Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[groverlvchx]

Came home from work to my first home-hatched chick! Not due until tomorrow--here's hoping more of the other six under her are still going to hatch. SO MUCH FUN!!!

 

[CarolinaHen]

So cute!!

 

[CGinJCMO]

We placed a large plastic dog kennel in the run with some straw in it for times when the broody can't get the little ones up the ramp and inside when the weather is iffy. Both of our broodies like to be out in the run as much as possible, but when the rain showers hit they try to get back inside and the little ones just don't always cooperate. Twice I found a broody out in the run in the pouring rain covering the little ones (meanwhile she is soaked through!)

Since placing the kennel as a dry spot to shelter I have twice found a broody sitting out a rainstorm in it with her little ones. So if you are worried about it you can set up a little sheltered area within your run for your broody and little ones, it doesn't need to be fancy, anything that provides a dry, sheltered spot will help.

I wonder if I can find one fairly cheap.Hubby already rolls his eyes at me. I have a hutch that's being used for quarnatine/grow up purposes (3 four-week old Polish bantams bought a week ago for my kids' bantam pen but can't put them out there now with year old D'uccles).

I took the 2 new babies out,(still a little damp - since I didn't want shrink wrapped chicks while gone today I added a measuring cup with a little water and humidity was at 100% when I got home) picked up the 4 she was taking care of, and walked back to the people door to put them in the area I had fenced off for her and the babies. She seems to have accepted the two new ones. They were all snuggled under her. Do broodys usually have such long hatches? Had 2 come on Saturday, 1 on Sunday, (she was ready to get off the nest so the rest are incubator hatchings) 2 on Monday, and 2 Tuesday.

One more to hatch in the 'bator. Thought since hadn't seen a wiggle, or outer pip, I'd let Mama have her 6 babies (they were just an experiment to see what my two EE's get) and eggtopsy the unhatched one to see when it stopped. I whacked it on the edge of the table like when I'm cooking, started to peel the egg shell off and it peeped at me! It was still alive. I put it back into the 'bator and plugged it back in. If I didn't kill it already (brain damage from the concussion I gave it, or causing to to hatch earlier than it wanted to even though it is supposedly 4 days behind the rest of the clutch), that will make 7 chicks.

Started with 10 eggs. I dropped one that was developing. 1 disappeared into thin air (if she rejected it, I never found it...I hope I don't have a snake getting into the hen house). 1 died in incubator (little blood near "umbillical" that was our fault for grabbing the shell even though it wasn't totally out - thought it was). I'd say that was a good hatch rate for an "experiment at hatching". Now to see if I have more males than females...and their color patterns.

CG

 

[CGinJCMO]

Quote: Oh and I worry that the chicks aren't getting water. I have baby water in the coop, but if they can't make it back up the ramp, I can't imagine them drinking from the big pan in the yard (one of those black rubber feeder tubs - the adults seems to prefer it over the water bowls in the coop) since it's a couple of inches tall and filled with water. If I can find something, or just let mama have private place of her own it would solve that problem.

Other way to solve the problem - find something to put the bantams in. Except, if they have some germs...then it'll spread to my flock because it'll be in the wood frame.

CG

 

[bobbieschicks]

Oh and I worry that the chicks aren't getting water.  I have baby water in the coop, but if they can't make it back up the ramp,  I can't imagine them drinking from the big pan in the yard (one of those  black rubber feeder tubs - the adults seems to prefer it over the water bowls in the coop) since it's a couple of inches tall and filled with water.  If I can find something, or just let mama have private place of her own it would solve that problem.

Other way to solve the problem - find something to put the bantams in.  Except, if they have some germs...then it'll spread to my flock because it'll be in the wood frame. 

CG

You could put a small plastic lid with pebbles and water near the babies so they can grab a quick drink as needed.

 

[fisherlady]

I wonder if I can find one fairly cheap.Hubby already rolls his eyes at me. I have a hutch that's being used for quarnatine/grow up purposes (3 four-week old Polish bantams bought a week ago for my kids' bantam pen but can't put them out there now with year old D'uccles).

CG

Run in shelters can be very simple to scatter around in your pens, and may be used for any of your birds, though broodies benefit the most from them I would say...

The large dog crate was just what I had handy... you can do the same thing by getting a large, decently heavy cardboard box, laying it on it's side and covering it with a garbage bag over the top to prevent water damage to the cardboard. It only needs to last a week or two until the chicks get the coop thing figured out. I prefer that whatever it is have 1 or 2 vent holes around it other than just the open end but that is just an extra.
Also, two large cement blocks (they are usually 8x8x16 spaced about 16" apart and with a piece of plywood or a couple of boards over top of them would even work. just make sure the boards are weighted down or somehow secured to prevent wind from lifting them.

Take a piece of scrap plywood and create a 'lean to' by resting one end on a block or securing it to something else up about 16" or so... then leave the other end on the ground. Most of the things we've created run in shelters from are just scrap that we have, nothing elaborate or needing to cost anything.

 

[daesee]

Help!

I'm at day 21 of my first broody hen experience. 3 out of 5 have hatched so far, and are so cute. The other two show no signs of peeps, pips or zips. Should I leave them in the nest for at least another day?

And, I have a bigger problem. I only have two hens total (no roo) and with such a small "flock," chose not to separate out my broody. I wanted to keep at least one or two of the chicks and figured that was the best way to integrate them. However, my other hen is being super aggressive to the new little ones and tried to kill one of them (trhew it across the pen!). It ended up ok, but what a scare! Of the two, mom was the more submissive one, but I was hoping she would be more protective against the other one.

I made a small emergency make-shift broody pen, but it won't be adequate for the long term, since they are free ranging and spend the bulk of the day in the yard together. Should I move her before all have hatched? Maybe use the pen for the aggressive one short term?

Any advise?

 

[Jharper]

Help!

I'm at day 21 of my first broody hen experience. 3 out of 5 have hatched so far, and are so cute. The other two show no signs of peeps, pips or zips. Should I leave them in the nest for at least another day?

And, I have a bigger problem. I only have two hens total (no roo) and with such a small "flock," chose not to separate out my broody. I wanted to keep at least one or two of the chicks and figured that was the best way to integrate them. However, my other hen is being super aggressive to the new little ones and tried to kill one of them (trhew it across the pen!). It ended up ok, but what a scare! Of the two, mom was the more submissive one, but I was hoping she would be more protective against the other one.

I made a small emergency make-shift broody pen, but it won't be adequate for the long term, since they are free ranging and spend the bulk of the day in the yard together. Should I move her before all have hatched? Maybe use the pen for the aggressive one short term?

Any advise?

Leave the other eggs alone and can you separate the hen and her chicks in the nest if you can.

 

[daesee]

Thanks, but my only choice in my small yard is keep mom, chicks and unhatched eggs in the coop and lock the the aggressive one in the brooder pen at night, or move mom, chicks & eggs to brooder pen and let the aggressive one back in the coop. I have two hours of daylight left to decide... Sounds like your advice is leave the mom in the nest and use the tiny brooder pen for the other one - for now...

 

[Jharper]

Thanks, but my only choice in my small yard is keep mom, chicks and unhatched eggs in the coop and lock the the aggressive one in the brooder pen at night, or move mom, chicks & eggs to brooder pen and let the aggressive one back in the coop.  I have two hours of daylight left to decide...    Sounds like your advice is leave the mom in the nest and use the tiny brooder pen for the other one - for now...

Sounds good b/c if the others are still good you wouldn't want her to leave them.