Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Tabatha]

hard to see, but this is what's under my silkie mutt. She started with 8 eggs under her, but my other hens keep getting in with her and laying eggs. She dutifully rakes them under her. She's up to 16 now, but not all are developing.

These are just a few from my broody orpie. She's sitting on golden phoenix and white phoenix eggs from @rambob59. They are only day 3 plus hours, but already showing great promise. I know it's early, but it's my birthday and I'll candle if I want to..lol. I didn't get to candle all of them because she kept biting me and I was afraid she'd break an egg. What's everyone's average hatch rate on shipped eggs? So far I think (at least from what I did candle) I'm at about 75%.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

hard to see, but this is what's under my silkie mutt. She started with 8 eggs under her, but my other hens keep getting in with her and laying eggs. She dutifully rakes them under her. She's up to 16 now, but not all are developing.



These are just a few from my broody orpie. She's sitting on golden phoenix and white phoenix eggs from @rambob59 . They are only day 3 plus hours, but already showing great promise. I know it's early, but it's my birthday and I'll candle if I want to..lol. I didn't get to candle all of them because she kept biting me and I was afraid she'd break an egg. What's everyone's average hatch rate on shipped eggs? So far I think (at least from what I did candle) I'm at about 75%.

Typically, the standard response, is 50% hatch rate with shipped eggs, but individual success rates vary greatly depending upon the shipping circumstances and hatching environment. You could get 0% to 100%.

I just got a 40% rate on 10 eggs that I set...although I had 16 to work with...I purchased a dozen and the seller included extras in case of breakage....so you could consider that a 25% hatch rate from total eggs.

I had to discount 1 for breakage in shipment, 3 for badly detached air cells (again shipping damage), and 2 simply looked like poor or odd shell quality, probably the freeby extras, which I didn't bother to set...so I chose the best 10 to set.

I then candled on day 5, and placed the best 6 under my broody, but kept the other 4 going in two mini-incubators just in case...then candled again at day 10...discarded a couple of clear duds, and replaced the best developing 6 under the Silkie keeping a couple just in case in the mini-incubators....of that total left, 4 eggs hatched. I opened the 2 that didn't hatch, and they were slosh with no sign of chick so either never started (although it looked like they had) or were duds/quitters.

Looks like you've got some growth definitely started...that's a good sign and the first hurdle. The next will be the last 3 days, the second most common time for chicks to die in the process.

Good luck.
Lady of McCamley

 

[5 Acre Rooster]

Yep my BO officially has overtaken the Rouen eggs and chased duck to lay in a new area in the coop. Wondered why the duck was all hisses and fluffed with me today. I think she is protesting. Not that the eggs will have good fertility if any. Its been a long time (4+ weeks) since the drake was with duck, I think. So I may give her a batch of eggs from my other girls. Or just some day olds when they hatch. But this is broody 2 for me this year, and at the same time. Well close anyway 1-1/2 to 2 weeks apart from setting starts.

 

[Sydney Acres]

hard to see, but this is what's under my silkie mutt. She started with 8 eggs under her, but my other hens keep getting in with her and laying eggs. She dutifully rakes them under her. She's up to 16 now, but not all are developing.



These are just a few from my broody orpie. She's sitting on golden phoenix and white phoenix eggs from @rambob59 . They are only day 3 plus hours, but already showing great promise. I know it's early, but it's my birthday and I'll candle if I want to..lol. I didn't get to candle all of them because she kept biting me and I was afraid she'd break an egg. What's everyone's average hatch rate on shipped eggs? So far I think (at least from what I did candle) I'm at about 75%.

Oh, I hate to say this on your birthday, but I have some concerns about the situation with your Silkie Mix. First, sixteen eggs is a big nest. Can she cover all those eggs adequately (being a Silkie Mix, she could be either a large or a small bird)? If there's any question about adequate coverage, it's best to have fewer eggs. The eggs on the periphery can get chilled and the embryos die. But an even bigger problem is that the broody will move the eggs around as she turns them, so eggs that start in the middle with excellent heat will eventually take their turn on the outside, and those could get chilled and die. Every time an egg takes its turn on the periphery, the embryo could die. That could happen to half the eggs, or 3/4 of the eggs, or all of the eggs. So nests that are too large for the hen tend to have fewer eggs hatch than nests with a smaller but manageable number of eggs.

My second concern is with the potential for staggered hatches. If the eggs are added to the nests on different days, then the original eggs will hatch several days before the newer eggs. If there are unhatched eggs, the hen will typically stay on the nest for a few days after the first chick hatches, but by day 3-4 after the first hatch mom has to abandon the unhatched eggs to care for the hatched chick(s). Otherwise, that chick(s) will starve to death. So with staggered hatches, there's a high potential to have a perfectly healthy, almost ready chick die because mom was forced to leave the nest to care for the early chick(s). To avoid this scenario, you have two options. First, you can put the broody's nest in an area where no other hen can get to her nest, so there's no opportunity for additional eggs to be added. The other option is to mark the original eggs you place with the broody, then check the nest daily. If you see an egg there without a mark, then that egg is removed. Either way you keep the nest to a manageable number of eggs, and you prevent staggered hatches all at one time. Most people mark the original eggs by drawing a circle around the equator of the eggs. That way the mark can be seen with the eggs in any position.

 

[bumpercarr]

Oh, I hate to say this on your birthday, but I have some concerns about the situation with your Silkie Mix. First, sixteen eggs is a big nest. Can she cover all those eggs adequately (being a Silkie Mix, she could be either a large or a small bird)? If there's any question about adequate coverage, it's best to have fewer eggs. The eggs on the periphery can get chilled and the embryos die. But an even bigger problem is that the broody will move the eggs around as she turns them, so eggs that start in the middle with excellent heat will eventually take their turn on the outside, and those could get chilled and die. Every time an egg takes its turn on the periphery, the embryo could die. That could happen to half the eggs, or 3/4 of the eggs, or all of the eggs. So nests that are too large for the hen tend to have fewer eggs hatch than nests with a smaller but manageable number of eggs.

My second concern is with the potential for staggered hatches. If the eggs are added to the nests on different days, then the original eggs will hatch several days before the newer eggs. If there are unhatched eggs, the hen will typically stay on the nest for a few days after the first chick hatches, but by day 3-4 after the first hatch mom has to abandon the unhatched eggs to care for the hatched chick(s). Otherwise, that chick(s) will starve to death. So with staggered hatches, there's a high potential to have a perfectly healthy, almost ready chick die because mom was forced to leave the nest to care for the early chick(s). To avoid this scenario, you have two options. First, you can put the broody's nest in an area where no other hen can get to her nest, so there's no opportunity for additional eggs to be added. The other option is to mark the original eggs you place with the broody, then check the nest daily. If you see an egg there without a mark, then that egg is removed. Either way you keep the nest to a manageable number of eggs, and you prevent staggered hatches all at one time. Most people mark the original eggs by drawing a circle around the equator of the eggs. That way the mark can be seen with the eggs in any position.

X2

 

[fisherlady]

Oh, I hate to say this on your birthday, but I have some concerns about the situation with your Silkie Mix. First, sixteen eggs is a big nest. Can she cover all those eggs adequately (being a Silkie Mix, she could be either a large or a small bird)? If there's any question about adequate coverage, it's best to have fewer eggs. The eggs on the periphery can get chilled and the embryos die. But an even bigger problem is that the broody will move the eggs around as she turns them, so eggs that start in the middle with excellent heat will eventually take their turn on the outside, and those could get chilled and die. Every time an egg takes its turn on the periphery, the embryo could die. That could happen to half the eggs, or 3/4 of the eggs, or all of the eggs. So nests that are too large for the hen tend to have fewer eggs hatch than nests with a smaller but manageable number of eggs.

My second concern is with the potential for staggered hatches. If the eggs are added to the nests on different days, then the original eggs will hatch several days before the newer eggs. If there are unhatched eggs, the hen will typically stay on the nest for a few days after the first chick hatches, but by day 3-4 after the first hatch mom has to abandon the unhatched eggs to care for the hatched chick(s). Otherwise, that chick(s) will starve to death. So with staggered hatches, there's a high potential to have a perfectly healthy, almost ready chick die because mom was forced to leave the nest to care for the early chick(s). To avoid this scenario, you have two options. First, you can put the broody's nest in an area where no other hen can get to her nest, so there's no opportunity for additional eggs to be added. The other option is to mark the original eggs you place with the broody, then check the nest daily. If you see an egg there without a mark, then that egg is removed. Either way you keep the nest to a manageable number of eggs, and you prevent staggered hatches all at one time. Most people mark the original eggs by drawing a circle around the equator of the eggs. That way the mark can be seen with the eggs in any position.

x3

 

[Johnn]

Bella and her baby having some time out yesterday. Couldn't leave them out all day as theres a Heron hanging about and I'm afraid incase it snatched the chick from under her. The first day out was a disaster. Bella freaked out and left the chick and then Bella's mother (the one with 2 chicks) was trying to steal Bella's chick. It was such a carry on! Anyways, heres some pics of them after they settled.

 

[Johnn]

This pic was accidentally missed out

 

[Sydney Acres]

Beautiful pictures Johnn. What breed is the other hen in the third picture?

 

[Addie Tulane]

Oh goodness, don't feel bad for jumping in. This is a friendly thread. Nobody picks on the newbies for being new. So welcome to BYC, and broodies. Ask all the questions you want.

It can be hard to find information on broodies, as they are almost a thing of the past. Modern agriculture doesn't use them anymore, as brooding is very inefficient for reproduction. The hen stops laying while she broods and raises the chicks, so that's a few months of egg production lost. Most "layer breeds" have had that trait selected out of them, so the only place you see broody hens now is with breeders of dual purpose purebred chickens who want to preserve the original traits of the breed, or with chicken hobbiests who just find it charming and enjoyable to see a hen raising chicks and aren't in it for the money, or with people who are so far off the grid that they don't have electricity for an incubator (although those people rarely post online either).

What makes a hen go broody is quite individual, and often unpredictable. Some hens will never go broody, no matter what you do. It's just not hardwired into them. Some will brood anytime they see a round object, and don't care that the rock they're sitting on will never hatch. Most hens that have the capacity to go broody will do so in the early to late spring, and may brood once every year, or 2-3 times a year, or 1-3 times in their life, or every 1-2 months, or any other regular or random schedule. It's VERY individual. Some hens won't ever brood until another hen starts brooding, and others are unaffected by other broodies in the flock. Some won't start brooding until a reasonable number of eggs (or egg substitutes) are available in a desirable location, so removing eggs from the nest daily will prevent brooding in some hens, and providing eggs will stimulate brooding in some hens (not all, or even most, but it does work for some). Some hens will brood regardless of nest options, and others require the perfect circumstances (nest location, privacy, temperature, light schedule, eggs already in nest, everything) before brooding. Some hens will start to brood, kind of try it out, but will only continue if everything is right. Others will brood quite deeply for as long as it takes to hatch the eggs, and have to have their "brood broken" to prevent them from brooding forever. Some broodies take very good care of themselves, leaving the nest 1-2 times a day to eat, drink, poop, stretch, dustbathe, etc, and others will starve to death in the nest if someone doesn't feed them. There's quite a range, and anything can happen. But when everything works as it should, it is a wonderful and amazing process to be part of.

Regarding your two questions, yes, you can put eggs in a nestbox to see if a hen will take the hint. It doesn't always work, but it won't hurt, and there's nothing lost other than a few eggs. I personally wouldn't put in the full dozen. A first time broody shouldn't have that many eggs, as that's overwhelming for a new mom. I'd probably put in 6, or 8 at the most. I wouldn't use the eggs that I want her to hatch, as she may not brood, or she may set on them casually, causing the embryo to start developing, then die when she doesn't commit to the task full time. I would either start with eggs that you don't care about, or golf balls, or ceramic eggs (don't bother with the plastic eggs -- yes they're only 69 cents instead of $1.39 at my feed store, but they're junk -- one person on another thread posted that her hen actually picked up the plastic eggs and threw them out of the nest one time). I use good quality ceramic eggs that look and feel like the real thing, and they have lasted over 5 years so far. One of my friends uses real eggs that are from her layer birds (as opposed to her breeder birds) and then hard boils them after a week and feeds them to the flock -- she doesn't believe in wasting any egg, but doesn't personally want to eat an egg that has been incubated for 2-7 days. Whatever you use, you're using it to determine if a hen is willing to commit to a brood before you give her the eggs that you really want to hatch. Once she's been brooding for a few days, you can decide if you want to move her to a better location. If so, do it at night. If you read back on this thread for a few weeks there's a link in one of my posts for the details of how to move a broody hen. After moving her, if you decide to do that, give her another 2 days to be sure that she will continue the brood, then put the chosen eggs under her at night. (Please ask if you have questions about selecting eggs for brooding, or storing eggs prior to brooding, or any other details.)

I'm not sure I understand your second question. Are you asking how long you should leave the eggs in the box before you give up on inducing broodiness by that method? Or how long the eggs can stay in the nest before they go bad and lose the ability to hatch (or worse, explode)? Or do you think you might have a broody hen now and want to use the eggs to determine if your hen is in fact broody? Or maybe something else? Sorry, just not sure what you're asking.

Please post again to let us know how thing are going. What breed is your hen, and how old is she? What kind of housing do you have for her, and how many other birds do you have?

I'm glad you jumped in...Welcome to the Broody thread.

I agree with the other poster...broodiness is very individual and unique to the bird.

You can't entice just any hen to brood as it has to be in her genetic (and hormonal) make up to want to brood. You can entice a broody type hen whose hormones are easily kicked in to brood by providing a nesting box that is quiet, darker, and isolated, filled with cushy materials and sacrificial eggs or golf balls or ping pong balls. Leave at least 4 to 6 "eggs" as part of the process of those hormones kicking in is the actual clutch size...the pressure of multiple eggs presses against a spot on their breast bone that can release brooding hormones (if the bird is genetically predisposed to brood).

Body warmth is also another release trigger for hormones, so the nest should be in a cozy, draft free location. Some believe dim lighting also helps to release the hormones.

But, if she doesn't have those hormone levels, especially doesn't have the genetic make up to have those hormones present in the first place...no amount of eggs nor time will induce her to set.

And thus it boils down to breed types. For years, the commercial industry has been perfecting hens that lay well. Birds that brood are not laying, therefore the industry has selectively removed those birds that are inclined to brood from their breed lines. This means that if you have a typical commercial type laying breed (Red Sexlinks, Black Sexlinks, White Leghorns, etc.), it is highly unlikely your bird will have the genetic predisposition to have brooding hormone levels that will entice it to brood. However, it has been known to happen even with commercial layers...I personally have had 2 of the 3 Black Sexlinks I've owned go broody their first year, one every year.

Some breeds are known for being very broody...Silkies, Cochins, Games, and depending upon the line, Orpingtons. Many Silkies brood almost constantly (annoyingly frequently as Henderson's Breed Chart states it). My Silkie will go broody every 3 to 4 months, almost like clock work. However, some have Silkies that never brood...but most will also confess their Silkie is "at it again" as that breed is predisposed overall to brood.

So, consider the type of birds you have and how likely it is for them to brood in the first place. You can always try to see if someone takes the hint, however, realize that leaving eggs out won't entice birds that simply don't have enough of the genes left to be inclined to brood. You should know within a week or so if anyone is so inclined...they will linger on the nest for hours, get puffy and growl at any who approach, pluck their breast feathers so that their bare skin is showing (to provide better heat transmission to the eggs).

Good luck (and here's Henderson's Chart to look up the overall likelihood that your particular breed may go broody).
Lady of McCamley

http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html

Thank you both so much! I will take all this advice to mind. I decided to wait until next spring to see about hatching some eggs. Thanks again!