Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[morganponies2]

Ok, you asked for it!!!! I have always used an incubator, so when my beautiful Blue Orpington hen decided she wanted to go broody, I took her egg away and told her to go play with the rest. Then my darling Splash Silkie decided she would do the broody thing too. I took her eggs away also.....because it was simply too darn cold outside for them to survive. Putting me in my place ( because, let's face it, I was feeling like a child murderer, both hens still insisted on brooding! The Blue girl laid another egg and I just let her keep it. The poor Silkie hen laid an egg and I decided to let her keep it. Then all of my other Silkie hens decided that since Splash was sitting, they would give her their eggs too! I really didn't know how many she had until I started seeing some sticking out of under her. Finally she moved off the nest for a fast few minutes and I got to peek inside........are you ready? Are you sure???? Really??????? OK,,,,,here it comes! There are fourteen eggs in there!!!!!!!!!!! Holy Moly. I certainly don't expect them all to hatch...at this point I've decided to just let everything be....nature can take it's course. The best part of all of this is watching my Silkie Roo protect her and stand guard over her. He will even climb into the nest to help her!!! My sweet Blue Girl who lives in another coop, is still sitting and purring happily. She knows I will sneak her some mealworms every morning and bread at night.....I believe she only has one egg, so we shall see!!! My incubator sits empty as I wait to see what develops. If you see me posting Silkies for Sale, you will know!!!! (<3

 

[stonykill]

very pretty girl, showing some great stinkeye

This is my broody Scarlett, she was born last March and my first broody of this year. due the 17th of march..

 

[Miss Lydia]

Ok, you asked for it!!!! I have always used an incubator, so when my beautiful Blue Orpington hen decided she wanted to go broody, I took her egg away and told her to go play with the rest. Then my darling Splash Silkie decided she would do the broody thing too. I took her eggs away also.....because it was simply too darn cold outside for them to survive. Putting me in my place ( because, let's face it, I was feeling like a child murderer, both hens still insisted on brooding! The Blue girl laid another egg and I just let her keep it. The poor Silkie hen laid an egg and I decided to let her keep it. Then all of my other Silkie hens decided that since Splash was sitting, they would give her their eggs too! I really didn't know how many she had until I started seeing some sticking out of under her. Finally she moved off the nest for a fast few minutes and I got to peek inside........are you ready? Are you sure???? Really??????? OK,,,,,here it comes! There are fourteen eggs in there!!!!!!!!!!! Holy Moly. I certainly don't expect them all to hatch...at this point I've decided to just let everything be....nature can take it's course. The best part of all of this is watching my Silkie Roo protect her and stand guard over her. He will even climb into the nest to help her!!! My sweet Blue Girl who lives in another coop, is still sitting and purring happily. She knows I will sneak her some mealworms every morning and bread at night.....I believe she only has one egg, so we shall see!!! My incubator sits empty as I wait to see what develops. If you see me posting Silkies for Sale, you will know!!!! (<3

14 well congrats!! can't wait to see pics of the happy family including dad..

 

[Miss Lydia]

What beautiful mamas! What nice, clean nests!
Which brings me to my first question. Are ducks messy about EVERYTHING? This is the box I put on the floor, to let eggs accumulate, so maybe some bird might thinks "wow, what a nice big clutch, think I'll just hatch those out." The eggs are in there two deep, and frequently spilled out in to the foreground area. They are half buried in bedding, and almost always pooped on. Should I toss them and start fresh? If so how many do I let them accumulate before marking and pulling new ones? Or, since little silkie Laura seems to have been kicked off the nest today (when I found her the eggs were cold, a new one had appeared, and she was inside the cage one one large egg) should I give her duck eggs to try...although that sounds silly now that I think how little she is. If hers don't hatch I'll just buy her chicks--that was my original plan. Ideas? This is the duck mess, notice eggs inside the cardboard box and out front:

Niss my ducks are just as messy, I finally took all the duck eggs that were laid in 2 different nests one had 12 till someone broke an egg so that left 9 then in the other nest there was 7 noone wanted them. today there was 1 lone duck egg, one time today my brahma hen was on it and then this afternoon my lil bantam cochin was on it for a while, noone wants it for keep s though, they just aren't ready and we can't make them that way. when we start seeing lots of feathers in the nest we'll know someone means business, i don't see any in yours and mine haven't had any yett either.

 

[Moochie]

So no pictures of the OEGB... I found it dead in the poultry waterer when I got home from school today. My parents haven't been home all day and they're still out. Gypsy was with her other two eggs, both have started zipping. There was no water in the poultry waterer either, but the chick was wet and cold when I picked it out.

I love my broodies and all... But I think when the other two chicks are out and dried I'm going to take them inside and raise them myself. My current lil' rooster was almost killed by a previous broody, she was pecking him alot, didn't come out from the nestbox much, we took him inside and boy was he hungry. He's 3 weeks old now. I'll have to do the same with the silkie chicks. I feel bad though, Gypsy is going to miss out on parenting. Maybe I'll have her hatch out a few of the duck eggs, it's day 22 and I think their air sacs look a little small. Not sure. I would think by this time they would be bigger. Oh parents are home. :/

 

[Morganwood]

No hatches yet but they won't let me get close enough to get a good look. Starting to wonder if I got my dates off. Grrrrr. Dare I candle or will that mess with ones that may be about to hatch?

 

[Niss]

good vibes coming your way!

Thanks Miss L!

 

[Miss Lydia]

So no pictures of the OEGB... I found it dead in the poultry waterer when I got home from school today. My parents haven't been home all day and they're still out. Gypsy was with her other two eggs, both have started zipping. There was no water in the poultry waterer either, but the chick was wet and cold when I picked it out.

I love my broodies and all... But I think when the other two chicks are out and dried I'm going to take them inside and raise them myself. My current lil' rooster was almost killed by a previous broody, she was pecking him alot, didn't come out from the nestbox much, we took him inside and boy was he hungry. He's 3 weeks old now. I'll have to do the same with the silkie chicks. I feel bad though, Gypsy is going to miss out on parenting. Maybe I'll have her hatch out a few of the duck eggs, it's day 22 and I think their air sacs look a little small. Not sure. I would think by this time they would be bigger. Oh parents are home. :/

Sorry about the chick Moochie,

wish i could say the 2 chicks that haven't hatched yet would be fine but I can't so it's your decision, just feel sorry for your broody that has put so much into it.

 

[JakRat]

Guess who now has 4 babies cookin!?!??! ME!!! Well my silkie Elvira is sitting on them

It is sooo neat to see them growing in the egg!

Elvira was a bit mad at me today. I guess she is just in a mood not to be touched. It is interesting though, there are sides of her that she will let me touch and others she wont. I wonder if there is a connection to where the eggs are and where she will let me touch her. She will let me take the eggs that are right up front under her, but if I go near her wings or her back she pecks me a bit... nothing hard just more of a "hey you back away from there".

I am trying to handle her and her eggs everyday so that incase there is trouble with the babies, she wont freak out AS much.

Silly question though: Do the eggs hatch under her? I have only seen the incubator babies on here so sorry if that sounds ignorant. I assumed that they did, but I was just worried about the set of complications that comes with that too.

 

[bobbieschicks]

So sorry to hear of your loss. Hoping that the others hatch fine and your broody wants to be a momma.

So no pictures of the OEGB... I found it dead in the poultry waterer when I got home from school today. My parents haven't been home all day and they're still out. Gypsy was with her other two eggs, both have started zipping. There was no water in the poultry waterer either, but the chick was wet and cold when I picked it out.

I love my broodies and all... But I think when the other two chicks are out and dried I'm going to take them inside and raise them myself. My current lil' rooster was almost killed by a previous broody, she was pecking him alot, didn't come out from the nestbox much, we took him inside and boy was he hungry. He's 3 weeks old now. I'll have to do the same with the silkie chicks. I feel bad though, Gypsy is going to miss out on parenting. Maybe I'll have her hatch out a few of the duck eggs, it's day 22 and I think their air sacs look a little small. Not sure. I would think by this time they would be bigger. Oh parents are home. :/