Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[bobbieschicks]

It's hard to believe she's been a mama now for almost 2 weeks! Taking pics of the babies is a challenge because she protects them well and they are often hidden under her wings.
But here are a few rare chick shots and a video.

 

[CALI CHICK]

Aww, the momma and baby chicks are so sweet.

Good for you.

It's hard to believe she's been a mama now for almost 2 weeks! Taking pics of the babies is a challenge because she protects them well and they are often hidden under her wings.
But here are a few rare chick shots.

My broody wasn't so succesful.

She sat on the fertile EE eggs I got her for a total of +-5 hours and then decided she just wasn't ready for this sitting around anymore!. I put the eggs into an incubator, so that pretty much disqualifies me from posting anything else on this thread. I appreciate the kind suggestions from several people and with all of your broody hens healthy baby chicks.
Here are some cute pictures of Buffy during her trial broodiness-LOL! Rhodie is thinking she wants to give it a try too:

...trying to get comfortable:

 

[bobbieschicks]

Aww, the momma and baby chicks are so sweet.

Good for you.



My broody wasn't so succesful.

She sat on the fertile EE eggs I got her for a total of +-5 hours and then decided she just wasn't ready for this sitting around anymore!. I put the eggs into an incubator, so that pretty much disqualifies me from posting anything else on this thread. I appreciate the kind suggestions from several people and with all of your broody hens healthy baby chicks.
Here are some cute pictures of Buffy during her trial broodiness-LOL! Rhodie is thinking she wants to give it a try too:

...trying to get comfortable:

Let us know when they hatch please

 

[Tripp16]

It's hard to believe she's been a mama now for almost 2 weeks! Taking pics of the babies is a challenge because she protects them well and they are often hidden under her wings.
But here are a few rare chick shots and a video.

Exactly what I wanted!! I love how she scratches and shows the babies where food is. Looks like a great momma!

 

[perchie.girl]

PLEASE don't think this disqualifies you from posting. Heck I don't even have any hens and I post. Um er well I didn't have any hens. I have one pullet right now... just got her. I am here to learn.

My broody wasn't so succesful.

She sat on the fertile EE eggs I got her for a total of +-5 hours and then decided she just wasn't ready for this sitting around anymore!. I put the eggs into an incubator, so that pretty much disqualifies me from posting anything else on this thread. I appreciate the kind suggestions from several people and with all of your broody hens healthy baby chicks.
Here are some cute pictures of Buffy during her trial broodiness-LOL! Rhodie is thinking she wants to give it a try too:

...trying to get comfortable:

 

[CALI CHICK]

Oh, OK, I didn't think anyone getting chicks the "natural" way from their broody girls would be interested in me using the artificial method-hehe!

I would be happy to keep everyone posted. I set them in the HovaBator last night just before midnight. I will keep them in there until day 18 and put them in an old Brower for lockdown. I hate using the Brower because there isn't a viewing window....Of course, I guess you really can't watch them hatch under a hen either. (But I wouldn't know about that

). The reason I'm moving these eggs out of the HovaBator and into the old round Brower is because I'm planning on setting at least a dozen eggs next weekend for the Easter Hatch A Long and they won't be ready for the higher humidity levels until a week later, of course. If I post a picture of the eggs in my incubator, will I be banned from this thread then? These 5 Easter Egger chicks should hatch by Saturday, March 31.

An update on Buffy.............she was practicing broody again this morning for a couple hours. Finally I just scooped her up and took her out to the tractor with the other 2 hens. I told her there is no reason to waste a beautiful Saturday in bed and miss out on all those scrumptious bugs!

 

[michaelinnc84]

Your hen is beautiful and you should definitely post pictures. You won't get banned.

 

[kddsdd12]

21 days ago we bought fertilized eggs and placed them under my broody Orpington.. today is hatch day.. She has done a really great job sitting on them eggs. I candled them at day 10 while she was off the nest to eat and we had 5 eggs with chicks growing inside... I am really resisting the urge to check under her today to see if we have any that are starting to hatch.. I feel like a nervous mother... just pacing the house today.. We also have 4 eggs in an incubator inside, I wasn't sure how many eggs my Orpington could handle hatching.. so we decided to hatch some our selves. 1 is already hatched and i am just "Patiently" waiting to see if the other 3 will..

 

[stonykill]

21 days ago we bought fertilized eggs and placed them under my broody Orpington.. today is hatch day.. She has done a really great job sitting on them eggs. I candled them at day 10 while she was off the nest to eat and we had 5 eggs with chicks growing inside... I am really resisting the urge to check under her today to see if we have any that are starting to hatch.. I feel like a nervous mother... just pacing the house today.. We also have 4 eggs in an incubator inside, I wasn't sure how many eggs my Orpington could handle hatching.. so we decided to hatch some our selves. 1 is already hatched and i am just "Patiently" waiting to see if the other 3 will..

 

[Chicken Chat]

I'm not very happy with my mamma hen at the moment. Her chick is 2 weeks old today and yesterday was the first time I allowed the two of them outside to mingle with the rest of the flock. (I have had them in a fenced off area of the coop so the little one can get used to the others and so the rest of the flock doesn't eat all his baby chick food.) It was so nice outside yesterday that I thought I would let them run around outside. I opened the fencing and went to check on them a bit later and found the chick cheeping like crazy in the coop and found mom outside with the rest of the flock. I put the baby with her and all was well for a couple of hours. Went back to check again and found the chick crying and getting pecked by the flock, mom was in a nest box in the coop. I finally gathered both up and put them back behind the fence together.
My last two moms never left their babies side and never let the rest of the flock close to them, when they cried, they were frantic to find them. I followed this same protocol with the last two. I don't know what is wrong with this mom. She is very attentive to him behind the fence when they are together but doesn't seem to take care of him outside their area. Anyone else have this problem?