Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[bobbieschicks]

My broody was off the nest for 4 hours today and the eggs would be about day 17.  She wanted to be free ranging so bad and I couldn't get her back in (first have to keep an eye on the rooster, then I wasn't going into the tall grass for her).  I'm hoping this didn't affect the eggs too badly.  I don't know what I'll do with the chicks...Hen house is sized for 16 and I've got 16 (provided no deaths).  I guess I'll make a decision once I see how many actually hatch.

CG

If its warm where you are the eggs should be fine. My girls go out and dust bathe, eat, drink, poop and then return later. They don't usually leave for very long but they set their own schedules.

 

[AVintageLife]

They will need food and water 24 hours after hatching, you could put food and water in the nest. You can put them on the floor if you are willing to take the risk, I think she probably will stay put as she wont want to be up with the chicks yet anyways.

I was in the same situation. I waited until a couple chicks had hatched and then moved Mom, chicks and remaining eggs to their new area on the floor (which was already set up and ready to go). New Mom expressed a little concern but once chicks and eggs were all placed in the new nest, she settled right down. I made sure to put the eggs down as they were in the old nest. She sat tight on the nest until the hatching was done. Good luck!

 

[Jharper]

Just went out side and the rest of my RIR eggs have hatched. Then I noticed that my BA has been on the nest for a long time today and realized that she has gone broody. On one egg and 3 golf balls! Haha!!

 

[bumpercarr]

I'm glad someone mentioned the golf ball trick. My barred rock went broody, completely unexpected. I was waiting for the silkie mix to go broody again so that I can set some eggs under her. Anyway, now I'm going to set some golf balls under the barred rock and if she stays broody, I'll give her some eggs at the same time that I give the silkie some eggs. I have the bater ready to go if the barred rock gives up before completing the job!

 

[Jharper]

I'm glad someone mentioned the golf ball trick.  My barred rock went broody, completely unexpected.  I was waiting for the silkie mix to go broody again so that I can set some eggs under her.  Anyway, now I'm going to set some golf balls under the barred rock and if she stays broody, I'll give her some eggs at the same time that I give the silkie some eggs.  I have the bater ready to go if the barred rock gives up before completing the job!

I know right! Now I only have one laying hen left. Almost all of my laying hens went broody!! I'm going to leave her on the golf balls b/c we are ordering some chicks.

 

[Roxannemc]

Congrats on the new chick!
A hen will decide for herself... some are perpetually broody and will raise their chicks till 6 wks or so, lay eggs for a few weeks and then go back to the 'broody mood' .... others are more seasonal and go broody once a year or so. No rhyme or reason.

To encourage broody moods you can try placing fake eggs (aka golf balls! LOL) in a nest to prod their urge to sit. It doesn't always work, but sometimes. Often if one hen in a group goes broody then others may follow, folks like to joke that it is contagious, but it doesn't always happen that way.

Mark the eggs you want her to hatch and check regularly to remove eggs that others have added to her clutch. Once she starts to sit you really don't want to keep adding eggs over multiple days because they won't all hatch at the same time and it may cause her to want to stay on the unhatched eggs and neglect her already hatched chicks, or she may get off the nest to tend the already hatched chicks and the eggs left may die. Neither is a good result. So try to keep the egg due date within a day or two...
A hen will sit for well over the 21 days... they want chicks and they are determined. If eggs don't hatch they will often continue to sit till they can hatch out a new group of eggs or you give them day old chicks from the feed mill to adopt. There are ways you can discourage a broody mood also... just look up 'breaking a broody hen' in the search above to get info for that.

You may encourage them by placing a group of 'fake eggs' in a couple of the non favored boxes. I use white golf balls and place 4 to 6 in a box I want to encourage use in. It can sometimes trigger a broody urge also. Using the fake eggs will allow you to collect your real ones daily.

That's funny b/c I had a golf ball in the nest from earlier to encourage them all to use the nest box..At one point the broody pushed all the eggs including the golf ball down to the floor(about 5 inches lower ) to sit on them .Maybe because she pushed most of the straw out
Don't know why but that golf ball got moved too and stayed under her

 

[Roxannemc]

That's funny b/c I had a golf ball in the nest from earlier to encourage them all to use the nest box..At one point the broody pushed all the eggs including the golf ball down to the floor(about 5 inches lower ) to sit on them .Maybe because she pushed most of the straw out
Don't know why but that golf ball got moved too and stayed under her

Today my Mom hen who is in a large dog carrier with straw came out at the doporway
I had opened the door to put in food
She came to the door and reached out to eat grass..
Then the 2 babies 2 days old hopped out .
I have some ranging adult birds and some 3 month old cockrels and an older cockrel maybe 5 months too that runs free. Is it safe to let them come out or do I need to FENCE a little grass area or just leave them all in the dog carrier and how long if so.? Will MOm come out if they are in?
She didnt seem to care they came out right next to her in the grass I put them back in though.
Also can I add some chicks who are about 4 days old under her?or is it too late.?

 

[bobbieschicks]

Today my Mom hen who is in a large dog carrier with straw came out at the doporway
 I had opened the door to put in food
She came to the door and reached out to eat grass..
Then the 2 babies 2 days old hopped out .
I have some ranging adult birds and some 3 month old cockrels and an older cockrel  maybe 5 months too that runs free. Is it safe to let them come out or do I need to  FENCE  a little grass area or just leave them all  in the dog carrier and how long if so.? Will MOm come out if they are in?
She didnt seem to care they came out right next to her in the grass I put them  back in though.
Also can I add some chicks who are about 4 days old under her?or is it too late.? 

It's fine. She will take care of them.

 

[Kassaundra]

Our broody's eggs are about to start hatching should be any day now, my husband (the evil egg snatcher) will be thrilled when they finally hatch and she stops pecking his arms.

 

[grannychicken54]

I just read the answer to my questions a few post ago I was wondering if going broody was contagious because 1 of my hens went broody and then within 3 days there are 8 that are it seems like everyone wants to sit at the same time, we are out of room for egg laying. I also wanted to ask if anyone has ever had a chicken steal eggs I have a banty that is broody I put a big tomatoe cage around her and right next to her another hen is sitting and I caught the banty putting her head though the squares and getting eggs right out from under the other hen and pulling them through the wire and putting them under her I was looking for a snake because the eggs under the hen were disappering and I could not figure out where they were going until I saw banty stealing them.