Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[CGinJCMO]

Easter eggers can lay brown - especially pinky-brown

I know. That's why it's one of my theories. LOL The question for this thread (until I can catch one of the three in the nest boxes), do the eggs that start being laid by a former broody, look as small as a pullet just beginning to lay? If she resumes egg laying, do they go back to normal size from the get-go? If they do, then I'll eliminate her as the small egg layer and look to the EE pullet being a brown egg layer or the AustraWhite not really being a cockerel. I don't know, maybe I just have to go sit in the coop all day and take note of who goes into the nest boxes and how long they are there, and what egg they leave.

My question to the group...when a broody is done raising chicks, I know they'll take a week or two before they start laying again. My question is will her eggs look like new pullet eggs? The reason I ask is because I have 15 chickens. Today, I got 13 eggs. I have 6 new chickens but I think one is a cockerel, and I got 6 small eggs. I am trying to figure out if the suspected cockerel is really a pullet after all or if the year old broody hen is laying already. (The other theory is that one of my Easter Egger pullets isn't laying blue eggs but brown.)

I got a "fart" egg last week - it was smaller than a pullet or bantam egg, dark dark brown shell (I don't have hens that lay that dark normally) and it had no yolk. That may have been her first egg since going broody. Since then I've been getting 3 brown small eggs. These new eggs are either 1) her eggs, 2) EE laying non blue or green eggs, or 3) cockerel really is pullet.

CG

 

[chickydee64]

I know. That's why it's one of my theories. LOL The question for this thread (until I can catch one of the three in the nest boxes), do the eggs that start being laid by a former broody, look as small as a pullet just beginning to lay? If she resumes egg laying, do they go back to normal size from the get-go? If they do, then I'll eliminate her as the small egg layer and look to the EE pullet being a brown egg layer or the AustraWhite not really being a cockerel. I don't know, maybe I just have to go sit in the coop all day and take note of who goes into the nest boxes and how long they are there, and what egg they leave.

she should resume to her normal size.....not pullet

 

[elliechooks]

My broody raised her chicks and at exactly 6 weeks old when I went in the run instead of puffing herself up and growling at me she squatted. That night she went back to the hen-house with the other adults instead of in the box she had been taking the babies to. The next morning was a lovely big light brown egg!

 

[Haloclimb]

I must have put more eggs under my broody than I thought! 7 chicks have hatched with 3 duds, I'm surprised she managed to fit them all under her!

I wish I could let them out of their pen and get at some of the grass...but sadly we have lots of ravens around and the odd hawk, so they're going to have to stay in there until they're a bit bigger.I can't wait to see what they look like! They're such a mixed bag, there should be some stunners amongst them Hopefully they'll be a bit bigger too since they should all be from our Light Sussex roo!

The excitement of their hatching was only made better by the discovery that ANOTHER one of our hens has gone broody!

She's actually the daughter of the hen in the picture above, and this is her first time being broody! I'd put another bundle of eggs under her....glad to see she got her mothers broodiness C:

 

[Johnn]

I must have put more eggs under my broody than I thought! 7 chicks have hatched with 3 duds, I'm surprised she managed to fit them all under her!

I wish I could let them out of their pen and get at some of the grass...but sadly we have lots of ravens around and the odd hawk, so they're going to have to stay in there until they're a bit bigger.I can't wait to see what they look like! They're such a mixed bag, there should be some stunners amongst them Hopefully they'll be a bit bigger too since they should all be from our Light Sussex roo!

The excitement of their hatching was only made better by the discovery that ANOTHER one of our hens has gone broody!

She's actually the daughter of the hen in the picture above, and this is her first time being broody! I'd put another bundle of eggs under her....glad to see she got her mothers broodiness C:

Aww, cute!

 

[omilona]

This morning when I went out to the ladies, the whole flock was in the hen house in front of the 2 broodies staring at them. I think they must be hearing some peeps or something that is inaudible to me. I have a piece of fencing across the two boxes to keep the babies in and the others out. The nursery house and enclosure are all set up. Just waiting for action. Day 19......

 

[chickydee64]

This morning when I went out to the ladies, the whole flock was in the hen house in front of the 2 broodies staring at them. I think they must be hearing some peeps or something that is inaudible to me. I have a piece of fencing across the two boxes to keep the babies in and the others out. The nursery house and enclosure are all set up. Just waiting for action. Day 19......

I can visualize that.......

.to sweet . A flock of ladies waiting for the hatch.................
My rooster has taken interest now in the week olds...............he comes to me for a treat, then takes it to the babies..............
Bless his heart ..........................

 

[1AcreRooster]

One week left, looks like my hens not gonna give up early this time!

 

[CGinJCMO]

My broody raised her chicks and at exactly 6 weeks old when I went in the run instead of puffing herself up and growling at me she squatted. That night she went back to the hen-house with the other adults instead of in the box she had been taking the babies to. The next morning was a lovely big light brown egg!

Quote:
Thanks chickydee and elliechooks. That helps me to eliminate the broody hen as the new egg layer. So unless I get 4 blue-ish colored eggs in one day (although the longer that 5 1/2 month old cockerel doesn't crow I'm going to start second guessing his gender), I'm going to assume that the last EE pullet that I was waiting on is a brown egg layer (and that's too bad because she had the best feather coloring and neck feathers but I wont know her eggs from the other brown egg layers to try hatching more EEs next year).

CG

 

[Coupe]

Yay! My Silver Spangled Hamburg hen had a surprise for my today!!