Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[bobbieschicks]

Interestingly my tiny silkie Topsy is still sitting on a pingpong ball in the nest box this morning - and of course is creating quite the stir as everyone wants to lay there now. LOL.

So that was night #1 off the roost and in the nest box. If she stays for 2 more nights I'll call her broody, get some fertilized eggs and try to set up a broody spot for her. I did slip three of her recent nonfertilized eggs under her to give her incentive - they're marked so I'll know if she lays again today. I also don't mind if she doesn't stay on those as they are sooo tiny.

 

[Tripp16]

Interestingly my tiny silkie Topsy is still sitting on a pingpong ball in the nest box this morning - and of course is creating quite the stir as everyone wants to lay there now. LOL.

So that was night #1 off the roost and in the nest box. If she stays for 2 more nights I'll call her broody, get some fertilized eggs and try to set up a broody spot for her. I did slip three of her recent nonfertilized eggs under her to give her incentive - they're marked so I'll know if she lays again today. I also don't mind if she doesn't stay on those as they are sooo tiny.

She looks awfully serious to me.... I cant wait until my silkie hens start laying with the 4 little boys silkies I am bound to have fertile eggs! I have got to get some sold!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Our Silkie egg hatched last night! Only one, since we got it from a friend (they don't really eat their eggs so their hens are hatching chicks all the time!)
This'll be the first pure bred silkie we've had, so hopefully it turns out to be a hen!


We had to chick out the last batch of chicks from the hutch they're in now, and they are not happy about it xD They aren't fond of going into the big coop yet!

What a pretty mama and chick Congrats!!!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Interestingly my tiny silkie Topsy is still sitting on a pingpong ball in the nest box this morning - and of course is creating quite the stir as everyone wants to lay there now. LOL.

So that was night #1 off the roost and in the nest box. If she stays for 2 more nights I'll call her broody, get some fertilized eggs and try to set up a broody spot for her. I did slip three of her recent nonfertilized eggs under her to give her incentive - they're marked so I'll know if she lays again today. I also don't mind if she doesn't stay on those as they are sooo tiny.

 

[jgervais]

its 50 here this morning. my broody is on her new baby chicks! do they need food yet or a heat light?

 

[bobbieschicks]

Not if they've just hatched. But if it's past Day 3 after hatch then yes, either put a small bowl of chick starter out for the babies or let her out with the babies to get food. Heat lamp - no. She will keep them warm. They will stay under her and go in/out from her as needed. Congrats on the babies!

its 50 here this morning. my broody is on her new baby chicks! do they need food yet or a heat light?

 

[bobbieschicks]

Hahaha - Snow White, lead pullet, didn't want to wait for one of the other nestboxes - the one Topsy is in is her favorite. Can you spot the WL egg in the nestbox with Topsy? At first I thought it was a pingpong ball like the one on the left.

 

[aaggjg]

Yeah - congrats on the broody. Since she's a 1st timer I would put no more then 6 under her and see how she does with that number. I put 8 under Smokey who is a rather dainty EE and she hatched 3 of them in the late winter.

Yes, moving her and separating her will help keep her from getting pecked on and others laying in her nest. But it's optional. You can just mark her eggs and then remove the ones that aren't marked daily. As far as moving her afer the chicks hatch - up to you. If they aren't going to fall out of a nest - leave them with her. She will protect them with her life.

Keep us updated and post pics when they hatch please!

Quote:

So I went to feed the girls 2 mornings ago and popcorn jumped off her nest to get some food.... I went and grabbed the eggs she was hoarding. So yesterday I went to feed them and popcorn did not budge. She wasn't going to be fooled twice!! I stuck some eggs under her that might be fertile from before my rooster left.... And took the new ones. The good news is that she switched nest boxes!! She is no longer sitting in the favorite box..... The other hens eggs were back in the fav box and popcorn is sitting away in 2nd fav box. I'm ordering some eggs to put under her in case these aren't fertile. How do I get her to eat & drink?? I put some food right by her..... I guess I'll find a water dish too.... Not sure how that's gonna work.... I'm afraid the other girls will knock it over. Hmmmm

 

[Miss Lydia]

So I went to feed the girls 2 mornings ago and popcorn jumped off her nest to get some food.... I went and grabbed the eggs she was hoarding. So yesterday I went to feed them and popcorn did not budge. She wasn't going to be fooled twice!! I stuck some eggs under her that might be fertile from before my rooster left.... And took the new ones. The good news is that she switched nest boxes!! She is no longer sitting in the favorite box..... The other hens eggs were back in the fav box and popcorn is sitting away in 2nd fav box. I'm ordering some eggs to put under her in case these aren't fertile.
How do I get her to eat & drink?? I put some food right by her..... I guess I'll find a water dish too.... Not sure how that's gonna work.... I'm afraid the other girls will knock it over. Hmmmm

I usually take them off the nest 1 time a day for a little R&R they will usually run around do a huge broody poop and eat a bite and get right back on the nest. Some don't mess with them at all. up to you. but Congrats on the broody!!

 

[de kippendame]

Hi all!

This is our first time hatching, we ordered our first batch of babies last June so this is all new and sooo exciting!!

I have a Colombian Wy. that decided around St. Patrick's Day that she wanted to be a mama. We had her setting on plastic Easter eggs for about 2 weeks before we put some real ones under her. I ordered some from a very nice lady in Michigan and 10 of the 12 she sent made it intact. I put one of our own eggs under her as a "control" so she had 11 total. Yesterday was hatch day here and 4 were hatched before I went to bed last night. 3 more looked like they were pretty close. I woke up this AM to 8 sweet little fuzz butts!! The 1 of our own and 7 of the mailed ones.

So far we have added 3 Buff Orps., 2 RIR, 2 Blue/Wheaten Americaunas and our 1 RIR(roo) x Barred Rock(hen), which happens to be a roo...don't know how I feel about that yet! We'll see how many others we have turn out to be roos!!

We have 1 RIR egg, 1 BO egg and 1 "EE" egg(that I'm pretty sure died early in the process according to my candling) left to hatch. I heard peeping in the RIR so we'll see!!

I have to say, I'm so glad we decided to go ahead and have her hatch some!! This has been such a fun experience for our boys(8, 6, and 2)...and for me too!!

Here are a few pics of Harriet and the process!