Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[This_chicks_place]

(I've mostly posted at the Washingtonian's board lately).
I've had nine SSH eggs under a big old Australorp hen for 23 days now; I tried to candle a couple of eggs yesterday using the sun-peephole method but I have never been able to see anything in an egg, ever, starting back when I was a little kid and we bought uncandled eggs cheap and Mom candled them to sell in our store and tried to teach me the skill, back in the fifties. It's a shameful admission, I know. I last tried with a bunch of EE eggs I incubator-hatched last fall: couldn't see anything, ever, and ended up with 14 chicks.
How long do I wait to replace the eggs or try to break her brood? They should be fertile- all the ones I break to cook have well-marked bullseyes and the hens have dirty foot-prints all over their pretty backs- but I don't know for sure that she didn't take too much time off the nest early on. Now she won't leave the nest at all! She's raised at least one hatching before, according to the fellow BYCer I got her from.

I would leave the alone for another 2 or 3 days. We just had our first hatch and it started on day 23 and continued one egg a day for the next four days. So as someone so wisely told me on this thread....Be patient it will happen!

 

[Farmin Momma]

I am so Happy I could SCREAM

! So I have my Black Cochin mix (that needs a name by the way) who hatched out 4 chicks on May 26th. Then my Black Australorp(sp?) went broody a few days later and I set 4 turkey eggs under her two days ago, and now the one I have been waiting for I am about 99.5% sure that Big Burtha my Black Jersey Giant has decided to go broody!!!!!

Just in time too, I am picking up 12 silkie hatching eggs on Friday! When I was out cleaning the coop today she had been in there for a while, until somehen elts pushed her out. Then she just went to another box and waited till the other hen was done then hoped right back in the box she was in before. I went to collect eggs and both Burtha and Ebony began puffing up and hissing at me. They are in boxes right next to each other.

I could be counting my broodies before they sit ( ha ha cheesy I know) but I should know in the next night or two if I am right!

I was just going to incubate them, I hatched out 7 (9 but two died, one from cat attack and one from intestines hanging out) of my own eggs these last two days and was getting ready to clean the bator. I will still clean it and put it away. I do enjoy being able to watch the babies hatch, but I feel broody's do it best and tend to have better hatch rates.

Burtha is big enough I should be able to fit all 12 under her, right?

 

[nickie]

Alright experts, putting eggs in tonight! Should I remove the golfballs?

 

[awalters0815]

i moved the golfballs and she didnt mind.

 

[Tripp16]

Alright experts, putting eggs in tonight! Should I remove the golfballs?

Yes remove the golf balls. I changed my girls eggs out during the day. As long as she has eggs shes happy!

 

[Miss Lydia]

I am so Happy I could SCREAM

! So I have my Black Cochin mix (that needs a name by the way) who hatched out 4 chicks on May 26th. Then my Black Australorp(sp?) went broody a few days later and I set 4 turkey eggs under her two days ago, and now the one I have been waiting for I am about 99.5% sure that Big Burtha my Black Jersey Giant has decided to go broody!!!!!

Just in time too, I am picking up 12 silkie hatching eggs on Friday! When I was out cleaning the coop today she had been in there for a while, until somehen elts pushed her out. Then she just went to another box and waited till the other hen was done then hoped right back in the box she was in before. I went to collect eggs and both Burtha and Ebony began puffing up and hissing at me. They are in boxes right next to each other.

I could be counting my broodies before they sit ( ha ha cheesy I know) but I should know in the next night or two if I am right!

I was just going to incubate them, I hatched out 7 (9 but two died, one from cat attack and one from intestines hanging out) of my own eggs these last two days and was getting ready to clean the bator. I will still clean it and put it away. I do enjoy being able to watch the babies hatch, but I feel broody's do it best and tend to have better hatch rates.

Burtha is big enough I should be able to fit all 12 under her, right?

A JG? of course she can sit 12 silkie eggs.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

I was able to get one picture of Muffin and a baby. I'm still not certain how many they're are. I tried to check and she cracked one of the remaining eggs. It looked to be a few days behind, so I left her with the one that was peeping (has since hatched) and out the last two in the bator so they can bake a little longer. Any hope she'll still take them? The busted egg was super close, so I'm expecting them to hatch either sometime tonight or tomorrow. Anyway, here's the pic. Muffin looks so happy with her little ones. She's doing a fabulous job looking after them!

 

[bobbieschicks]

Well what a scare I got! I locked everyone out of the house today after laying hours and left. Come back home and see everyone is inside including the Broody hating rooster!!!   I ran in, Henrietta was happily on her nest and the rooster was well, doing what roosters do....   She literally has not been off her nest in two days! I did make her get up yesterday to see if she would poop but she crawled right back on the nest. She has food and water she can eat out of her but where is all this going?! I check her all the time to make sure she isnt pooping on the eggs.. (Weirdo I know)   But Im not going to make her when all she does is walk around clucking for 5 minutes then is right back on those eggs.

She is WAY more serious then my bantam was. My bantam Gracie was serious but she got up everyday even on day 20 but Henrietta is flat as a pancake on those eggs.

It took her a month to decide to go broody so Im not breaking her now... 

Phew that was close!

 

[prairie]

Oh I love the pic! I am hoping my new little Banty Cornish will get broody. I just got her a couple of days ago and they said she hatched out a batch of chickies about 3 weeks ago. They kept the chicks but I wanted the Cornish to hopefully go broody and hatch some guinea eggs. Anyone know how long it might be before she goes broody again?? Thanks for any advice. Kare

 

[bobbieschicks]

[COLOR=0000CD]I am so Happy I could SCREAM ! So I have my Black Cochin mix (that needs a name by the way) who hatched out 4 chicks on May 26th. Then my Black Australorp(sp?) went broody a few days later and I set 4 turkey eggs under her two days ago, and now the one I have been waiting for I am about 99.5% sure that Big Burtha my Black Jersey Giant has decided to go broody!!!!! e Just in time too, I am picking up 12 silkie hatching eggs on Friday! When I was out cleaning the coop today she had been in there for a while, until somehen elts pushed her out. Then she just went to another box and waited till the other hen was done then hoped right back in the box she was in before. I went to collect eggs and both Burtha and Ebony began puffing up and hissing at me. They are in boxes right next to each other.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=0000CD]I could be counting my broodies before they sit ( ha ha cheesy I know) but I should know in the next night or two if I am right![/COLOR]

[COLOR=0000CD]I was just going to incubate them, I hatched out 7 (9 but two died, one from cat attack and one from intestines hanging out) of my own eggs these last two days and was getting ready to clean the bator. I will still clean it and put it away. I do enjoy being able to watch the babies hatch, but I feel broody's do it best and tend to have better hatch rates.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=0000CD]Burtha is big enough I should be able to fit all 12 under her, right? [/COLOR]

Yeah! I'll send you some of my eggs too! Lol! That jersey giant should be able to handle 12 no problem.