Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[SalinasChicken]

Hey everybody!

I'm so excited to find this thread! I recently purchased some baby silkies with the intentions of one day having a broody to hatch some eggs!

In the meantime (Mother's day) my husband and kids bought me an incubator! What do you do when you have an empty incubator? You fill it up! I filled it a week ago and I'm now patiently waiting for chicks.

Sooo, what happens 4 days ago??

One of my layers, a red sex-link, goes broody!? What?

Did not see that coming.... I did not think any of my layers would ever be the type to go broody! Super glad she did though!!

After waiting a few days to make sure she won't change her mind, I've ordered more eggs. They will be here Friday! This is my first experience with a broody! I'm so excited!

Ok, so my question is, she first started sitting on Sunday. I am not going to put the eggs under her till Saturday. Will she sit on the eggs for the full 21 days (starting Saturday)? Or give up in two more weeks, since that would be 21 days since she started sitting?? Also, I ordered 8 eggs. Is that too many for a LF hen or will that be ok? Sorry if these are silly questions! This is brand new to me! Thanks in advance!

I look forward to hatching along with you guys!

 

[fisherlady]

Hey everybody!

I'm so excited to find this thread! I recently purchased some baby silkies with the intentions of one day having a broody to hatch some eggs!

In the meantime (Mother's day) my husband and kids bought me an incubator! What do you do when you have an empty incubator? You fill it up! I filled it a week ago and I'm now patiently waiting for chicks.

Sooo, what happens 4 days ago??

One of my layers, a red sex-link, goes broody!? What?

Did not see that coming.... I did not think any of my layers would ever be the type to go broody! Super glad she did though!!

After waiting a few days to make sure she won't change her mind, I've ordered more eggs. They will be here Friday! This is my first experience with a broody! I'm so excited!

Ok, so my question is, she first started sitting on Sunday. I am not going to put the eggs under her till Saturday. Will she sit on the eggs for the full 21 days (starting Saturday)? Or give up in two more weeks, since that would be 21 days since she started sitting?? Also, I ordered 8 eggs. Is that too many for a LF hen or will that be ok? Sorry if these are silly questions! This is brand new to me! Thanks in advance!

I look forward to hatching along with you guys!

Congrats on your incubator and your first broody!

Your hen should be fine with 8 eggs. A broody hen doesn't care how long she sits, she just wants babies! She wouldn't quit just because the 21 days are up. I had a hen broody for about 6+ weeks over the winter and she did great.
Give her the eggs and if something happens and she quits being broody then pop them into the bator to finish them off. But she should do fine if she's decided she wants to be broody.
The only thing to watch for on a hen that is sitting a lot longer than the average 21 days is her body condition. If she seems to be loosing too much weight then you can encourage her to eat with healthy treats (good protein content treats especially) and/or just provide her with her own bowl of chick starter instead of layer food. She won't need the calcium of the layer food anyway and the chick starter is higher protein.
Good luck and let us know how she does!

 

[Johnn]

Hey Johnn, how many eggs did you have set under your hen to end up with two chicks? I'm wondering because two chicks seems like an easy number to work with if my broodies went broody again If that makes sense

I just got them as day olds but last year she hatched 2 and had 10 under her, the reason more didn't hatch is because she left the nest leaving them uncovered. If you are using your own eggs and they are all appearing to be fertile, I would go a head and put 3. If they are bought, depending on the hatch rate of others I would give her 4-6

 

[bobbieschicks]

Congrats on your incubator and your first broody!

Your hen should be fine with 8 eggs.  A broody hen doesn't care how long she sits, she just wants babies!  She wouldn't quit just because the 21 days are up. I had a hen broody for about 6+ weeks over the winter and she did great.
Give her the eggs  and if something happens and she quits being broody then pop them into the bator to finish them off. But she should do fine if she's decided she wants to be broody.
The only thing to watch for on a hen that is sitting a lot longer than the average 21 days is her body condition.  If she seems to be loosing too much weight then you can encourage her to eat with healthy treats (good protein content treats especially) and/or just provide her with her own bowl of chick starter instead of layer food.  She won't need the calcium of the layer food anyway and the chick starter is higher protein.
Good luck and let us know how she does!

Xs2. My Bunny went 42 weeks without quitting (I kept taking away eggs and trying to break her after her first clutch was demolished in the nest) and finally gave her day olds. I've also given eggs from under one broody that were about to hatch to a broody who was only sitting a week. She finished the job just fine.

 

[Nike]

I just got them as day olds but last year she hatched 2 and had 10 under her, the reason more didn't hatch is because she left the nest leaving them uncovered. If you are using your own eggs and they are all appearing to be fertile, I would go a head and put 3. If they are bought, depending on the hatch rate of others I would give her 4-6

Thanks! My hen has ten under her right now and a some of the eggs I have found uncovered so I'm crossing my fingers they'll hatch

 

[AVintageLife]

Xs2. My Bunny went 42 weeks without quitting (I kept taking away eggs and trying to break her after her first clutch was demolished in the nest) and finally gave her day olds. I've also given eggs from under one broody that were about to hatch to a broody who was only sitting a week. She finished the job just fine.

My EE Zelda is on Day 12 setting on eight olive egger eggs I purchased for her. Now one of my BR's is starting to act broody. Wondering about your success with the broody who was only sitting a week. Once the chicks hatched, she was done being broody even though they hatched so quickly for her? If that works, then maybe I could just slip a couple of Zelda's eggs under the BR and it'll work out fine. I'm not certain I want to purchase more eggs, feel like I'll be swimming in chicks because we also have four three-week-old silkie chicks in the house at the moment under quarantine.

 

[chickencowranch]

Quote:
Thank you. Mine looks like Gracie and like to talk.

 

[5 Acre Rooster]

For the 1st time since around the 8th I caught My broody BA off the nest. Didn't realize it til I went into coop and was no broody. I kinda mini freaked looking for feathers and blood. We got a new dog 2 days ago and he likes to try chasing some of the birds, but hasn't harmed any yet. He's an AS so he has the hrd instinct, which he uses on my rouens. Anyway I walked out of the coop and saw a BA close by. She took a few bites of grass and went back in the coop. The whole time puffed up like she does when I check her in the nest. She went back and settled down happy as can be.

Adding to the good fortune I also saw my other white guinea hen today. I wouldn't of spent 45 mins waiting and watching but both were by the yard and I got a scoop for them since she hasn't been seen for 10 days. She seemed to have a super appetite, chased everyone else off the feed except the drake and got her fill before meandering backto nest. She's hid really good and even being 5 feet from here I couldn't see her nestled down. Almost have to hover over her to see her. Hoping she comes back around in a day or 2 so I can see how big of a clutch she is sitting on. Her 1st set because she was hatched last year by my big white guinea end of summer.

 

[BCMaraniac]

Just a thought on giving a broody so many eggs each time...my silky Topsy was broody four times last year. As soon as she went off being broody, she laid a few eggs, then she returned to being broody again. She's not the exception either. My Smokey was broody 4 times as well. Vanilla Ice helped Topsy hatch a clutch earlier this year and is now broody along with another silky Shirley Jones.

When my girls first started going broody I would excitedly put half to a dozen eggs under them. But I soon found they are much better at hatching than a bator so the percentage of live chicks was higher than I expected.

My point is that your coop will quickly be over run with chicks if you give them more than a few eggs to hatch each time she goes broody, because I'm guessing she will go broody again and again.

This is my first incubation....and hers too. She is a FBCM, and I think they go broody pretty often, so you are probably right. These chicks are mutts, because I have a Lavender Orpington running with my layer hens for protection. However, I have a FBCM rooster now, so he will go into a breeding pen with her and other FBCM hens, so a broody won't be a bad thing, I suppose.....at least until I get an incubator.....at least she won't be raising mutts.

She is on day 19 now, and hasn't been off the nest in almost 48 hours. She has food and water where she can reach it simply by stretching out her neck, and she has been doing that. We must be getting close.....maybe they will hatch a day early

 

[BearSpringsFarm]

bearspringsfarm i just have to say i love your dog he/she is very pretty you said it was a Australian shepherd right ??? here is my mix she is mostly Australian shepherd and she has a tiny bit of border collie

this is my girl

Yes - she is Australian Shepherd - they are so sweet - your little girl is very pretty as well! Does she like chickens, too??