Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Lady of McCamley]

I can't remember which one of you posted that you lined your nestboxes with 2" of shavings topped with soft timothy hay, but I wanted to thank you for that recommendation.

One of my better Dorking hens has been broody on her nest under the raspberries for 2 days, so I decided to try again for a clutch of chicks this year. The predator-proof broody area in the barn is being used for something else at the moment, and won't be available for another few days. The nest under the raspberries is not protected from nighttime predators, so she has to be brought into the coop every night to roost with the flock, then returns to her nest in the morning. Her brooding instinct is strong enough to tolerate that amount of moving on and off the nest, but I think she'd be stressed if she had to brood and raise a clutch in the coop with no privacy. I was concerned about her health and comfort if she had to brood for an extra 7-10 days, with the delay getting her to the broody facilities, then having to be sure she held the brood for another 2 days after the move before setting eggs under her, so I decided to do something a little different.

I had a nice large box from Costco. It's about 2 feet wide by 2.5 feet long, with an open top. On three sides the walls are about 16 inches high, and on the fourth side the wall is about 4 inches high. It's very sturdy, and the size is perfect for her (she's a big hen with a long tail, so she needs room). I had plenty of soft chopped straw, which I'd used for my last broody, but was unhappy with how much it slipped around as the hen moved in the nest. After a few days the nest bowl was so deep that the eggs were at the bottom, directly on the cardboard with no padding at all, and all the straw was up along the sides of the nest. I was regularly rearranging the bedding. So I decided to try the shavings and soft hay method. I use aspen shavings for the enclosed house of my geriatric flock because it has no aromatic oils at all, so I already had that. I sent my husband to Petco for the timothy hay. I told him it had to be the type that was used for pet guinea pigs or hamsters, and had to be soft and not stemmy. He came home with this little bag of dried green grass -- it was about the size of a 2 gallon pot, and cost $7-8. I thought he was crazy -- that's what I'm used to paying for a full sized bale of good quality straw, but he said that was the only brand there that he thought would be soft enough for baby chicks (he's such a sweetie!). It's American Pet brand, Timothy Gold mini bale.

Well, I have to say that little mini bale was worth the price. I'm not sure I would call this "hay." This is the softest grass I have ever felt. Even dried, it is softer than fresh grass. There are no stems. Each blade is perfectly dried, so there's no matting or molding or suspicious odor. The blades are all less than 4 inches long, and there's no crumbled debris or dust in the bottom of the bag. And it is compressed surprisingly well. For my big box I assumed I would use most of what I had, but 2" of shavings topped with 2" of this "hay" took only about 1/4-1/3 of the bag/bale, so this will only cost me about $2 per clutch, which is absolutely worth it.

So last night I got the box ready. The "hay" smelled so good, basically like fresh cut grass. The bedding looked comfortable enough for me to sleep in! I took the hen off her nest after dark and put her in a spare bathroom with food and water and some chicken toys. While she was occupied, I went back out to her nest and collected a small amount of the leaf litter that was in her nest, the feathers that she'd plucked, and the four ceramic eggs that she was setting on, and put all those things in her nestbox. I left the nest box in my computer room (which doubles as my chicken hospital, so there's already a thick plastic sheet on the floor, covered by a cloth sheet, underneath a small walk-in run, always in place and available for an emergency). I then went to sit with her in the bathroom until she was finished eating, drinking, pooping, flapping, stretching, playing -- about 30 minutes, then she started acting like she wanted to go back to her nest. I turned off the light so she'd just sit in one place, and brought in the nestbox and a slightly dim flashlight. I set the nestbox a few feet away from her and shined the flashlight on the eggs. That way she couldn't see anything else, didn't notice that the box was new or possibly scary, it was just a spotlight on eggs. And she was like a homing missile. She immediately went into broody mode, walked right into the box, nuzzled each egg with the crook of her neck to get it into the right position, and wiggled down on them making the happiest little sounds. I shined the flashlight up to the ceiling and left the room, letting her get to know the box in ever-dimming light as the batteries in the flashlight burned out. A few hours later I picked up the box with her in it and she didn't budge -- she was in full broody trance. I put her in the chicken area in my computer room, where she's been quite happy all night and all morning, occasionally talking to me when her trance is light, but never budging. I think she's happy enough with that box that she'll stay broody where ever it is, so I should be able to put eggs under her late tonight or tomorrow, even though the broody area won't be available for several more days.

Disclaimer: Obviously, this is a very tame, calm hen with excellent broody instincts. This would probably not work with a high strung hen, a hen with borderline broody tendencies, a hen that is not handled regularly, a hen who doesn't like being around or handled by people, or in a busy, noisy household.

So overall, thank you so much for the nestbox recommendation. It gave me an option that I would not have had otherwise, and is a nice upgrade from what I used with my last broody. Definitely well worth the trip to the pet store.

That was me...and you are welcome! Yep, you've discovered what I did. Yes, that little hay bale costs about $7 to $8, but is so worth it. I've stretched mine to about 3 broods. Nice thing, it also clumps like cat litter if there is any mess, and makes it SO easy to clean out poo or a broken egg. The soft hay also cleans goopy eggs well too. And yes, it stops the clunking to the bottom that straw or plain shavings allow. I've had eggs crack due to that.

I'm so glad it worked well for you. Good luck on this batch.
Lady of McCamley

PS: I was going to write you separately again, but I'll say it here...Thank YOU for the tip on foster stress being latent bacterial infection...this time with the stresses of the "stupid chick chill" and the assisted hatching, for the first time ever I've kept the little chicks on Sulmet as well as the normal Chick Saver these first few days. Sydney...they are doing AWESOME! My little Saran is running around on sturdy legs and beginning to shine up, losing that scruffy look of a stressed chick. I've been down the stress chick path before, and lost numerous feed store fosters due to transportation/environment stress of trying to integrate from heat lamp to broody...I thought there was nothing I could do other than the Chick Saver not thinking about any potential latent bacterial infection being the culprit. Thank you for that wild life nursery tip...I truly believe it has made the difference in this rough transition for these two little Buckeye chicks! LofMc

 

[Sydney Acres]

You're welcome. It's so sad when they seem to be doing so well then fade 3-7 days later. Hopefully Little Runt and Saran will keep improving every day. Buckeyes are tough birds. It's amazing how hard something that probably only weighs 35-50 grams can fight if given just a little bit of help.

 

[Tabatha]

I think I know the answer but I'll ask anyway. What are the chances of double yolk twins making it hatch? I have a hen that usually lays doubles, and I didn't think about that when I let my broody sit on them. Some of those eggs are under her and are showing good development so far (2 weeks to go). I thought some of her eggs looked more full than others, but was thunk it was just because of everyone laying eggs in her box and her tucking them under her. Now I'm thinking maybe it is because of the double yolkers.

 

[fisherlady]

I think I know the answer

but I'll ask anyway. What are the chances of double yolk twins making it hatch? I have a hen that usually lays doubles, and I didn't think about that when I let my broody sit on them. Some of those eggs are under her and are showing good development so far (2 weeks to go). I thought some of her eggs looked more full than others, but was thunk it was just because of everyone laying eggs in her box and her tucking them under her. Now I'm thinking maybe it is because of the double yolkers.

Chances aren't good... but I have never had personal experience, so only going on what I have read from others. If there is any chance I would say their best odds are with being under a broody rather than in an incubator...
Keep your fingers crossed...

 

[Tabatha]

And for an update on my other broody sitting on my birthday phoenix eggs shipped from @rambob59, I candled all and 8 out of 11 look great, 2 are iffy (good air cell and veins, but has a weird shadow I'm not used to seeing), and 1 has a misshapen air cell with no growth. Day six down.

 

[winteree]

And for an update on my other broody sitting on my birthday phoenix eggs shipped from @rambob59 , I candled all and 8 out of 11 look great, 2 are iffy (good air cell and veins, but has a weird shadow I'm not used to seeing), and 1 has a misshapen air cell with no growth. Day six down.

 

[winteree]

I think I know the answer

but I'll ask anyway. What are the chances of double yolk twins making it hatch? I have a hen that usually lays doubles, and I didn't think about that when I let my broody sit on them. Some of those eggs are under her and are showing good development so far (2 weeks to go). I thought some of her eggs looked more full than others, but was thunk it was just because of everyone laying eggs in her box and her tucking them under her. Now I'm thinking maybe it is because of the double yolkers.

i saw a video on you-tube with a lady that had to do an assisted hatch to get them out but both survived and as far as i know are alive to this day so it's your call

 

[Tabatha]

Thanks for the advice and well wishes. I'm going to spend the next few days researching...lol.

 

[winteree]

Thanks for the advice and well wishes. I'm going to spend the next few days researching...lol.

good luck

 

[Johnn]

So far one has hatched, and the others should hatch tomorrow, or on Thursday.... I hope she sticks it out!. I would set up a brooder for the early chicks, but I only have enough stuff for one batch ( which is being used) and I don't know how to use the incubator.... So I'm chalking it off to luck... I hope she's patient, and waits for them all to hatch!

She should do, they don't usually get up for good until day 3!