alot!

Is this a problem? I dont think she is supposed to be going in her nest. I have her food placed far enough away for her to get up and get to get a stretch in... This was so bad I think that tomorrow I will have to change over to just shavings for her instead of the straw.

I don't know why some broodys will poop in their nests and others don't, my broody will hold it 3 days before I get her out, I'd be about to blow up, so you will need to try to get it cleaned up the best you can, I like shaving better than straw anyway.
I think they are just so zoned out they aren't too aware of whats going on around them. their eggs have survived thousands of year with poop on them so they will be fine, but your hand may not be.

 

[bobbieschicks]

Smokey was sitting inside a circle of straw on top of pine shavings. I cleaned up anything that she dropped and some of the poop she put on the top of the nest, but I couldn't clean the massive amounts of poop from the bottom of Smokey's nest - they somehow managed to be fused into the sides of the straw- she started just going where she was towards the end of the hatch.

She did a good job of keeping it off the eggs, but some of it got around. I wouldn't worry too much about it - if you can clean it off - then fine, but if it's too hard to reach or she objects to your cleaning around her - then leave it alone. It stinks, but you can get past that once you see the babies

I think my silkie is trying to test my patience. I went in tonight to check on her, and she was sleeping. Super cute of course. I went to see if there were any droppings that I needed to clean and I didnt see any. This made me really worried as I thought that they poop when they get up to drink and eat. I thought she wasnt eating or drinking so I went to see if she was still doing ok and to feel around for the eggs to make sure they were all still around her. They were, and so was her poop!!!! I stuck my hand right in the most gigantic pile I have ever seen. So what to do now right? I did my best a getting it all while she was on her little nest, but geez there was just no way. I then picked her up and put her on my lap and tried to get as much of it as I could. Her nest is mostly straw so it is hard to get it all. I might have to clean more tomorrow. Luckily she didnt really get any on her eggs, but geez was there alot!

Is this a problem? I dont think she is supposed to be going in her nest. I have her food placed far enough away for her to get up and get to get a stretch in... This was so bad I think that tomorrow I will have to change over to just shavings for her instead of the straw.

 

[bobbieschicks]

Yeah! chicks soon!

I candled the last five of my eggs today, and I saw them moving around! All five that have been there for the past week, and are doing extremely well

I am very excited to see Janet be a mommy! She was pecking me something fierce when I went to candle them

 

[Miss Lydia]

When is hatch day?

I candled the last five of my eggs today, and I saw them moving around! All five that have been there for the past week, and are doing extremely well

I am very excited to see Janet be a mommy! She was pecking me something fierce when I went to candle them

 

[Miss Lydia]

That happens around here too, last year I had too many broodys at once and it took a while for the chicks to find mama sometimes in the morning when everyone would come spilling out of the coop at once, but finally everyone got it sorted out. after a while the mamas would wait till everyone else was out before bringing their chicks out which made it alot easier. That morning rush was the worst.

Smokey brought the babies outside today in the grass, it was so cute to watch. Then I watched Smokey try to lead the babies back into the coop tonight. Well she must have gone in and out about 10 times and they just didn't get it. Then finally the AM followed her up the ramp. They disappeared into the coop and the other two babies went wild. Screeching and rushing around. But Smokey didn't come back out to get them, she just kept clucking from inside the coop. I was sort of surprised by that. So I scooped them up one at a time and put them inside. They found her and settled in under her wings. I made sure everyone was safely tucked in before locking up fr the night.

 

[countrygirl5]

I finally let my buff orp. broody set on Sunday evening. . I check on her 1-2 times every day. I never see her move, although some of the scraps that I left her are gone, but not much. I plan to candle sometime between day 7 and 10, but should I be moving her to make sure she drinks, eats and poos. I have read many people's posts that say they've moved their hens for a few minutes to make sure, but I'm a firm believer that you should let the mommy do her own thing. She knows best. My only concern is that she has not poo'd (unless it's under her and I just don't see it). But I'm pretty sure that the night I candle, I'll move her off to see what she does. She can't get far cause I have her caged off from the rest of the coop. She is on day 5 today and I'm so excited to see. The only reason I'm going to candle is cause I've been checking my eggs that I fry every morning and about half of them are fertile and half are not. So I want to move the "duds" out before they explode or what-not. Plus more heat and room for the ones that are really developing. It's my first broody!!

 

[Niss]

That happens around here too, last year I had too many broodys at once and it took a while for the chicks to find mama sometimes in the morning when everyone would come spilling out of the coop at once, but finally everyone got it sorted out. after a while the mamas would wait till everyone else was out before bringing their chicks out which made it alot easier. That morning rush was the worst.

I would go to the coop after supper and make sure all the chicks made it in. I found the broodies were always quicker to bed, and I did loose one chick that was left behind by not going out until closer to dark

Oh, and Miss L--I'm letting my ducks accumulate quite a clutch, but no one is claiming it...it really looks more like the plan is to bury the eggs in a ton of bedding and crap, then let the decomposition prossess warm them up, al la reptiles--I mean some of the eggs are two lareys deep with a full covering of hay

I noticed that's how Mrs. Mallards nest was last fall when I tried to move her.