Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Lady of McCamley]

Yes, you are correct about everything (except that I did not intend to make her go broody; I see how I was unclear there, sorry).
Thank you for the advice and information.
I've dated her eggs the day she lays them, so I know when she laid each egg.
About how many or how long should I collect them? (considering I want her to go broody)
Also, she has her own nesting bucket; she's not laying in the nesting boxes where the LF hens lay and they do not (currently anyway) lay in her nest.
I'll be building new pens/coops soon, so I'll make sure that one of them is a good place for her to brood.
Thanks again!!! =D

Eggs are best hatched if they are 7 days or less old, although many have hatched 10 days or older, but your success rate goes down the older the egg is.

You can gather the eggs, however many at a time, and then put them in a "hatching" carton at cooler but not cold room temperature (but not hot either), point sides down, with one edge propped up...switch which corner you prop several times a day (to keep the yolk from sticking to the shell). Then rotate fresher eggs into the carton...older eggs can go into the fridge for use with cooking or whatever.

With a first time, full size hen, it is generally best to put only 8 eggs under her. Eventually she can handle 12 to 16, depending upon how much she "spreads" and how good a mother she is. (I've heard of some hatching as many as 20 or more...but that is a LOT for one hen to handle.)

Good luck!
Lady of McCamley

 

[kimmerjo]

I Hear Babies!!! Can't see any Luna has them covered. So excited!!

 

[kimmerjo]

Ok just to double check that I am providing everything they need..... I have chick feed,grit and water for them....?? Does mom need anything?

 

[fisherlady]

Ok just to double check that I am providing everything they need..... I have chick feed,grit and water for them....?? Does mom need anything?

Nope... mama can eat the chick starter that you give the babies, if her condition seems 'low' you can provide a bowl of fine chopped scrambled eggs, shredded cooked fish or some sprinkled in chopped peanuts or sunflower seeds as treats to encourage her to eat a bit more. The broodies can lose a lot of body condition in the 3++ weeks they are setting on eggs.

I do add Apple Cider Vinegar to the water also (the kind with 'mothers' in it), but ACV can't be given in a metal waterer, it reacts to the metal.

 

[YDotties]

First timer here. Thank you for starting this thread. I've learned so much here about the old fashioned method.
I've had a broody Wyandotte for almost two weeks now. On Monday, 3/10, we let her keep 2 eggs layed by other hens in the flock who insist on laying with her in her nest box. 21 days should be a March 31 hatch date. I've been monitoring her closely as she is not yet a year old and I'm not sure how she'll do. That's why I only let her keep two. We marked them with pencil, drew a circle the whole way around the egg so we would know without touching them which were freshly layed.
Our coop is elevated about 2' off the ground, so I need to build a ground level box of some sort for her in the coming days so she'll have a safe place to hatch and rear, till she's ready to let the others near her babies. I saw a suggestion of 2' high x 2' wide x 3' long as a good size for this. I'm keeping an eye on CL for a dog house of similar dimensions to take the pressure off my husband to build something. Any other thoughts or suggestions on the brooder box size?
I'm going to try and attach a picture of my broody at work. Her name is Speckles.

The eggs she's sitting on are from two of the other wyandottes I have. They are all pet quality, but I'd be happy to share pics if anyone wants to take a guess at what colors they'll be when they hatch. I'm not a geneticist, so I have no clue.

 

[kimmerjo]

First timer here. Thank you for starting this thread. I've learned so much here about the old fashioned method. I've had a broody Wyandotte for almost two weeks now. On Monday, 3/10, we let her keep 2 eggs layed by other hens in the flock who insist on laying with her in her nest box. 21 days should be a March 31 hatch date. I've been monitoring her closely as she is not yet a year old and I'm not sure how she'll do. That's why I only let her keep two. We marked them with pencil, drew a circle the whole way around the egg so we would know without touching them which were freshly layed. Our coop is elevated about 2' off the ground, so I need to build a ground level box of some sort for her in the coming days so she'll have a safe place to hatch and rear, till she's ready to let the others near her babies. I saw a suggestion of 2' high x 2' wide x 3' long as a good size for this. I'm keeping an eye on CL for a dog house of similar dimensions to take the pressure off my husband to build something. Any other thoughts or suggestions on the brooder box size? I'm going to try and attach a picture of my broody at work. Her name is Speckles. The eggs she's sitting on are from two of the other wyandottes I have. They are all pet quality, but I'd be happy to share pics if anyone wants to take a guess at what colors they'll be when they hatch. I'm not a geneticist, so I have no clue.

. I am also new to chickens and these wonderful people have really helped me out without them I would be running in a circles. I just had my first chicks hatch today!! I used an old playpen for my brooder.

 

[fisherlady]

First timer here. Thank you for starting this thread. I've learned so much here about the old fashioned method.
I've had a broody Wyandotte for almost two weeks now. On Monday, 3/10, we let her keep 2 eggs layed by other hens in the flock who insist on laying with her in her nest box. 21 days should be a March 31 hatch date. I've been monitoring her closely as she is not yet a year old and I'm not sure how she'll do. That's why I only let her keep two. We marked them with pencil, drew a circle the whole way around the egg so we would know without touching them which were freshly layed.
Our coop is elevated about 2' off the ground, so I need to build a ground level box of some sort for her in the coming days so she'll have a safe place to hatch and rear, till she's ready to let the others near her babies. I saw a suggestion of 2' high x 2' wide x 3' long as a good size for this. I'm keeping an eye on CL for a dog house of similar dimensions to take the pressure off my husband to build something. Any other thoughts or suggestions on the brooder box size?
I'm going to try and attach a picture of my broody at work. Her name is Speckles.

The eggs she's sitting on are from two of the other wyandottes I have. They are all pet quality, but I'd be happy to share pics if anyone wants to take a guess at what colors they'll be when they hatch. I'm not a geneticist, so I have no clue.

Congrats on the broody! You say she already has her eggs, and you didn't mention her being bothered by other hens in the coop or being chased out of her nest... so I would hesitate to move her at this point. It may upset her and cause her to pace and try to get back to the original nest, meanwhile her eggs would possibly be neglected too long.
If you do need to move her because of problems with other flock members... I would do it at night, have the new box ready with some of her old bedding, just use a head lamp to minimize light and move her and leave her new area undisturbed for a day.
If you think it is ok for her to stay where she is then let her go till after she hatches, then move her and the babies to a ground level coop/box. Though if the coop is big enough to allow her to move around inside with the babies for a couple of days she would probably do fine where she is and she will take the babies out into the run when she is ready...but you will have to be very vigilant that the babies don't get left behind in the run when she returns to the coop, since they take a couple of tries to get used to using a ramp.


Edit to add.... 2x2x3 or 4ft long should be fine for a broody hut for a few days. It can even be a wire cage with a blanket or tarp over it if need be and the weather isn't too cold. Though I would suggest the nest end of it be solid wood of some type with a pop door sized opening on it so she has a snug, draft free nest area. I have used medium dog or cat carriers as nesting boxes with good luck, a sturdy cardboard box could also be adapted for single time use as long as you can cover the cage area to keep it dry.

If you have a hardware or construction supply company nearby you could stop and check to see if they have boxes from fridges or freezers that you could get one.... another box which is perfect size is the ones they package the truck bed toolboxes in... so a garage that does custom installation work like that may have them. With an oversized box you could easily partition off an end for the nest area, and the rest of the box you could cut holes or 'windows' in up high on the size to provide lots of light and cover the windows with hardware cloth for safety. create a pop door at the end farthest from the nest with a wire door you can open or close as needed.

Using cardboard box can only be done if you are sure your run area is secure from predators, the cheeping of the chicks is going to draw a lot of attention from unwanted critters.. so security is a must.

 

[fisherlady]

YDotties.... I see you are from Pa.... head over to the PA unite thread and join the fun.... lots of great enablers... errr... folks over there!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/248345/pennsylvania-unite/37700


you may find you have some chicken neighbors which could help you find sources for chicken supplies and such...

 

[kimmerjo]

. Here is one!!! It is yellow with some brown spots !!!

 

[kimmerjo]

I'm not sure if this is the same one!