Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[theminimizer]

This is Snowflake with a couple of her chicks. The others are hiding under her. She's got 10!!

What a winner! That's a lot of chicks.

 

[Johnn]

Question- When you put day olds under a hen, do you remove all the eggs?

 

[countrygirl74]

I have a silkie who started laying at 20 weeks and then stopped laying and started going broody on me a couple weeks ago around the age of 26 weeks.
I don't need any more chicks so I kept trying to break her but she was almost hurting herself to get to her nest. So...my sister wants ducks and I decided to give her some of my duck eggs. She is sitting on 7 duck eggs and keeps trying to take the other hens' eggs too! I just keep removing the chicken eggs and let her keep her 7 duck eggs, which is plenty for her to handle. I'm not sure if all of them are fertilized as one of my ducks doesn't get mounted as often as the other, so I am hoping that maybe half will hatch. My question is, she is in the coop with all the standard hens, 2 silkie roos, and a standard roo. She is the only silkie hen. When the ducks hatch, should I put her and the new babies in a separate pen? Not sure if the other hens or roos will bother the new ducklings?? This is my first time with a broody...

 

[Johnn]

What a winner! That's a lot of chicks.

I was given one who hatched 15 out all by her self!

 

[Johnn]

I have a silkie who started laying at 20 weeks and then stopped laying and started going broody on me a couple weeks ago around the age of 26 weeks.
I don't need any more chicks so I kept trying to break her but she was almost hurting herself to get to her nest. So...my sister wants ducks and I decided to give her some of my duck eggs. She is sitting on 7 duck eggs and keeps trying to take the other hens' eggs too! I just keep removing the chicken eggs and let her keep her 7 duck eggs, which is plenty for her to handle. I'm not sure if all of them are fertilized as one of my ducks doesn't get mounted as often as the other, so I am hoping that maybe half will hatch. My question is, she is in the coop with all the standard hens, 2 silkie roos, and a standard roo. She is the only silkie hen. When the ducks hatch, should I put her and the new babies in a separate pen? Not sure if the other hens or roos will bother the new ducklings?? This is my first time with a broody...

I would wait and see, like all babies they will get the odd peck but if they aren't getting badly hurt then I would just leave them in with everyone but if they are hurt put them in a separate pen

 

[bobbieschicks]

Well, Bunny has her 6 RIR chicks under her right now. I took away the two real eggs that someone laid in there today and replaced them with the chicks just about 1/2 hr ago. So far so good. I'll go check on them - the issues might be falling out if nestbox and her leaving them on ground alone & the fact that a few of these seem older than day olds since they are already getting wing feathers. Time will tell if this was a good idea. I just hope it breaks by broody!!!!

She looks adorable clucking to them and they are listening well to her. No one was out of the nest box yet - but probably I'll need to keep a close eye on them until she takes them to the floor.

 

[bobbieschicks]

Question- When you put day olds under a hen, do you remove all the eggs?

Yes.

 

[Johnn]

Yes.

So I don't just remove the amount of eggs there is chicks, I just remove all eggs?

 

[Johnn]

Well, Bunny has her 6 RIR chicks under her right now. I took away the two real eggs that someone laid in there today and replaced them with the chicks just about 1/2 hr ago. So far so good. I'll go check on them - the issues might be falling out if nestbox and her leaving them on ground alone & the fact that a few of these seem older than day olds since they are already getting wing feathers. Time will tell if this was a good idea. I just hope it breaks by broody!!!!

She looks adorable clucking to them and they are listening well to her. No one was out of the nest box yet - but probably I'll need to keep a close eye on them until she takes them to the floor.

Take it you did it in day time? So glad she has accepted them!

 

[Johnn]

This is Snowflake with a couple of her chicks. The others are hiding under her. She's got 10!!

, She's going to busy!