Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[bobbieschicks]

Well my idea of leaving the eggs in the nest box to get a broody didnt work, but one hen im not sure which plucked quite alot of fetahers out over the nest box filled with eggs. Is this a sign or will the hen just of done it out of boredum or compfort?

Usually that is a broody symptom.

 

[bobbieschicks]

Hi everyone . My first broody miss mini is doing amazeing with her five chicks they are all featherd out now except a bit of there head , wondering how long she will put up with them now lol.
Ok my question now though is I have a hatch going in my sons classroom. We set 7 eggs in a brinsea mini advanced that I won on here , silkie eggs and D'cucles? sorry cant spell it. My silkie Butter just went broody been working up to it hte past few days and now today she is offically glued to her nest and sitting on one of her non fertile eggs. The babies will be hatching hopefully tammrow and thursday and I will bring them home friday , Could I try slipping them under Butter at night even though she hasnt been sitting long as they will only be a day or two old.?
She is really mellow and dosnt ever attack the other chicks I have that I hatched in an incubator befor or the little baby quail when they are all out. It would be really nice to have her brood them and for her to have babies as her eggs arnt fertile and I cant hatch any more after the classroom hatch becuase I have to get rid of all my brids.

I slipped eggs that were about to hatch under my broody when she was only broody a week and she did fine. The broody doesn't know how to tell time so she won't be the wiser. However, that said, are you certain she is broody? A broody will not be laying eggs. So if she's definitely not laying eggs and staying tight on the egg, I would say you could slip 4-7 silky chicks under her successfully depending on how large a silky she is. My Topsy is very tiny and covered four chicks just fine. Remember that it is not so much the first week to worry about, but by the third week will she be able to cover them. My other silky Fluffy is larger and could cover probably 5-7 silky chicks to the four week mark without problems.

 

[Johnn]

Usually that is a broody symptom.

Hope so!, im not going to collect the eggs again untill Friday

 

[bobbieschicks]

Okay looks like Topsy is trying to go broody again. She's staying inside the cat carrier in her area and tucking the fake eggs under herself. She got upset when I removed her egg today. She hasn't stopped laying again, so she's not broody yet, but moving in that direction

On a happier note my WL who molted in October just laid her first post molt egg! Hoping she's back to business soon.

 

[gabrielle1976]

Well I got the weeks wrong so the hatch in the classroom wont be till next wensday , so hopefully plenty of time to figure out if butter wants to stay broody or not. Im not sure what she is size wise I have no bases of comparison I have serama but there tiny and she is bigger then them but I dont have any big birds to see her size wise with.
Here she is with my 7 1/2 year old , looking at him like he is crazy lol. maybe you can tell if she is big or little . I dont know if the eggs in the class room will hatch the teacher emailed me and said when she came in after a three day weekend it was telling her that there had been a loss of power at some point. I will try to go in this week and candle.

 

[Johnn]

Okay looks like Topsy is trying to go broody again. She's staying inside the cat carrier in her area and tucking the fake eggs under herself. She got upset when I removed her egg today. She hasn't stopped laying again, so she's not broody yet, but moving in that direction

On a happier note my WL who molted in October just laid her first post molt egg! Hoping she's back to business soon.

Im jelous, i want a broody! its annoying because the people who want them dont get them and people who dont want them do!!

 

[luvmychicken]

I have another pipped egg. Here Is baby #1

 

[luvmychicken]

I also put my week old bantams in with her. They fell right in place.

 

[Johnn]

I have another pipped egg. Here Is baby #1

 

[Johnn]

I also put my week old bantams in with her. They fell right in place.

Has she accepted them or do you not know yet?