Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[saracalderas]

Donna, I think with this heat it isn't as serious? I wouldn't give up on them.

 

[bobbieschicks]

They are RIR's aren't they? I notice you seem to have a lot of silkies and fluffy things like that so it will be nice for you to have some big/good egg layers that probably wont go broody!

Haha. One can hope.

 

[bobbieschicks]

Help????? I was a little under the weather yesterday and therefore didn't check on my broody quite as much as normally do. She is 7 days away from day 21. She was somehow got off the nest and couldn't get back on. The door closed and shut her out. I don't know for how long. I checked her about noonish and then didn't go back out until I closed them up about 8:30-8:45pm. Will I lose this hatch? I'm so bumming!

Donna

It happens quite often and unless your weather is extremely cold the eggs should be fine. Candle some tomorrow or soon and verify they are on target.

 

[bobbieschicks]

Yeah! Didn't have to fight the broodies to put them away tonight. Mommas and baby were already snuggling in the corner.

Of course the teens were still out running around after the auto door closed.

 

[Tabatha]

Ok...I have never let my chickens go broody; I just have had them as meat and egg birds. I got a set of silkies for my birthday and im addicted! I have people asking for chicks left and right, but she wasn't laying eggs at the time. Well, she laid her first egg yesterday. There is a huge chance of it being fertilized, as her man "likes" her...a lot...and often...and his...eh hmm..."aim" is good. So...now what? Lol. I get the process, I do, but I think I want chicks so badly that I'm gonna mess it up. Of course, I checked out the egg and took pics and gloated like *I* laid it myself. I put it back in the spot where she laid it...but now she's pushing it out of the way. Does this mean she doesn't want it? Will she gather her eggs when she's ready? If not, is it still ok to eat since it is going on 48 hours old? Another thing...is it ok that she doesn't go in a nesting box? She won't use her steps and is too short to jump up there (like a foot off of the ground). She built a nest in a quiet spot under my nesting boxes in which she laid this egg. If I set her up there, she gets back down. She seems to like being by herself.

 

[Johnn]

Ok...I have never let my chickens go broody; I just have had them as meat and egg birds. I got a set of silkies for my birthday and im addicted! I have people asking for chicks left and right, but she wasn't laying eggs at the time. Well, she laid her first egg yesterday. There is a huge chance of it being fertilized, as her man "likes" her...a lot...and often...and his...eh hmm..."aim" is good. So...now what? Lol. I get the process, I do, but I think I want chicks so badly that I'm gonna mess it up. Of course, I checked out the egg and took pics and gloated like *I* laid it myself. I put it back in the spot where she laid it...but now she's pushing it out of the way. Does this mean she doesn't want it? Will she gather her eggs when she's ready? If not, is it still ok to eat since it is going on 48 hours old? Another thing...is it ok that she doesn't go in a nesting box? She won't use her steps and is too short to jump up there (like a foot off of the ground). She built a nest in a quiet spot under my nesting boxes in which she laid this egg. If I set her up there, she gets back down. She seems to like being by herself.

She isn't broody, so she wont accept it. You can collect all her eggs for up to 2 weeks with them staying fertile. If you want to encourage her to go broody try leaving fake eggs/ ping pong balls/ golf balls in the nest. Just keep dating all the eggs she lad and as soon as they are two weeks old and she isnt broody, just eat them.

 

[Donna Lynn]

Thanks, Bobbiechicks! We did candle them last night. From what I can tell through my inexperience, 5-6 of the 17 have dark spots I'm assuming are the embryos. Some looked empty but I hesitate to throw them out yet and none smell bad yet. I only 6 days left so we'll see what happens. Why does 6 days seem like forever? LOL

If all else fails, I'm going to get her some one day chicks and slip them under her because my poor girl is so skinny and she's been at it about 5 weeks (she was broody before I got eggs). I feed her every day but she's so skinny, it worries me.

Anyway, I'll keep you posted and thanks again!

 

[Donna Lynn]

Ok, I'm leaving to see what happens.
Thanks!

 

[Donna Lynn]

Thanks Fisherlady!

 

[bobbieschicks]

Ok...I have never let my chickens go broody; I just have had them as meat and egg birds. I got a set of silkies for my birthday and im addicted! I have people asking for chicks left and right, but she wasn't laying eggs at the time. Well, she laid her first egg yesterday. There is a huge chance of it being fertilized, as her man "likes" her...a lot...and often...and his...eh hmm..."aim" is good. So...now what? Lol. I get the process, I do, but I think I want chicks so badly that I'm gonna mess it up. Of course, I checked out the egg and took pics and gloated like *I* laid it myself. I put it back in the spot where she laid it...but now she's pushing it out of the way. Does this mean she doesn't want it? Will she gather her eggs when she's ready? If not, is it still ok to eat since it is going on 48 hours old? Another thing...is it ok that she doesn't go in a nesting box? She won't use her steps and is too short to jump up there (like a foot off of the ground). She built a nest in a quiet spot under my nesting boxes in which she laid this egg. If I set her up there, she gets back down. She seems to like being by herself.

I can think of no other hen I like better as a broody than a silky. They are beautiful mommas and quite good at teaching their young. They also tend to mother the silky babies longer which can be a benefit to the wee ones.

Follow Johnn's advice. Take out the eggs and replace with something non perishable. I write the dates on mine and keep on the countertop in egg cartons. When she stops laying and keeps staying on the nest, I swap the eggs for the fakes.

My silky girls usually go broody the month they start to lay. They have been known to make their nests in the nest box. But this last broody, Shirley Jones, set up shop under the nest box area along with the mixed WL/silky Vanilla Ice. I let them do it and just checked often for new eggs under them, I could tell the new because they didn't have a date written in ink on them.

I would save the fresher eggs for her and let the chickens have those older ones by scrambling them and putting some garlic powder on to help naturally deworm.