Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[5 Acre Rooster]

Tomorrow night if nobody from B1 hatches I will give her some day old chicks. As I am not sure hers are going to hatch well. She destroyed 2 eggs last night and think 1/3 she has is a dud. If she will accept them my plan is Male BSL chicks.
B2 and B3 got 14 BYM eggs distributed between them, marked so I can take extras daily since some1 ALWAYS leaves at least 1/day with them. They could of covered more, the BO was covering 12 duck eggs alone until B3 decided its was her clutch a few days ago. Hoping they will figure out how to get them all sorted.

Last year was 1st ever broody (Chicken) for me, This year 3 at once, and summer just started. I wasn't planning on a zillion BYM but oh well I will keep letting them sit if they willing.

 

[Tabatha]

How would you go about doing that? One at a time or all at once? I've thought about doing this before...until I found eggs that looked promising. ..but wasn't sure how sneaky I really had to be. I heard if you do it at night it works better, but the rest i have no clue. Would you steal a bad egg, stick in a chick, and possible an egg shell? Then repeat?

 

[K Epp]

I think it depends on the chicken and its motherly instincts. With my Australorp ans Splash silkie I just give them the chick. I have a frizzle Silkie who is a witch and she won't take chicks. I don't know from experience, but don't think you need to put egg shells in there. Hopeful someone will tell you how they do it. I've been adding chicks to hens who have chicks.

 

[fisherlady]

My experience with it was to pick up the chicks with their heads at the heel of your hand and your fingers wrapped around their bodies. Then slip them under the broody with the back of your hand acting as a shield between the hen and chick. Some folks slip them under the broody's chest, others under their butt fluff... don't overwhelm her with a bunch at one time. and watch very closely until you see the chick voluntarily come out from under her and go back under. Remember that brooder chicks won't understand that the broody is a good thing right away. They may even be afraid of her and need assisted back under her numerous times before everyone settles...though hopefully it will go quickly for you.

 

[poodlechicks]

Here's a better pic of them

Oh, they are cute!

 

[fisherlady]

Forgot to add...if I were replacing dud eggs I would pull the eggs when placing the first chick. The hen will then concentrate on the chicks and it will make more room in the nest.

 

[LisaLouHoo]

Last night I slipped 6 baby chicks under my broody silkie. I was really nervous, but I did it at dark. 3 of the 6 are silkie babies that hatched yesterday from her own eggs. The other 3 are some I picked up from the guy who incubated the silkies for me. So at dark, I slipped the 3 yellow non-silkie chicks under broody and removed the two eggs she was sitting on and put them with another broody. After an hour and seeing that the chicks were hiding under her and broody was still fine, I added the silkie blue babies. This morning all is fine. The broody hasn't moved and she's talking to the babies. I'm slightly concerned that the 3 yellow babies are a day older and should be getting water/food. I did give them water and some food last night. So I'm going to wait and see how this day proceeds. The silkie rooster is in pen with them and is very protective of his hen, so I need to watch how he takes to the chicks, too. I guess I'm staying home today

 

[poodlechicks]

My broody is still not moving from her nest. I placed her water just outside the carrier, but she won't go near it to drink and now looks a bit dehydrated. She will eat some of the moistened food I place in front of her, though. I have now started giving her water in a syringe once a day. I was thinking of taking her from the carrier once a day, but I'm afraid to break her broodiness. I don't have an incubator.

 

[fisherlady]

My broody is still not moving from her nest. I placed her water just outside the carrier, but she won't go near it to drink and now looks a bit dehydrated. She will eat some of the moistened food I place in front of her, though. I have now started giving her water in a syringe once a day. I was thinking of taking her from the carrier once a day, but I'm afraid to break her broodiness. I don't have an incubator.
:/

In my opinion you are better off to take the risk of breaking her brood than risk her health. You don't have to take her off of the nest every day but you will need to every other day probably to keep an eye on her condition.

 

[mebberry4]

Last night I slipped 6 baby chicks under my broody silkie. I was really nervous, but I did it at dark. 3 of the 6 are silkie babies that hatched yesterday from her own eggs. The other 3 are some I picked up from the guy who incubated the silkies for me. So at dark, I slipped the 3 yellow non-silkie chicks under broody and removed the two eggs she was sitting on and put them with another broody. After an hour and seeing that the chicks were hiding under her and broody was still fine, I added the silkie blue babies. This morning all is fine. The broody hasn't moved and she's talking to the babies. I'm slightly concerned that the 3 yellow babies are a day older and should be getting water/food. I did give them water and some food last night. So I'm going to wait and see how this day proceeds. The silkie rooster is in pen with them and is very protective of his hen, so I need to watch how he takes to the chicks, too. I guess I'm staying home today

That's awesome that you were able to find someone to incubate some eggs for you! Also, that you were able to get a few more day old chicks to place under her.
I am feeling like I should be trying to find some local day old chicks to put under my broody when her four *hopefully* hatch in the next few days. Two hens aren't really going to be enough to replenish my egg production. :/
I don't have any idea where to even look for local day old chicks this time of year. I definitely won't be going back to the "farm" I got these eggs from.
I tried to order some from a hatchery but the shipping was more than double the cost of the chicks!
Good luck with your project today sounds like it is going well so far!