Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Pozees]

Hi Fisherlady,
Thanks! I have hardwood pine shavings from Tractor Supply floring the coop now. Do I need to change anything for when the chicks hatch? Should I clean the coop and change the shavings for something else or just before they hatch? should I set aoisde one corner of the coop with some hardwarecloth for them to walk on? How do I set up the feeding./watering system?
Thanks,
Karen

Karen, I think it is very exciting that your Sussex are doing what the breed is known for doing - winter laying, hatching and brooding their own chicks, and essentially letting us know, "they got this!" Shavings should be fine, broody poops are enormous so easier to clean out if you wish because you can't miss them and they are all at once. An easy way to offer chick food and water is to put a couple rectangular paver blocks in the coop and put feeders/waterers on top of them. The pavers I am talking about are only an inch or so high. Once they are able to reach the adult waterer you can eliminate theirs from the coop.

You should be really happy about them doing this, I know it wasn't in your plan but this is exactly what Sussex should do, with little human input.

 

[bobbieschicks]

Karen, I think it is very exciting that your Sussex are doing what the breed is known for doing - winter laying, hatching and brooding their own chicks, and essentially letting us know, "they got this!"   Shavings should be fine, broody poops are enormous so easier to clean out if you wish because you can't miss them and they are all at once.  An easy way to offer chick food and water is to put a couple rectangular paver blocks in the coop and put feeders/waterers on top of them.  The pavers I am talking about are only an inch or so high.  Once they are able to reach the adult waterer you can eliminate theirs from the coop.

You should be really happy about them doing this, I know it wasn't in your plan but this is exactly what Sussex should do, with little human input.

Xs2. And I wouldn't wire them off unless you have an overly aggressive flock member and I would consider culling that flock member for the rest of the flocks sake. Also I usually put a little of the chick feed on a little plate or scatter it in the bedding material, the broody will kick it around and teach the babies how to scratch up their feed.

 

[bobbieschicks]

Look at those cute Chickie babies! I could never get tired of seeing these pictures!

Xs2

 

[bobbieschicks]

How sweet! They all look very healthy and happy

I love how they still think they can fit under momma. Lol

 

[bobbieschicks]

Need some input please?

My hen hatched 5 chicks this past weekend.  Some of the eggs did not hatch and I would really like to get some more day old chicks.  By the time I am able to get more chicks, the ones she hatched will be over a week old.  Is there any chance she will accept the new chicks??  Or will I have to find a place to set up another brooder?  I really want her to raise them if at all possible, and so far she has been an awesome mama.

Can anyone advise?

Thank you!

Destinysma

Probably you will need to brood them separately, but you can certainly give it a try. Success depends on the broody's temperament, the week old chicks size compared to the day olds size, and day olds adaptability. If the broody is laid back, the week olds small in stature and the day olds hardy enough it may work.

I'd slip them under her after sunset at night and at first dawn be ready to remove if necessary. Keep an eye on whether they are getting bullied by the week olds., that's more than just a little peck here and there.

 

[fisherlady]

Need some input please?

My hen hatched 5 chicks this past weekend. Some of the eggs did not hatch and I would really like to get some more day old chicks. By the time I am able to get more chicks, the ones she hatched will be over a week old. Is there any chance she will accept the new chicks?? Or will I have to find a place to set up another brooder? I really want her to raise them if at all possible, and so far she has been an awesome mama.

Can anyone advise?

Thank you!

Destinysma

I agree with the above reply with one additional question or word of caution... if your hen already has 5 chicks, how many more are you planning to add? Because of the still cold/wet weather I would caution against giving her too many... maybe trying an additional 3 or 4 max depending on how big she is. She will be trying to keep them covered and warm at night for the next few weeks and it's liable to get a bit crowded under there if she isn't very big.
We gave our silkie 8 eggs, we were hoping to have a hatch of maybe 5? figuring there would be some that wouldn't develop since they were shipped eggs. Well she proved us wrong (note, broody hens rarely do what we want/expect) and she hatched all 8 and they are so far doing well, but she is already finding they are crowded... we may end up providing supplemental heat at or near her nest depending on the weather if we see that she is having trouble covering them in the next couple of weeks.

 

[bobbieschicks]

I agree with the above reply with one additional question or word of caution... if your hen already has 5 chicks, how many more are you planning to add?  Because of the still cold/wet weather I would caution against giving her too many... maybe trying an additional 3 or 4 max depending on how big she is.  She will be trying to keep them covered and warm at night for the next few weeks and it's liable to get a bit crowded under there if she isn't very big. 
We gave our silkie 8 eggs, we were hoping to have a hatch of maybe 5?  figuring there would be some that wouldn't develop since they were shipped eggs.  Well she proved us wrong (note, broody hens rarely do what we want/expect) and she hatched all 8 and they are so far doing well, but she is already finding they are crowded... we may end up providing supplemental heat at or near her nest depending on the weather if we see that she is having trouble covering them in the next couple of weeks.

That is a good point. The broody will need to still be able to cover the chicks up to age 4-5 weeks old. After that they usually will be huddled together for warmth and comfort while she returns to the roost. However the flip side is that they will be better able to tolerate the cold more than a brooder raised chick. But decide based on your weather conditions, size of broody, size of chicks at 4 weeks old, and have plan B ready should they need extra heat.

I don't heat my coop. But we don't get extreme weather here in VA. It dropped to the upper teens overnight awhile back and everyone in the coop was fine, but it warmed up during the day. However if it got too cold for too long I would need to consider extra heat if I had babies in there.

If you are using the broody as a bator, you will be fine letting her hatch out a bunch of chicks and then brooding them yourself, but if you are letting her do everything, then you need to consider how big they will be by the time she's done with them. Of course Johnn has a hen that was the exception because she kept her chicks way past the normal age of independence, so that's something that can happen too.

If you have another potential for broody you could also let the nonbroody one hang out with the broody in hopes she will help raise them as well.

 

[luvmychicken]

Is it normal for a broody not to ever want to leave her nest. This is day 7. And if I don't take her off. She doesn't move. I have to practily hand feed her.

 

[fisherlady]

Is it normal for a broody not to ever want to leave her nest. This is day 7. And if I don't take her off. She doesn't move. I have to practily hand feed her.

Ours did about the same, once we got a security camera to watch what was going on when we weren't there though we saw that she did get up once or twice a day on her own, but only for a couple of minutes each time. Just enough to drink and grab a couple of bites usually. Just make sure she has unfrozen water and food available somewhere nearby and she should be fine. We got her out most days when we were in the coop taking care of other things so she would have a couple of minutes to stretch, but that probably did more for our peace of mind than anything else.

 

[luvmychicken]

Is it normal for a broody not to ever want to leave her nest. This is day 7. And if I don't take her off. She doesn't move. I have to practily hand feed her.

Ours did about the same, once we got a security camera to watch what was going on when we weren't there though we saw that she did get up once or twice a day on her own, but only for a couple of minutes each time. Just enough to drink and grab a couple of bites usually.  Just make sure she has unfrozen water and food available somewhere nearby and she should be fine.  We got her out most days when we were in the coop taking care of other things so she would have a couple of minutes to stretch, but that probably did more for our peace of mind than anything else.

I don't have to worry bout water freezing. It's staying round 65. her food and water are with in her reach. She is not messing in her nest or the brood box I have her in. But when she goes. OMG. I couldn't believe that much could have come from her