Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[luvmychicken]

I had a hen go broody. she had not left her box since monday. I have no roos, and the funny thing is there were no eggs under her, i kept removing them. thought at first she was sick, but when i brought her food and water, she ate and drank as usual. so i decided to get some fertile eggs from the girl at the feed store. we traded 6 good ones for 6 duds. lol. I set them yesterday. So today is day 1. she is still setting and has not left the box. When I pick her up and set her next to the nest, she just sets back down and puffs up.. I have decided not to move her, and instead, put a cover so to speak over her so she can be less disturbed by the other hens. Hope this works. this is my first hatch attempt ever!!!

will take any suggestions!!!

 

[pysankigirl]

Thanks Bobbies. I was wondering about that when I had my broody earlier. Maybe next time I'll let the momma stay in the raised boxes.

I think it would be really cool so see a momma carry a chick under the wing! I did see my little momma carry an egg that way.

I almost lost a chick because it couldn't get back into the nest box...it wasn't a matter of getting out safely. it almost died of being too cold.

I thought it WAS dead and took it upstairs but I guess my hands warmed it up enough that it moved a bit and I realized it was still alive. I held it in fromt of a heat lamp, turning it so it wouldn't burn until it woke up...I was so dang happy. I put drops of water on its beak in case it was dehydrated and eventually it started moving around and acting like a normal chick so I gave it back to Moma but I put her nest on the ground first.

 

[uphilljill]

So, I got my broody moved into a cozy brooder box in my garage and set 1/2 of the eggs I had in my incubator under her. She's now been sitting on them happily for about a week. I don't think she's been off at all to eat or drink. Should I force her off? The eggs aren't due to hatch for another 10 days, and I'm worried that she'll starve before leaving those eggies.

Newbie to hatching and reading thru this thread to decide whether to incubate or use our broodies... I knew we could move eggs into the incubator if the broody broke, but never thought about moving them from the incubator to the hen if I had one go broody. Is that what you're referring to here? Is there some sort of guideline or cut off time to do this? I was planning to let the hen do the work and just have the incubator as a backup, but if it goes both ways it sure would help with timing and give us a bit more flexibility.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote: When I had my broody I moved her in the night to a new nest but at first I put it on a straw bale. A couple days before hatch, I moved that box down to the floor (again, in the night). After hatch, she moved out to a corner on the floor.

That worked well and no worries.

 

[Phoenix Farms]

I need some help.

I own Phoenixes and they are very broody, I've had 4 go broody within 5 months, and we always move them to a different pen to brood. I just had a little one go broody so I tried to move her but she wouldn't accept the fake eggs(we give them fake eggs until we are sure they will brood in the new place) and she tried to get out of the pen. We had another one try to get out but we just locked her in the doghouse where they hatch their chicks. It solved her trying to get out and after a week she came and went out of the doghouse but not out of the pen. This new broody girl however, I don't know what to do. I took her back to the coop and she went straight to a best and floofed up over the eggs.

 

[bobbieschicks]

I almost lost a chick because it couldn't get back into the nest box...it wasn't a matter of getting out safely. it almost died of being too cold.

I thought it WAS dead and took it upstairs but I guess my hands warmed it up enough that it moved a bit and I realized it was still alive. I held it in fromt of a heat lamp, turning it so it wouldn't burn until it woke up...I was so dang happy. I put drops of water on its beak in case it was dehydrated and eventually it started moving around and acting like a normal chick so I gave it back to Moma but I put her nest on the ground first.

Awh - good thing you caught it in time. Does your nest box have a lip to it? Mine has a pretty good size lip so that helps keep them in and everyone hatched about the same time - only a day difference - so no one was really ready to roam around so much.

 

[bobbieschicks]

Newbie to hatching and reading thru this thread to decide whether to incubate or use our broodies... I knew we could move eggs into the incubator if the broody broke, but never thought about moving them from the incubator to the hen if I had one go broody. Is that what you're referring to here? Is there some sort of guideline or cut off time to do this? I was planning to let the hen do the work and just have the incubator as a backup, but if it goes both ways it sure would help with timing and give us a bit more flexibility.

That was how I did my first broody experience - I had some eggs in the bator and some under the broody. When hers weren't developing due to cold temps and her first time brooding - I put the ones I had ready for hatch under her on Day 17. She hatched out 3 of them for me. I could have just as easily hatched them in the bator and tucked the dried off chicks under her at night and she most likely would have taken them as newly hatched. But giving them to her on Day 17 allows her the time to cluck to them and them to chirp to her through the shell. That way they can imprint faster and she is more likely to accept them.

 

[ll]

I had my broody set-up on the floor to keep her out of our one nest box.
Our nest box is pretty high too, so that was also a big consideration. I didn't want broken baby legs.
When it got closer to hatch day, I took the green bin out and left the cardboard pepper box. One of the chicks went over the edge of the floor box on the 1st day...
and was peeping "Help me" from behind the box between the wall.
(I have a baby monitor on)
My broody was great, and on day three she showed her babies the way out into the yard without any prompting from me. (She actually snuck them thru the door & showed them how to hop over a 6" "kickplate" right behind me as I was tinkering).

 

[LolaBlue]

woke up to find the remaining two eggs half hatched and dead... So just the one lonely faverolle

 

[fisherlady]

woke up to find the remaining two eggs half hatched and dead... So just the one lonely faverolle

So sorry to hear! Would you be able to find some other bantam babies to keep it company?