Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[saltandpepper2]

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

Ok, thanks! day two, and staying strong on that nest

I put the food and water super close to the nest, so that the chick can eat without mom having to get up.

 

[poodlechicks]

Hi! My BO hen went broody some weeks ago. She had decided she definitely wanted to be a mom, so I placed her in a dog carrier and got her some fertile eggs. We are now on day 8 of incubation. I had 12 eggs in the beginning, but 4 of them didn't develop and were discarded. 3 eggs are a maybe, but I left them under my hen just in case. Even though I'm so excited to see how many chicks will hatch and what they'll look like, I am a little concerned about my hen. She won't leave the nest for anything. I put moistened food in front of her and she'll peck at it. I didn't have a good experience leaving water in the with her, as it was spilled all over the place. I leave the dog carrier open, so she can come and go as she pleases, but she won't leave her eggs. I don't want to disturb her anymore than I already have. Should I be concerned?

 

[Tabatha]

Ok, thanks! day two, and staying strong on that nest   I put the food and water super close to the nest, so that the chick can eat without mom having to get up.

kinda drives you nuts, right? Makes me wanna run them out and sit in them myself. Good luck!

 

[Tabatha]

Hi! My BO hen went broody some weeks ago. She had decided she definitely wanted to be a mom, so I placed her in a dog carrier and got her some fertile eggs. We are now on day 8 of incubation. I had 12 eggs in the beginning, but 4 of them didn't develop and were discarded.  3 eggs are a maybe, but I left them under my hen just in case. Even though I'm so excited to see how many chicks will hatch and what they'll look like, I am a little concerned about my hen. She won't leave the nest for anything. I put moistened food in front of her and she'll peck at it. I didn't have a good experience leaving water in the with her, as it was spilled all over the place. I leave the dog carrier open, so she can come and go as she pleases, but she won't leave her eggs. I don't want to disturb her anymore than I already have. Should I be concerned?

my orpie is the same way. She's always done fine though. I caught her one night (well...close to it) sneaking out and milling about. I went to look at the eggs, she freaked, and ran back in. I think she'll be fine. Just keep food and water nearby...maybe cleaner not to be "in", just right outside. Good luck!

 

[fisherlady]

Hi! My BO hen went broody some weeks ago. She had decided she definitely wanted to be a mom, so I placed her in a dog carrier and got her some fertile eggs. We are now on day 8 of incubation. I had 12 eggs in the beginning, but 4 of them didn't develop and were discarded.  3 eggs are a maybe, but I left them under my hen just in case. Even though I'm so excited to see how many chicks will hatch and what they'll look like, I am a little concerned about my hen. She won't leave the nest for anything. I put moistened food in front of her and she'll peck at it. I didn't have a good experience leaving water in the with her, as it was spilled all over the place. I leave the dog carrier open, so she can come and go as she pleases, but she won't leave her eggs. I don't want to disturb her anymore than I already have. Should I be concerned?

You can try using a hamster type waterer for the hen. Just place it so she has to stretch just a bit to reach it. Our one broody loves it and I think she was upset when she didn't get to keep it all of the time.

 

[poodlechicks]

Thank you, Tabatha!
My coop is very small, with a small run attached to it. I open the run early in the morning and my girls free range in a fenced acre all day.
I placed the dog carrier in the run under the coop, so the other ladies can go up to the nesting boxes to lay and not disturb the broody. During the first half of the day I have to keep the carrier closed, otherwise the others will want to go in to lay an extra egg for her

.
I open the carrier mid afternoon and leave it open till dusk, when all go inside. I can't leave food and water at night because of predators. I once found 2 opossums near the coop: one was head into the chicken feeder, with only the tail showing. The other was looking up at the coop, probably trying to figure out how to get in and catch my girls.

I'll try leaving the water just outside her carrier and hope the others don't make a mess there.

I thought I would just have my 5 hens and be happy with that, but that chicken math finally got the best of me. I am excited and a little nervous at the same time

 

[rebrascora]

I am delighted to report that I have a broody hen sitting on eggs as of last Friday.
Although I wanted to raise chicks naturally and had bought silkie crosses for the purpose it is actually another bird that has beaten them to it.

I bought her at an auction as an Araucana. She is cream coloured with the odd black fleck. She has an impressive moustache (tufts) but she doesn't lay blue eggs, they are very small and ivory coloured and quite a glossy exterior. Anyway, I'm pretty sure that she is not full Araucana. She is very flighty and loves roosting in the rafters. She was my most consistent layer once she started producing. I would say 13 eggs a fortnight. Anyway, they suddenly started to tail off and I thought perhaps she was getting sneaky and stashing them somewhere and then they stopped all together for a week before she stopped coming in to roost. I found her in the attic in an old Jackdaws nest and when I lifted her off to move her somewhere more practical for raising chicks she had 14 eggs in the nest.
I have an old sideboard that I had modified for the purpose.... I put mesh over the drawer area and cut holes through from the other two sections. I made a nest in one of the drawers with some damp wood shavings and hay and put the eggs in and put them in the dark section of the sideboard with water and food in the middle. I put her back in and she sulked for 20 mins and then started clucking at her eggs and climbed back on them. She has been sitting tight ever since apart from a quick bite to eat once a day and the odd poop.

I had not particularly intended to breed from her but my cockerel is a cream legbar, so hopefully their offspring will be as prolific layers as her but blue eggs perhaps. I had intended to put my legbar eggs under the first broody and perhaps a RIR or two, but she was a couple of days in before I was able to move her, so I decided to leave her to it. Hopefully one of the silkies will go broody next and then I can choose my eggs.

Anyway, just wanted to share my excitement with people who would understand. Happy for any comments on what I have written or advice, as this is my first broody with my new hens and it's a long time since I last had any.

Regards

Barbara

 

[fisherlady]

I am delighted to report that I have a broody hen sitting on eggs as of last Friday.
Although I wanted to raise chicks naturally and had bought silkie crosses for the purpose it is actually another bird that has beaten them to it.

I bought her at an auction as an Araucana. She is cream coloured with the odd black fleck. She has an impressive moustache (tufts) but she doesn't lay blue eggs, they are very small and ivory coloured and quite a glossy exterior. Anyway, I'm pretty sure that she is not full Araucana. She is very flighty and loves roosting in the rafters. She was my most consistent layer once she started producing. I would say 13 eggs a fortnight. Anyway, they suddenly started to tail off and I thought perhaps she was getting sneaky and stashing them somewhere and then they stopped all together for a week before she stopped coming in to roost. I found her in the attic in an old Jackdaws nest and when I lifted her off to move her somewhere more practical for raising chicks she had 14 eggs in the nest.
I have an old sideboard that I had modified for the purpose.... I put mesh over the drawer area and cut holes through from the other two sections. I made a nest in one of the drawers with some damp wood shavings and hay and put the eggs in and put them in the dark section of the sideboard with water and food in the middle. I put her back in and she sulked for 20 mins and then started clucking at her eggs and climbed back on them. She has been sitting tight ever since apart from a quick bite to eat once a day and the odd poop.

I had not particularly intended to breed from her but my cockerel is a cream legbar, so hopefully their offspring will be as prolific layers as her but blue eggs perhaps. I had intended to put my legbar eggs under the first broody and perhaps a RIR or two, but she was a couple of days in before I was able to move her, so I decided to leave her to it. Hopefully one of the silkies will go broody next and then I can choose my eggs.

Anyway, just wanted to share my excitement with people who would understand. Happy for any comments on what I have written or advice, as this is my first broody with my new hens and it's a long time since I last had any.

Regards

Barbara

Congrats on your broody!! It is indeed an exciting time when you find you finally have one setting! It sounds like you have a great handle on what was needed in your set up and your hen should be a happy broody. My only advice would be to check on day 7 or 10 to see if you have any 'duds' or clear eggs so you can pull them to allow her a bit more room in her nest. It should also help you evaluate how far the hatch may be 'staggered' due to eggs being laid and beginning to develop on different days. If it seems like more than a 2 or 3 day difference in egg development then you should be prepared to possibly have to finish incubating the later eggs yourself. If the hen gets up to care for her hatchlings you can check her nest for 'late eggs' and pull them... the hen will most likely get up 2 days after first hatch, just as a guideline, though, some are sooner, some later.

 

[K Epp]

Can you post pictures of the sideboard? I'm always looking for new ideas. Congrats on the broody.

 

[poodlechicks]

I feel the same way. I try to share my excitement outside BYC, but they just don't get it.

Congratulations!