Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Morganwood]

My pipped egg turned out to be a broken egg. It'll be 3 weeks this weekend since I penned off the broodies so I'm guessing that's when we'll get chicks. Candling yesterday pretty much confirmed that. Just goes to show how badly the other chickens will wreak havoc if they aren't separated. They effectively pushed out all the viable eggs by laying on the broodies nests every day. At least I have an idea when to expect some babies lol. Live and learn...the hard way, as usual.

 

[flitter]

I've had great luck putting live chicks under a broody... just put all you want to under her... don't try to add a couple of more the next day. They don't have to be just out, either, a couple of days old worked fine.

It's 2 days left to hatch day for my Silkie. I am a bit worried as I have ordered the eggs from MPC and haven't had much luck with their eggs. I had seven in an incubator and after candling a week or so ago I only had one that looked good and one iffy. I checked her eggs quickly and again maybe two looked good so I gave her my two and left her two but haven't candled since then so I have no idea if any will hatch. I do have some eggs in my incubator that go into lockdown on 4/1. I was wondering if none of hers hatch by then should I switch a few for the ones in my incubator that will be going into lockdown so she can have babies or would the change affect the eggs ability to hatch? I guess I could always try and wait to see what hatches in the bator and give her live chicks instead....what would you do??

 

[cielo]

Suggestions for dealing with multiple broody hens? I have four broody bantam mutts sitting on eggs that appear to be hatching today. 3 of them are in one nest! The 4th has hatched her chick in a seperate box. I got some shipped eggs and was incubating them myself until all the bantams started going broody. It seemed like a good idea at the time to put the eggs under the hens but now I wonder about the logistics of potentially having multiple moms? There are only about 5-6 eggs. 1 hen hatched one already and isn't sitting on any more fertile eggs. Am I going to have to separate each mom and her chicks?
I didn't have much hope for the eggs to hatch and now I'm confused about what to do.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Suggestions for dealing with multiple broody hens? I have four broody bantam mutts sitting on eggs that appear to be hatching today. 3 of them are in one nest! The 4th has hatched her chick in a seperate box. I got some shipped eggs and was incubating them myself until all the bantams started going broody. It seemed like a good idea at the time to put the eggs under the hens but now I wonder about the logistics of potentially having multiple moms? There are only about 5-6 eggs. 1 hen hatched one already and isn't sitting on any more fertile eggs. Am I going to have to separate each mom and her chicks?
I didn't have much hope for the eggs to hatch and now I'm confused about what to do.

I had 4 broody bantams share hatching responsibilities one year and it worked out good. they will share and hopefully all you'll have to do is sit back and enjoy. Mine had small clutches too. there was 2 to a nest box sitting on 2-3 eggs between them.

 

[Scooter&Suzie]

I can't seem to find this anywhere... How cold is too cold for a broody to hatch eggs? It shouldn't get below the 40s until fall/winter comes back again. You see, my silkie is going broody often, so I think I could use her to hatch 6 silkie eggs and let her raise the chicks. Then I could move my silkie and two or three of her daughters (I can't have roosters) into a different coop I already have set up. I would then find homes for the rest.

I mainly want to move my silkie because she gets picked on... WAY too much. One of my hens was biting my silkie in the face because my silkie was broody in the favorite nesting box. And my head hen sometimes jumps on my silkie.



What temperature would I have the best hatch rate? With my lamp I have (similar to a brooder lamp, not so hot though) I can raise them temp about 20 degrees give or take a few degrees.

 

[JakRat]

So my mom says I need to have a kid.

This came up after I told her that I wanted to read "Horton and the Egg" by Dr. Seuss to the baby chicks

So far the serama eggs have not made a pip yet. I am getting worried.

 

[williamsl77]

Need advice.... So my 7 month old hen hatched out 9 eggs. The chicks are about 4 weeks old now. It seems she has stopped mothering them as far as I can tell over the last few days. I don't see her spending time with them. She used to stay with the chicks instead of going out to free range with the other birds. Now she goes out to free range. She is also now sleeping on the roost again, although not with the other birds. The chicks are mostly feathered out though not completely. I have been keeping a heat lamp in the coop to keep the temperature up just a bit, but it still gets into the 50s at night. I have been making sure there is chick food available for them (even though the bigger birds eat it, too). Noone picks on the chicks at all. In fact, the rooster protects them.

So... is she done mothering them now? I thought they stayed with the babies a little longer than four weeks. She has already started laying eggs again and is even laying them under my house where she laid her first clutch before we moved them so she could hatch them. Is she trying to go broody again? This is my first broody, so would love thoughts on this. Also, wonder if I should move the chicks to somewhere warmer since she seems to be done???

Thanks!!

 

[elevan]

Broody #1 is hatching (I have a total of 4 right now). Here's some pics:







And here's another of my broody's that will be due in April:

 

[cielo]

Thank you for sharing. It would be nice if it worked out like that. I'll see what happens.

I had 4 broody bantams share hatching responsibilities one year and it worked out good. they will share and hopefully all you'll have to do is sit back and enjoy. Mine had small clutches too. there was 2 to a nest box sitting on 2-3 eggs between them.

 

[Tripp16]

Broody #1 is hatching (I have a total of 4 right now). Here's some pics:







And here's another of my broody's that will be due in April:

Congrats!! Babies, babies and more babies!!!! Keep us updtated!! Look at that stinkeye from momma number 1!!