Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[chickydee64]

Need some encouragement. My DH asked if we could let one of our broody hens hatch her eggs. I really didn't want to, but he wanted to see what would happen... So this is what happened, she hatched out two cute little chicks and then left the nest. The remaining eggs got pretty cold. One egg had a little one pecking on the inside. The next day, no pecking, no hatching

. We removed the remaining eggs. The two chicks were alright with the general population for about a day. Then one was found dead. The other was just fine. A week later, (this morning) I found the other dead in the run. It had been happy and healthy and the others didn't seem to care. I free range the flock for about 80% of the day, so mom and chick were mostly left alone. I suspect that the little chick was stepped on this morning by another hen while they were waiting for me to let them all out to roam. I'm sad and annoyed at myself because I knew I should have moved the hen and chicks, but my DH didn't want to brood them. He wanted the hen to do the work.....

I am really sorry this happened for you, especially with little kids.............
I know many folks just allow the Mom and chicks to integrate right away. I have had your experience in the past.....
Now I use a cage in the coop for Mom and chicks for about 5 days to allow them time to figure things out.
Sometimes the chick can get confused about who Mom is right at first and run to the wrong hen....
Hope you can try again and have success...........

 

[groverlvchx]

I'm really sorry this happened, too. I did it exactly how you did and also had 2 casualties. But I had 28 (so far) make it just fine. Some hens take awhile to get the hang of it. and sometimes chicks die. It's the hardest part. Poor kids and poor you!

 

[monaname]

Thanks for your kind words. I've brooded three times now and this latest breed, the Easter Eggers, are my first hens to go broody. I thought that I should move her and isolate them, but then I didn't know if the re-introduction would go smoothly or not. My DH just didn't want little chicks in the house again...since that's where I was brooding. We have a spare room that isn't used, but the dust is just crazy. I do all the clean up etc, but he still doesn't want them in the house. (I really don't blame him.)

 

[McCaskill]

One of my Partridge Rock hens when broody about two months ago but none of the 5eggs made it now she has go broody again do you think it's a good idea to let her try and sit on the eggs again?

 

[Johnn]

Quote:
Mine was back on eggs after 7 weeks of bringing up chicks. Only give herself a weeks break and she is doing fine!

 

[MyLittleRedCoop]

Note: If you see any misinformation, things you think should be added, information needing updated or removed, or any other changes to the FAQs please PM me. I will try and keep them updated. Thanks!

FAQs

How old does a hen and rooster need to be to be able to breed?
They need to be between 16 and 18 weeks old.

How do I know if a hen is broody?
They tend to stay in their nest boxes - getting up only a couple times a day - if that - to get nurishment and to relieve herself. A broody hen also might growl or bite at you if you come too close. They also tend to puff out their feathers to look larger and also to pull some feathers to keep their eggs warm.

Purpose of a broody hen?
A broody hen is great to have around if you want to hatch eggs the natural way. They are great on farms that want to be self sustainable or in case of a power outage when you can't use an electrical incubator. The broody hen will also protect and teach the young chicks. They do however stop laying eggs while being broody and this is a problem for some.

Other hens laying eggs in her nest?
If you find other hens laying eggs in the broody hens nest, it is is best to mark the broodies eggs with a washable non toxic marker. This will allow you to collect the extra eggs each day and ensure the broody continues to sit on the same eggs. Others have had success with moving the broody hen off by herself where other hens can't get to her.

How do I make my hen go broody?
You can't make a hen go broody, especially if it's not in her nature or if broodyness has been bred out of that breed by other breeders or hatcheries. You can however get a few golf balls and put in a nest to see if that will encourage her to go broody. If she sits on the golf balls for a few days without getting up except for a few minutes, then she is broody and you can put some fertile eggs under her.

What are the best broody hens?
Araucana - Frequent Brooder
Australorp - Very Frequent Brooder
Belgian D'Anver - Frequent Brooder
Belgian D'Uccle - Very Frequent Brooder
Brahma - Frequent Brooder
Cochin - Top Notch Brooders
Dominique - Frequent Brooder
Dorking - Very Frequent Brooder
Japanese - Very Frequent Brooder
Java - Frequent Brooder
Marans - Very Frequent Brooder
New Hampshire - Good Brooder
Orpington - Frequent Brooder
Silkie - Top Notch Brooder
Sussex - Good Brooder

Usually I read the whole thread to look for answers before just asking, but this one is a bit long... I apologize if this has already been asked and I didn't see it.

I am ordering fertile eggs to be shipped to me to put under my very, very broody Australorp. She's been very determined, so I thought I'd give it a try. (Now I'm just hoping she doesn't decide to give it a rest right before they get here...)

I read that I would need to prop the eggs up, wide end up, and let them "rest" before putting them in an incubator. But what about putting them under a hen? Do I arrange them under her? Do I just gently put them in there and let her do the rest? I assume my eggs will arrive between noon and 3 pm. I can either put them under her right away or wait til dark, whichever is best.

Should I candle them before putting them under her? I saw a link that shows "bad" eggs. But what does a good one look like?

Thanks for all the help in advance!

 

[Pyxis]

Usually I read the whole thread to look for answers before just asking, but this one is a bit long... I apologize if this has already been asked and I didn't see it. I am ordering fertile eggs to be shipped to me to put under my very, very broody Australorp. She's been very determined, so I thought I'd give it a try. (Now I'm just hoping she doesn't decide to give it a rest right before they get here...) I read that I would need to prop the eggs up, wide end up, and let them "rest" before putting them in an incubator. But what about putting them under a hen? Do I arrange them under her? Do I just gently put them in there and let her do the rest? I assume my eggs will arrive between noon and 3 pm. I can either put them under her right away or wait til dark, whichever is best. Should I candle them before putting them under her? I saw a link that shows "bad" eggs. But what does a good one look like? Thanks for all the help in advance!

Yep, after you get the eggs, you want to put them in an egg carton fat end up for 24 hours to let them rest and settle. After that, you can give them right to your hen and there shouldn't be any issues. You can wait until she's gotten up for her daily eat and drink and leave them in the nest, or just slide them right under her. A fun thing to do is set them right in front of her and watch her pull them under herself. As for candling, I would wait until she's had them for five days. At that point, the good eggs will ahve little veins and embryos you can see.

 

[MyLittleRedCoop]

Yep, after you get the eggs, you want to put them in an egg carton fat end up for 24 hours to let them rest and settle. After that, you can give them right to your hen and there shouldn't be any issues. You can wait until she's gotten up for her daily eat and drink and leave them in the nest, or just slide them right under her. A fun thing to do is set them right in front of her and watch her pull them under herself.

As for candling, I would wait until she's had them for five days. At that point, the good eggs will ahve little veins and embryos you can see.

This is exactly what I needed to know!
Thanks so much!!

 

[OHfarmerswife]

This is exactly what I needed to know! 
Thanks so much!!

good luck! Broodys are so much fun.
I have eggs coming next week. This will be my 4 th broody this year. I am hooked!!!!

 

[chiqita]

Need some encouragement. My DH asked if we could let one of our broody hens hatch her eggs. I really didn't want to, but he wanted to see what would happen... So this is what happened, she hatched out two cute little chicks and then left the nest. The remaining eggs got pretty cold. One egg had a little one pecking on the inside. The next day, no pecking, no hatching . We removed the remaining eggs. The two chicks were alright with the general population for about a day. Then one was found dead. The other was just fine. A week later, (this morning) I found the other dead in the run. It had been happy and healthy and the others didn't seem to care. I free range the flock for about 80% of the day, so mom and chick were mostly left alone. I suspect that the little chick was stepped on this morning by another hen while they were waiting for me to let them all out to roam. I'm sad and annoyed at myself because I knew I should have moved the hen and chicks, but my DH didn't want to brood them. He wanted the hen to do the work.....

Some hens are not great mothers. If they are loosing the chicks seperate them for the first week. The chicks need to learn her voice and to obey it. She can't protect them if they ignore her.

Usually I read the whole thread to look for answers before just asking, but this one is a bit long... I apologize if this has already been asked and I didn't see it. I am ordering fertile eggs to be shipped to me to put under my very, very broody Australorp. She's been very determined, so I thought I'd give it a try. (Now I'm just hoping she doesn't decide to give it a rest right before they get here...) I read that I would need to prop the eggs up, wide end up, and let them "rest" before putting them in an incubator. But what about putting them under a hen? Do I arrange them under her? Do I just gently put them in there and let her do the rest? I assume my eggs will arrive between noon and 3 pm. I can either put them under her right away or wait til dark, whichever is best. Should I candle them before putting them under her? I saw a link that shows "bad" eggs. But what does a good one look like? Thanks for all the help in advance!

Give her the eggs. Most hens will roll them under themselves and coo a little. If you have a really good incubator and have completely detached air cells these will do better with 2-3 days not being turned in the incubator. But they don't have much of a chance anyway so don't sweat it too much. Then check at 5-7 days. Anything you see no veins in at 10 days is a dud.