Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Lady of McCamley]

The sisters do get along and the roo is docile and doesn't bother with the girls. Both hens seem comfortable in their present setting. Just wondering about the chick's when they hatch.

Again, fisherlady would have more ideas as she keeps her roosters in with the hens and chicks, but they should be fine if the rooster is docile and the rest of the flock is not too inquisitive or aggressive. I think it sounds like you could try it, just watch.

Be aware that little chicks are very, very, good at getting themselves into fixes...ie squeezing through small holes in fences, falling into bowls of water and drowning, so you may want to chick proof your yard if you free range....especially keep a close eye out for predators as the sound of chicks peeping draw them out.

Lady of McCamley

 

[fisherlady]

Again, fisherlady would have more ideas as she keeps her roosters in with the hens and chicks, but they should be fine if the rooster is docile and the rest of the flock is not too inquisitive or aggressive. I think it sounds like you could try it, just watch.

Be aware that little chicks are very, very, good at getting themselves into fixes...ie squeezing through small holes in fences, falling into bowls of water and drowning, so you may want to chick proof your yard if you free range....especially keep a close eye out for predators as the sound of chicks peeping draw them out.

Lady of McCamley

Lady of McCamley did a great job of covering the bases. Hens who are companions to begin with can often raise broods together but a broody friendly environment increases the chance of success greatly. Our broody hens who are raising together get an oversized nesting area and 2 food and water dispensers close by. Providing extra food and water sources helps prevent crowding which seems to be the biggest source of conflict.
Watch the rooster closely to get a feel for his chick tolerance. Most do pretty well but sometimes a problem does crop up. I wouldn't separate until after you get a chance to observe him.

We had 3 hens hatch over the weekend. All brooded separately but in the run and when out free ranging they all hang together and all feed and care for any of the chicks who happen to be close. Tonight the chicks were all mixed up in the nests, with only 2 or 3 being with the right mama. We sorted them out to avoid the chicks trying to run around in the coop over night. Crazy birds!

 

[bumpercarr]

I have 2 Brahma banty sisters laying on eggs in the same next box. The only other chicken in the coop is a little banty roo. Do you think I need to remove the hens before hatching? First time for me thanks

I don't have bantams, but I do have brahmas. As long as the hens get along alright, you shouldn't have any problems. I had one that was the "boss" and was really witchy with any of the others when they came near her, even when she wasn't broody. She was a problem whenever she was broody, but most of mine were fine with each other. I wouldn't worry too much about the chicks, the rooster won't bother them (unless he's an aggressive rooster to begin with and brahmas aren't known to be aggressive) and momma hen should protect them if he gets too close. That has been my experience, anyway.

 

[Sydney Acres]

Hey there! What other breeds do you have up there? Would love to see pictures of your flock.

Thank you for your very detailed response! Right now I have a broody breaking wire cage hanging in the run for good airflow under it. The whole clock resetting when they see their nest again is new/news to me, I was testing my little broody out every couple of days and letting her forage but then she just keeps going right back to her nest - I try to catch her asap but she still has a little time in it which could explain why she is showing no hint of breaking her brood yet. Her mother was much easier to break.

Hi Manningjw,
I don't have any pictures that I can easily get out of the camera and into the thread right now, but it's on my "to do" list.

My main breed is Red Dorkings. They are quite broody with very nice temperaments and excellent vigor and survival skills They lay eggs typically from November through July, or occasionally February through September, depending on the year and the line. They are exceptional table birds.

I have a small flock of elderly Croad Langshans that were inherited from my father-in-law. I had not planned to breed them, but this year my husband is concerned that the flock will die out and NOW wants some chicks. Hey, there's nothing like the fertility of 7 year old huge arthritic chickens to create a challenge! We'll see how that goes.

I also have a mixed flock of Double Laced Barnevelders (beautiful, but the least hardy and dumbest chicken breed I've ever owned -- all or most will be culled this fall), a pair of Speckled Sussex (which I want more of), a single Buckeye (definitely want more), and 7 heritage turkeys (amazing birds, just love them).

I don't know that it's been proven that a broody's "clock resets" when she sees or sets in her nest, but that's the only explanation I have for my observations. Since I've had these chickens I've had to break 30-40 broods, and that's the best conclusion I can come up with to explain what I'm seeing. I'm actually not convinced that the reason the wire bottom cage works is because of the cold air flow on the breast. If that were true, then why does the bottomless run work just as well? I think it's just because it forces the broody off the nest, and causes stress, which changes her hormonal balance and breaks the brood. But I try not to do anything that would cause discomfort to my hens, and therefore don't want their bare plucked breasts pressing into wire, or narrow pressure on their feet from their 7 lbs being pressed into wire. So I really like the broody breaking runs.

 

[Tabatha]

Ok. I thinned out all eggs that showed no signs of life from one of my broodies. (I'm the one that had a silkie/black star mutt that was getting eggs laid on her back while she is in everyone's favorite laying box...even though I have enough for every hen to have their own) I got her down to 10 from 16. All were at about the same stage of development from what I could tell. I cracked open the eggs I took from under her, just to make sure my candling skills (more like hopeful guessing) were on point. One I removed was not fertilized. One was fertilized with no signs of veins or life at all. Four had a blood spot, no veins, and there was no structural integrity to the yolks. So I guess I chose correctly which to discard. Now a question...any ideas on what would cause the four yolks to be be like that?

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Ok. I thinned out all eggs that showed no signs of life from one of my broodies. (I'm the one that had a silkie/black star mutt that was getting eggs laid on her back while she is in everyone's favorite laying box...even though I have enough for every hen to have their own) I got her down to 10 from 16. All were at about the same stage of development from what I could tell. I cracked open the eggs I took from under her, just to make sure my candling skills (more like hopeful guessing) were on point. One I removed was not fertilized. One was fertilized with no signs of veins or life at all. Four had a blood spot, no veins, and there was no structural integrity to the yolks. So I guess I chose correctly which to discard. Now a question...any ideas on what would cause the four yolks to be be like that?

The first 3 days of incubation and the last 3 days of incubation incur the most deaths...the first 3 days due to failure of the embryo to get a good start, the last 3 due to the chick failing to transfer to an air environment or due to bacterial infection or internal abnormalities.

I have cracked infertile and fertile eggs open after being set for a number of days, and while mushier looking, the yolk was still in tact. I have cracked others open and got nothing but slosh...I think it is the amount of deterioration due to bacteria (?) after a failed attempt to grow from the blastodisk into an embryo...which I think a started but failed embryo may cause bacteria to be higher and thus break down the yolk structure. Or that egg simply had a more porous shell that was more susceptible to bacteria (and hence the embryo never took hold) again breaking down the yolk structure.

But I am guessing.

Interesting question, and I might do some reading to see if I can find the answer.

Now I have a question back. I just discarded an egg at day 23 that did not hatch. We had left it for several more days as it was fully dark at one end with a clear air cell (ie looking like a fully formed chick), and had been MOVING the day before! I opened it up expecting to find a fully formed chick that had died without hatching, but only found yellow yolk mush. Okay, seriously. My daughter and I both felt and saw the egg move the day before (but not the chick inside the egg upon candling). I've opened plenty of unhatched dead chicks and they were fully formed, and while they decompose fairly quickly, they don't turn to complete yellow mush without a sign in one day.

So...WHAT MADE THAT EGG MOVE???!!!!!

I don't think it was gases because I've opened those exploding eggs up before too, and this one didn't pop upon opening.

Lady of McCamley

 

[Tabatha]

The first 3 days of incubation and the last 3 days of incubation incur the most deaths...the first 3 days due to failure of the embryo to get a good start, the last 3 due to the chick failing to transfer to an air environment or due to bacterial infection or internal abnormalities.

I have cracked infertile and fertile eggs open after being set for a number of days, and while mushier looking, the yolk was still in tact. I have cracked others open and got nothing but slosh...I think it is the amount of deterioration due to bacteria (?) after a failed attempt to grow from the blastodisk into an embryo...which I think a started but failed embryo may cause bacteria to be higher and thus break down the yolk structure. Or that egg simply had a more porous shell that was more susceptible to bacteria (and hence the embryo never took hold) again breaking down the yolk structure.

But I am guessing.

Interesting question, and I might do some reading to see if I can find the answer.

Now I have a question back. I just discarded an egg at day 23 that did not hatch. We had left it for several more days as it was fully dark at one end with a clear air cell (ie looking like a fully formed chick), and had been MOVING the day before! I opened it up expecting to find a fully formed chick that had died without hatching, but only found yellow yolk mush.  Okay, seriously. My daughter and I both felt and saw the egg move the day before (but not the chick inside the egg upon candling). I've opened plenty of unhatched dead chicks and they were fully formed, and while they decompose fairly quickly, they don't turn to complete yellow mush without a sign in one day.

So...WHAT MADE THAT EGG MOVE???!!!!!       
I don't think it was gases because I've opened those exploding eggs up before too, and this one didn't pop upon opening.



Lady of McCamley

I had that issue once. I even did the water test and it moved. Not sure what happened, but I was dumbfounded.

 

[Manningjw]

I don't know that it's been proven that a broody's "clock resets" when she sees or sets in her nest, but that's the only explanation I have for my observations. Since I've had these chickens I've had to break 30-40 broods, and that's the best conclusion I can come up with to explain what I'm seeing. I'm actually not convinced that the reason the wire bottom cage works is because of the cold air flow on the breast. If that were true, then why does the bottomless run work just as well? I think it's just because it forces the broody off the nest, and causes stress, which changes her hormonal balance and breaks the brood. But I try not to do anything that would cause discomfort to my hens, and therefore don't want their bare plucked breasts pressing into wire, or narrow pressure on their feet from their 7 lbs being pressed into wire. So I really like the broody breaking runs.

Well thank you for sharing your observations on broody behavior - they are helpful insights. One way to test the hypothesis on it would be to do the wire cage method in two different environments where the only variable is line of site to her nest. If only I had THAT kind of spare time and a huge chicken farm...

I would tend to agree with you about the wire on the bare skin of the broody. I specifically used 1/2" hardware cloth on top of the welded wire so that there would be less pressure over any specific point - also of course making sure there was no risk of sharp edges or loose bits of wire that could poke her. I used the same cage on her broody mother who broke in 2 or so days. My friend used it on another broody hen of his that is essentially her aunt who broke in about 24 hours though she didn't seem terribly committed. This broody however is determined - I am somewhat fearful of what the future holds for me keeping her if she has this strong of a broody tendency. I do not plan to hatch out anymore than 1-2 times a year and I already have a GREAT broody that I plan to keep until the end of her days. She is the friendliest chicken I have ever owned. She flies up to my shoulder if I am standing by the fence, or lands on the fence to be pet - she also is now raising her 2nd brood at only 1 year old and has never lost a chick yet. On top of all that, when she isn't brooding she lays blue eggs 6/7 days of the week - she is my super chicken. Yes, I like to brag about her

.

 

[saltandpepper2]

So happy!!! The first chick hatched for my broody, and the rest should hatch on thursday, at the latest. Hopefully she should stay on the nest that long! ( 72 hours?) I'm hoping so. The chick is doing great, and only wants to sleep. I would move it to ensure the broody, but it's the only chick that hatched from the older eggs. and it would be all alone for at least 2 days.... I'll see what'll happen, but I'm hoping for the best!!

 

[bumpercarr]

So happy!!! The first chick hatched for my broody, and the rest should hatch on thursday, at the latest. Hopefully she should stay on the nest that long! ( 72 hours?) I'm hoping so. The chick is doing great, and only wants to sleep. I would move it to ensure the broody, but it's the only chick that hatched from the older eggs. and it would be all alone for at least 2 days.... I'll see what'll happen, but I'm hoping for the best!!

If the others start making noise and the broody has brooded before, she might stay for 72 hours. Usually mine come off of the nest after about 48 hours, but the remaining eggs are all duds. Have an incubator and brooder set up and standing by in case she deserts.