Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[HorsesandBirds]

Hello all... I need some help! I have a broody hen and I was quite sloppy at the beginning and now I'm in a pickle. She was setting three eggs and I didn't really realize what she was doing, so I took them... When I cracked them they were clearly starting to develop. I felt awful! So after that I left eggs in her nest. The other hens started laying for her, so now she has a total of six eggs, but they were all laid at different times. I'm not sure of the exact date when she started setting as I didn't mark it on the calendar, but I think it has been about 2 weeks.

I am now reading about care of broody hens and I see that the general advice is to move the hen to a private pen and THEN give her eggs to set. Well, it's a bit late for that now. If I make her a private pen/nest box and move her now, is there a risk that she will abandon her eggs? The nest box that she is in is raised quite far off the floor and is in with all the other hens (8 of them) and a rooster. I fear the hatching chicks will be in danger, especially because I don't know exactly when they will be arriving and won't be able to keep watch for them.

Advice? Should I just move her and hope for the best? Or maybe move her and start over with a fresh batch of eggs?

 

[sharol]

Hello all... I need some help! I have a broody hen and I was quite sloppy at the beginning and now I'm in a pickle. She was setting three eggs and I didn't really realize what she was doing, so I took them... When I cracked them they were clearly starting to develop. I felt awful! So after that I left eggs in her nest. The other hens started laying for her, so now she has a total of six eggs, but they were all laid at different times. I'm not sure of the exact date when she started setting as I didn't mark it on the calendar, but I think it has been about 2 weeks.

I am now reading about care of broody hens and I see that the general advice is to move the hen to a private pen and THEN give her eggs to set. Well, it's a bit late for that now. If I make her a private pen/nest box and move her now, is there a risk that she will abandon her eggs? The nest box that she is in is raised quite far off the floor and is in with all the other hens (8 of them) and a rooster. I fear the hatching chicks will be in danger, especially because I don't know exactly when they will be arriving and won't be able to keep watch for them.

Advice? Should I just move her and hope for the best? Or maybe move her and start over with a fresh batch of eggs?

 

[bumpercarr]

Hello all... I need some help! I have a broody hen and I was quite sloppy at the beginning and now I'm in a pickle. She was setting three eggs and I didn't really realize what she was doing, so I took them... When I cracked them they were clearly starting to develop. I felt awful! So after that I left eggs in her nest. The other hens started laying for her, so now she has a total of six eggs, but they were all laid at different times. I'm not sure of the exact date when she started setting as I didn't mark it on the calendar, but I think it has been about 2 weeks.

I am now reading about care of broody hens and I see that the general advice is to move the hen to a private pen and THEN give her eggs to set. Well, it's a bit late for that now. If I make her a private pen/nest box and move her now, is there a risk that she will abandon her eggs? The nest box that she is in is raised quite far off the floor and is in with all the other hens (8 of them) and a rooster. I fear the hatching chicks will be in danger, especially because I don't know exactly when they will be arriving and won't be able to keep watch for them.

Advice? Should I just move her and hope for the best? Or maybe move her and start over with a fresh batch of eggs?

I've left my broodies with the rest of the flock and not had any problems at all. Neither of my broody hens are at the top of the pecking order, but a good broody will protect her chicks.

A staggered hatch is bad. The broody will abandon the eggs a day or two after the first eggs hatch. Try to either get an incubator, borrow one or make one for when that happens. If the eggs that she leaves are not too far behind, you may be able to give her the chicks after they hatch in the incubator...recommended to slip them under her at night.

 

[Highcotton]

Quote:
That's the way they were raised years ago. The Broody, Setting Hen, picked a nest to set on and the eggs were placed under her. She ran around the barnyard with the chicks in tow.

 

[MLWoods]

Will the Brodie's be off the nest longer and/or more frequently when the weather is HOT? It has been 90F here for the last couple of days. We are on day 12, I tried to candle once, and I was totally confused...

 

[Tara80]

That's the way my hens operated this summer; if it was warm out they would go foraging, dust bathing and drinking/eating - sometimes for hours or an entire day! Almost all of their eggs hatched, so they knew what they were doing. It never fails to amaze me that they are built to just "know" what to do.

 

[MLWoods]

Thank you Tara. These are our first broodies, they have been all,over the map, but consistently they want to be broody! Argh...so confusing. I posted a couple pages back over the same issue, I am just still worried! I'm going to stop spazing, maybe. Did you still have a good hatch when they let the eggs chill? Earlier in the process we has some much cooler temps.

 

[Tara80]

Yes, a few times it got chilly in the morning and night when they were off of the eggs and we still have a pretty good hatch rate, over-all. One of my broody Welsummer girls hatched ALL 13 of her eggs!!!!!!! Can you say WOW! Some of the eggs had been sitting there for quite a while too but she sat on them up until the bitter end! Haha

 

[MLWoods]

Yes, a few times it got chilly in the morning and night when they were off of the eggs and we still have a pretty good hatch rate, over-all. One of my broody Welsummer girls hatched ALL 13 of her eggs!!!!!!! Can you say WOW! Some of the eggs had been sitting there for quite a while too but she sat on them up until the bitter end! Haha

Yay!! Well we bought a dozen from a chicken keeper who advertised fertile eggs. We put 8 under the brahma, Parvati and 4 under a little Silkie cross, Poppy. Fingers crossed!!
Are you expecting any now?

 

[Tara80]

Quote:
Hopefully, we have 1 fatty dark cornish girl who has got her mind set on hatching eggs. She's not dainty in the least, I laugh at her and ponder how she can turn her eggs or sit on them without breaking. Silly fat hen. I hope she's successful; for her sake.