Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[SJ]

Well I did get to see two babies peek out from broody #1 but wasn't quick enough to get a pic.... black and yellow

Broody #2 was given 14 eggs today... she's a game bird mix about two years old. Excited that she has my hrir, Marans, Swedish flower, &silver penciled rock purebreds... from my own flock.... yaaaay

You can see to these ladies this is very serious business.

 

[SJ]

Meanwhilest, the insane buff (yes that's what we call her, really lol) has been on her broodyness for 6 days now. So I thought I too should share in the joy that is, the puffed up chicken!! Yay!!
she's sitting on 16

I don't have a large rooster to hen ratio, so we'll just have to wait and see.

Meanwhilest, intentional breeding rooms have begun. much to poor poundcakes dismay, she'd much rather be out free ranging and not having to deal with the boys

Reminds me of the Buff Orp I had that hatched 18 on her first try ever. That fluff sure helps cover more eggs.

 

[SJ]

Okay, Y'all...another question! As mentioned, it's been really cold for a few days. Today I was concerned to see Pancake has some disturbances on her comb. Does this look okay? Or is something wrong? The black dots seem to be like little scabs, but just showed up today, and the tip of the comb has looked a little ashy, but now looks almost necrotic.





I'm starting to feel like an attention hog for asking so many questions, but I sure do appreciate all the feedback. My husband is patient with my chicken/banjo/veggie farming weirdness, but he doesn't have any interest in it, so this is a lonely little farmette sometimes. Thanks again!!!

It looks like a touch of frost bite more frost nip. Nothing major I see much worse than this every winter. It should not spread. The scabs dry and fall off. Rub some petroleum jelly on her comb for protection if it is going to stay really cold.

 

[SJ]

Yeah 218 posts and I caught up.

But it is late now and my update will have to wait until morning.

 

[Pennoppom]

Th

It looks like a touch of frost bite more frost nip. Nothing major I see much worse than this every winter. It should not spread. The scabs dry and fall off. Rub some petroleum jelly on her comb for protection if it is going to stay really cold.   

Thank you SO much! That's great news. Naturally, I started researching and had myself convinced it was pox. Thanks again.

 

[OHfarmerswife]

My broodys com is a pale pink and curled over. Any suggestions. She has food & water in her enclosure, but doesn't seem to touch it. I do pull her off the nest twice a day. She eats, drinks & dust bathes.

 

[promiselandfarm5]

Has anyone had luck using a broody when hatching shipped eggs.....AND detached air sacs? I got some call eggs with some pretty bad air sacs. I thought about putting the eggs that look the best under the broody and see if I can fit the rest in there bator.

Any ideas?

 

[luvmychicken]

Well the chicks are 7 weeks old and momma laid her first egg yesterday. It was funny. They were in the nest box with her

 

[Aris]

I was hoping for a broody since the last days of February ,today I went to the bantam coop to collect the eggs and I found not one but TWO hens to fight for the dominance of an egg clutch ,I divided the eggs to two different nests and added during the afternoun a few more from my LF chickens ,also put a barrier to separate them from the rest of the flock, now they happily brood side by side, the birchen has 1 LF and 9 bantam eggs and the red 5 LF and 3 bantam eggs ,I hope they will know to which nest to return after their first ''lunch break'' , wish me good luck

, I'll update in 3 weeks .



So I guess broodiness must contagious since out of a flock of nine hens two decided to go broody the same day and a third is making the typical '' I am protecting my nest '' sounds and stays a little longer than usually at the nest.

100% success !!! The ''birchen'' hatched all 10 !!! and the red one actually had 9 eggs and hatched them also all !!! and I have also two more broodies out of a flock of 9 bantam hens !!! one settled at 2 of April and one is sitting for 2 days ,so now I am collecting eggs for her , who needs incubators when you have bantams

The chicks of the ''birchen''


The chick of the red


and just for the fun a compare at the size of a bantam and a large fowl chick one day old

 

[Johnn]

The Orpington is sitting much better now, I wish she was like this from the start. Hope some of her eggs will still hatch.