Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[fisherlady]

Is this a good coop for a broody to hatch her chicks in? They would also have a run thats about a metre and a half squared.http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RABBIT-HU...Pet_Supplies_Poultry&var=&hash=item5404f24861

That would work.... especially if you placed it inside of your larger chicken run.

 

[Betty1]

okay thanks

 

[fisherlady]

My silkie went broody yesterday, I spent all day trying to get her to stop and then realised she could actually hatch some eggs!

It was so funny though, wherever I put her down outside she just settled down and fluffed herself up, and ignored everything around her! I thought she was fluffy before, but now she is an actual fluff-ball!!

This is a picture of her, surrounded by her friends who suddenly wanted to kill her

and with my dog right next to her(you can see his shadow)

Congrats on the broody! The other birds sometimes are very rough on a broody, I don't understand why, unless it is because a broody hen can often look like a sick hen does (fluffed up, inactive most of the time) Flocks do tend to be nasty to (what is perceived as) the weakest in the group.
If she is being harassed already then you may have to make sure they can't bother her on the nest or for the first week or so she has chicks, though I still don't separate them completely from the flock, that way the integration later goes a bit easier (this is only my opinion, other folks handle it differently and each person needs to decide what works for them)

 

[chickenwisper44]

This might sound dumb --- but here it goes. I have 2 Buff's who lay eggs and our roo is in the pen with them. I know they lay their eggs but they do not stay on them. I know they must be fertile --- will the eggs be good to be hatched it they are not laid on all the time?? If not someone please e-mail me to remove them and wait until I see the hens staying on the eggs that they lay. This is the first time I am trying to get my hens to be broody. There are times they lay on the eggs for a couple of hours, but then they get off and stay off till the next day. There is 4 eggs in one and 3 in the other nests -- should I remove them and eat them-- {are they good to eat being out in the nest for 4 days}, and keep letting the hens lay for a couple of days and see if they stay on them, Which I guess then they have gone broody. Please help me someone if you can. Thank You all.

 

[myby]

Chickenwisper44, i will remove the eggs ( and eat them). I suggest placing instead golf balls to still try to encourage broodiness.
By the way, in my home country, as we typically do not refrigerate eggs, we test them in a glass of water. Place the egg, if it sinks, it is good, if it floats, is rotten.

 

[fisherlady]

This might sound dumb --- but here it goes. I have 2 Buff's who lay eggs and our roo is in the pen with them. I know they lay their eggs but they do not stay on them. I know they must be fertile --- will the eggs be good to be hatched it they are not laid on all the time?? If not someone please e-mail me to remove them and wait until I see the hens staying on the eggs that they lay. This is the first time I am trying to get my hens to be broody. There are times they lay on the eggs for a couple of hours, but then they get off and stay off till the next day. There is 4 eggs in one and 3 in the other nests -- should I remove them and eat them-- {are they good to eat being out in the nest for 4 days}, and keep letting the hens lay for a couple of days and see if they stay on them, Which I guess then they have gone broody. Please help me someone if you can. Thank You all.

Hens go broody based on hormones and genetics... they can be nudged with suggestions (leaving a few golf balls in the nest) but you can't make them be broody if they don't have the urge from within.

Eggs are fine in a nest for a day or 2, depending on coop temps, but if left 4 or more days I don't think I would trust them to eat unless you test them at least. If you want to gather eggs for one to hatch if it goes broody then gather the eggs daily, ones you want to save can just be stored in a cardboard egg carton in a relatively cool place (55-65 degrees F), out of direct sunlight. (think of a cool closet or basement stairwell) I put a 1 inch thick block under one end of the carton to elevate it, and move the block end to end two or three times daily.

Best hatching eggs have a uniform shell appearance, they shouldn't be very dirty (they don't have to be spotless, just not covered in poo) and they shouldn't be washed. Eggs need to be stored with the round/fat end up, they should be dated (just put the date on with a marker) ,10 or 12 usually makes a nice group, though a buff can probably sit on 14 or 15, then after the carton is full just pull the oldest eggs daily and replace with the new ones. I just put the eggs into the fridge for use as they are replaced with new ones in the hatch supply box (3 or 4 days on my hatch cartons)... but that is up to you if you want to keep them for use or throw them away.

Once you find a hen is broody (plucked chest, numerous nights in the nest, on the nest 23+ hours a day, no longer laying eggs herself) then you can slide the eggs under her late in the evening and mark your calendar.

 

[purplesquirrel]

I have a question....


My little Buff Sussex has being laying eggs for 2 weeks now, and every time she does, she spends about 5-10 minutes afterwards picking up bits of straw and putting it on and around the egg, before she hops down and goes back to the flock.

Are these signs of broodiness as she hides/protects the egg? Should I leave them in there instead of taking them away every time?
Or is this just something chickens do even though she doesn't care for it after it's all done?




Any answers would be very much appreciated, thanks.x

 

[MEMama3]

I have a question....


My little Buff Sussex has being laying eggs for 2 weeks now, and every time she does, she spends about 5-10 minutes afterwards picking up bits of straw and putting it on and around the egg, before she hops down and goes back to the flock.

Are these signs of broodiness as she hides/protects the egg? Should I leave them in there instead of taking them away every time?
Or is this just something chickens do even though she doesn't care for it after it's all done?




Any answers would be very much appreciated, thanks.x

I have a few hens that have been doing that with every egg they've laid since day one. Not sure why, but it's totally normal.

 

[CarolinaHen]

I have a few hens that have been doing that with every egg they've laid since day one. Not sure why, but it's totally normal.

I've got one that puts straw or grass on her back after she lays. Every single time. She's never gone broody. Just puts straw on her back. Weird!!

 

[Betty1]

What would a silkie x pekin look like? Or a cream legbar x pekin? would they lay blue eggs still and be auto sexing? first time hatching my own eggs out of my mixed bundle of odd-balls and I'm a bit nervous about whether or not it will work.