Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[perchie.girl]

My incubator chicks are three weeks old now and every day it is like 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Is it too soon to let them into the coop? Or is it a good time?

It depends on how many feathers they have covering their body. If their coop has solid walls Id have a heat lamp out there in a corner in case they want it.

My coop has no solid walls just wire because of my climate and even though its over ninety in the daytime it gets below seventy at night. So having a spot free of draft and warm would be a must for me. For night time.

deb

 

[omilona]

2 hatched 7 to go under Tinsel!

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote: You are welcome.

deb

 

[perchie.girl]

2 hatched 7 to go under Tinsel!

Woo Hoo go Tinsel Go....

 

[omilona]

2 araucanas and 1 silkie so far from Tinsel, with another blue egg pipped. I candled Zinnia's last night and all but 2 were duds. The two she has seem a little less developed, though I did get 2 shipments 24 hrs apart, so her's might be only day 20.

Tinsel's first hatchling finally let me get a look at her peeking out from mama. She was striped like a chipmunk, I think, in the split second I saw her. I sure hope it's a her. It will be a bummer if they all turn out to be roos!

 

[mommasgirls]

We have 5/12 week old buff orps and 1 black sex link for the first time. So we are hoping for nothing but eggs to eat but one seems to stand out a little more than the others. Will we find out too late? They all have a pretty skirt but one has that nice comb.

 

[CGinJCMO]

I have a broody d'uccle. She is sitting on 6 eggs (4 she collected, 2 more I gave her). I just hope they are fertile since these eggs were laid after I lost the rooster and I don't know how well he did his job before he died. I guess if they end up not being fertile, I have eggs in the incubator that I just started yesterday (so only a day or so behind her) that I can give her (as long as they develop too). This is only my second broody, the d'uccle's first time, so hope things go well. At least this time I learned to mark them so if the other d'uccle in the pen with her lays an egg, I'll be able to remove it.

CG

 

[CGinJCMO]

We have 5/12 week old buff orps and 1 black sex link for the first time. So we are hoping for nothing but eggs to eat but one seems to stand out a little more than the others. Will we find out too late? They all have a pretty skirt but one has that nice comb.

I think I can see from here the rooster in the back...that red comb at 6 weeks is a give away to his maleness. But, if you want fertile eggs in the future so you can hatch more chickens for you flock, then you'll need him. LOL

CG

 

[CarolinaHen]

My broody Polish is still sitting on her two eggs! I candled them yesterday and both look good for 10 days. I'm hoping she keeps being broody, but have the incubator waiting in case she changes her mind.

 

[chickydee64]

One content Mom. .She went almost 60 days setting..............her eggs just did not hatch, could not get her to quit..............
She would steal eggs and hide them................Gave her two eggs right before hatch from a different hen and finally....................babies for her...............