Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[winteree]

I have one pit bull that stays in the coop watching over the hens more than the chickens stay in the coop. He even licks the chick's faces, licks the chickens dry when they get baths or rained on, and will point like a bird dog if they wander too far away. This is a pic from my beagle last night. (The roo is in jail for fighting my silkie roo)

thats so cute

 

[bumpercarr]

I have one pit bull that stays in the coop watching over the hens more than the chickens stay in the coop. He even licks the chick's faces, licks the chickens dry when they get baths or rained on, and will point like a bird dog if they wander too far away. This is a pic from my beagle last night. (The roo is in jail for fighting my silkie roo)

That is really just too cool. I wish I had a dog that I could trust with my chickens.

 

[5 Acre Rooster]

That is really just too cool. I wish I had a dog that I could trust with my chickens.

My Shi-Tzu is good with them this year, last year he killed 2 buff ducks I had. Not much of a protector but makes some noise if something ain't right. My best was a mutt or half bred dog. I taught after he killed 1st chicken he killed after that he would protect chicks/chicklens from all the other animals, mostly dogs we had. Or that would come around. Would keep packs of coyotes away from coop and house by at least 200 yards, and up around here they have no issues coming in REALLY close.

My broody is so intent on sitting I am thinking of swapping out her test eggs. Might take some from incubator and give her those. Or fresh from breeding pen. I'll decide tomorrow, or the girls will depending on how they lay. I have found her a couple times with a beak full of buff feathers. I think when other hens get to close to her nest she is chasing them away. All eggs I found on her perch today layed by other hens were as far from her pen as the could be without falling of the shelf.

 

[thailand]

Hi,

Is it ok to jump on in here? I've got a broody Brahma sitting on 5 eggs and they're due in 4 days. I've never had any luck before with hatching chicks under a broody (they've all previously died at hatching). This will be this broody's first brood. I have however hatched 5 of her chicks in my incubator before.

The excitement is running high....trying hard to keep my hands off!

The temperature is soaring - 93.2 degrees F (real feel 105.8 F) and humidity 46% (although last night it was up around 70%).

I've got a fan on the broody all day and she is coping really well. Day 17 today and she was off the nest for one and half hours! I'm hoping she knows what she's doing and is making adjustments for the hot weather. I kept a fan aimed at the nestbox while she was away. I don't want to stuff this up so please tell me if this is ok.

Thanks

 

[winteree]

Hi,

Is it ok to jump on in here? I've got a broody Brahma sitting on 5 eggs and they're due in 4 days. I've never had any luck before with hatching chicks under a broody (they've all previously died at hatching). This will be this broody's first brood. I have however hatched 5 of her chicks in my incubator before.

The excitement is running high....trying hard to keep my hands off!

The temperature is soaring - 93.2 degrees F (real feel 105.8 F) and humidity 46% (although last night it was up around 70%).

I've got a fan on the broody all day and she is coping really well. Day 17 today and she was off the nest for one and half hours! I'm hoping she knows what she's doing and is making adjustments for the hot weather. I kept a fan aimed at the nestbox while she was away. I don't want to stuff this up so please tell me if this is ok.

Thanks

that should be fine. while it's that hot and humid is a great time for hatching. so the egg's can't go cold while the broody is away from the nest and the fan is a great idea and they have enough humidity to hatch properly. Yeah we have been very lucky this year with the temps here in texas normally it would have hit the hundreds by now or at least the high 90ies but the lord has been good to us and has kept the heat down to 85 and under

 

[Tabatha]

Hi,

Is it ok to jump on in here?  I've got a broody Brahma sitting on 5 eggs and they're due in 4 days.  I've never had any luck before with hatching chicks under a broody (they've all previously died at hatching).  This will be this broody's first brood.  I have however hatched 5 of her chicks in my incubator before. 

The excitement is running high....trying hard to keep my hands off!

The temperature is soaring - 93.2 degrees F (real feel 105.8 F) and humidity 46% (although last night it was up around 70%).

I've got a fan on the broody all day and she is coping really well.  Day 17 today and she was off the nest for one and half hours!  I'm hoping she knows what she's doing and is making adjustments for the hot weather.  I kept a fan aimed at the nestbox while she was away.    I don't want to stuff this up so please tell me if this is ok.

Thanks

I don't know, but I'm right here with you. This is only my second broody hatch, and to beat all, I have 3 going at once! A phoenix I got last week with 7 stolen eggs she was already sitting one (previous owner didn't know when she started or who's eggs they were...figuring due this week), a buff with I don't know how many on her first week, and a silkie mutt with 4 eggs on day 2. I'm having to fight my broodies for 2 eating eggs a day! Frustrating but exciting.

 

[bumpercarr]

Hi,

Is it ok to jump on in here? I've got a broody Brahma sitting on 5 eggs and they're due in 4 days. I've never had any luck before with hatching chicks under a broody (they've all previously died at hatching). This will be this broody's first brood. I have however hatched 5 of her chicks in my incubator before.

The excitement is running high....trying hard to keep my hands off!

The temperature is soaring - 93.2 degrees F (real feel 105.8 F) and humidity 46% (although last night it was up around 70%).

I've got a fan on the broody all day and she is coping really well. Day 17 today and she was off the nest for one and half hours! I'm hoping she knows what she's doing and is making adjustments for the hot weather. I kept a fan aimed at the nestbox while she was away. I don't want to stuff this up so please tell me if this is ok.

Thanks

I also have brahmas. One problem that some of them have is that because of their size, they tend to break eggs and squish chicks. On the other hand, some are great broodies! Here's hoping yours is the latter.

 

[Lenka]

I have 10 eggs under my broody, hope she doesnt fail me, as they are the cooler eggs (EE's) and 8 in the incubator... candled the incubator ones last night and theres developement (Day 7 or 8 but they look to be on track!) Im glad this is only a 3 week process.... I don't think i could deal with all this stress for any longer bit of time.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Hi,

Is it ok to jump on in here? I've got a broody Brahma sitting on 5 eggs and they're due in 4 days. I've never had any luck before with hatching chicks under a broody (they've all previously died at hatching). This will be this broody's first brood. I have however hatched 5 of her chicks in my incubator before.

The excitement is running high....trying hard to keep my hands off!

The temperature is soaring - 93.2 degrees F (real feel 105.8 F) and humidity 46% (although last night it was up around 70%).

I've got a fan on the broody all day and she is coping really well. Day 17 today and she was off the nest for one and half hours! I'm hoping she knows what she's doing and is making adjustments for the hot weather. I kept a fan aimed at the nestbox while she was away. I don't want to stuff this up so please tell me if this is ok.

Thanks

Welcome to the broody thread!

I agree with the other poster, it sounds like you are doing everything you can to help, and you should be fine...the hen usually knows when it is safe to get off the nest, and in higher temps...that she can be off the nest longer.

I am continually amazed at how resilient chick embryos are....while I don't have the high heat and humidities of your area, I have had several hatches in sub-freezings (even sub zero) temps and got decent hatches....and chicks running around like nothing was frigid.

You don't indicate what may have gone wrong with the chicks last time...and another poster who has Brahmas gave some good advice to watch out that the large mother is not inadvertently stepping on chicks. I might be able to give some more direct advice if I knew the conditions in which you lost the chicks.

However, the basics for after the hatch brooding...it is usually best to have mom and chicks separate, plenty of space to let mom stretch and teach the chicks to scratch without them getting kicked around, food and water easily accessible and always present, no mold in the area, protection from predators and aggressive flock members, feed medicated chick starter if coccidiosis is present, and scan your yard/coop/broody pen to make sure it is a safe environment to protect chicks from "stupid chick trick" dangers that can strand them from mom and water or feed.

My thoughts.
Lady of McCamley

 

[joyfulkeeper]

Our first chicks have hatched! 5 so far we think. We could hear them peeping last night and this morning, but they didn't peek out until this afternoon. As soon as my son saw them he got us all and we spent the next couple of hours watching. It is so adorable seeing them pop in and out of mama's feathers!

Here's our first pictures