Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[stonykill]

Adorable! I wouldn't have thought of a soft cat bed for a nest!

the cats didn't use it anymore. My wife was going to throw it out. But to me it looked like a Sumatra nest. I was right

 

[Johnn]

I have 62 eggs due to hatch in 2 weeks!! Can't wait! 29 Silver Phoenix eggs, 2 (sad I know haha!) Porcelin D'Uccle eggs, 10 Giant Buff Brahma, 1 Black Cochin, and 20 Giant Rhode Island Red. I have a broody Phoenix and a broody Bantam Buff Cochin. The Phoenix has 4 Phoenix eggs and the two D'Uccle eggs, the bantam Cochin has 6 Phoenix. We also have a standard Black Cochin who is broody and we put 8 Giant Rhode Island Red eggs under her. We are gonna be chick crazy soon!

Your going to have a lot of chicks...

 

[rebecuna]

My broody who hatched 3 chicks last week is out in the yard with them all day today-- they walk around and pick at the dirt and grass, and then she sits down and they scoot under her, then in 10 minutes they get up and do it again in a different spot. The rest of my flock is in the yard and keeping a respectful distance (much improved from before the hatch and they would peck her whenever she came out from her isolated nest). Should I try to have her nest tonight in the regular coop or is it still too risky and I should wait a week or so? (She's been sleeping in a different place every night in the shed she's in for brooding, so I don't even know if I could make her).

 

[chickenmomma16]

I think my chickens are going to be the end of me...

So the egg that I was too afraid to open, because it was dark green and I couldn't see through I stuck under a different broody on turkey eggs to give it more time. It hatched yesterday afternoon (super cute chick too!). So in the evening yesterday I slipped it under the broody that hatched the 8 chicks a couple days prior. This am when I went out before everyone got up to check on the chick and see how it was doing.

Well, the poor little thing, The other chicks are running around (being 3 -/+ days old) and Mama Hen is way too into scratching to find food for the little ones and this poor chick, all he wanted to do was sit under the hen being only 24 hours old. He got left behind in the nest and when I took him out he ran to his new mama who scratched on top of him, then stepped on him, then scratched again to almost completely bury him in shavings... After all that happened, he just sat there, didn't even uncover himself chirping like "I give up." So I stuck him back with the quiet broody who is sitting on turkey eggs so he can hopefully get strong enough to keep up with the others. She was happy to have him back and I am prepared to give up my turkey eggs for this little chick if it doesn't work out with putting him in with the others. I sure hope it doesn't come that though.

And to top it off I found 2 dozen eggs hidden around and under (in the most diffucult place to get to) the coop in various hidden nests. Not to mention this was all before I had my coffee!

Darn CHICKENS!

 

[fisherlady]

it's official. "Mama" my best broody Sumatra is broody in a safe spot. In her favorite nest. She got up 1st thing this morning to eat and drink and I gave her a dozen fresh Sumatra eggs.

this is her on one of her 4 broods last year. Same nest. She raised 15 happy healthy Sumatra chocks in this brood last year. She is 6 years old at least this year. She is the best!

Congrats on her getting started for you! Sounds like a wonderful hen to have around!

 

[stonykill]

a 2nd blue hen sat today as well. She is a young one. 1 year old. She is in a safe spot. If she is still sitting tomorrow she will also get some eggs. Just not as many as Mama. Mama is a seasoned pro.
It has begun. The broody Sumatra madness has started

 

[bobbieschicks]

Ugh! I can't get Bunny to stop going back in the nest. She's driving me crazy.

 

[Pennoppom]

Hi all! We are having a day of super cold weather (about 8 Degrees). This is colorado, so it could be 70 degrees by Thursday (and it was yesterday), but I'm worried about the cold temp because her nesting box is elevated and in general I'm a mess about my babies! Is everyone else confident that Pancake can keep her eggs nice and toasty?

 

[bobbieschicks]

Hi all!  We are having a day of super cold weather (about 8 Degrees).  This is colorado, so it could be 70 degrees by Thursday (and it was yesterday), but I'm worried about the cold temp because her nesting box is elevated and in general I'm a mess about my babies!  Is everyone else confident that Pancake can keep her eggs nice and toasty?

I'm in Virginia and we might get down to low double digits occasionally, but 8F is crazy talk! JK. I've had the girls sitting on eggs that hatched just fine while the coop was around 13F, but that was night time temps and it quickly elevated in the daylight. Plus the girl who did that hatch had a buddy with her to keep her warm. I'd make sure there weren't any drafts and have plenty of pine chips or bedding to nestle into. Hopefully Stony can pipe in because his weather would be closer to yours.

 

[Mingming]

Could you guys offer a little advise to a newby trying to get her normally broody hen to hatch eggs? She was broody about a month ago and I ordered hatching eggs and then I realized she'd been broody for almost 2 weeks and didn't want to push her to go another 3. So I asked the person that was selling them to put me down for being on hold and I'd get back to her on about a month. So... She went broody on Friday and Saturday, and just about when I emailed that I was ready for the eggs to be sent, she got off ths nest and hasn't sat since. My eggs come tomorrow, now what do I do?