Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[winteree]

Thanks, Mebberry! If you were in Mich, I'd send you to the guy who helped me out. I also did my own feather sexing of the three yellow babies. I don't have a lot of experience, but read up on this site and I'll see if I picked out pullets. Apparently if there are two rows of varying size wing feathers, instead of one straight line, then a pullet. You can only do this when they are very young and of course, doesn't work on silkies. Here's a pic of the chicks with a silkie umbrella fringe...better than a heat lamp, I'd say.

awww so cute

do you know what breed that little blue\grey chick is? i have one and it would be awesome to get an idea of what breed it is the chick is sooo sweet its the only one that doesn't run from me when i'm changing their food and water

 

[K Epp]

I found one of the Silkie chicks dead this am. It looked like it had been squashed during the night.

Australorp #1 hatched out 7 chicks. She left 3 eggs in the nest. I moved those to the incubator. #2 left her nest and is coparenting the 7. I put her eggs in the incubator. The D'anver girls have 6 chicks. I moved their left over eggs to the incubator as well. I'll candle tonight and see what I have.

 

[winteree]

I found one of the Silkie chicks dead this am. It looked like it had been squashed during the night.

Australorp #1 hatched out 7 chicks. She left 3 eggs in the nest. I moved those to the incubator. #2 left her nest and is coparenting the 7. I put her eggs in the incubator. The D'anver girls have 6 chicks. I moved their left over eggs to the incubator as well. I'll candle tonight and see what I have.

bummer sorry for your loss

good luck

 

[poodlechicks]

Lol...I almost picked one up one day, thinking it was an egg with poop on it. I was THIS CLOSE and the poked it with a stick. Perfect egg shaped white poo...lol

And the smell...

I felt like running away!! Glad you didn't get to touch that thing

 

[poodlechicks]

One of 9

She looks fierce! Does she have on eye open and the other closed? She seems to be aiming at the camera And the baby is really cute!

 

[poodlechicks]

it's great you have a good broody i would love to have one so i could let the babys out of the brooder during the day. the oldest chicks in the brooder are 5 weeks and they are getting cabin fever but i don't want to let them out until they are at least 8 weeks i'm scared of my rooster hellion will do.

I know how it feels. Last year when my pullets were around 5 weeks, my basement floor was all soiled and they jumping out the brooder into everything.
Thanks! I think she is going to hold on till hatch day. I am hoping she doesn't break any more eggs b/c I'm down to 7 from 12.

 

[poodlechicks]

I found one of the Silkie chicks dead this am. It looked like it had been squashed during the night.

Australorp #1 hatched out 7 chicks. She left 3 eggs in the nest. I moved those to the incubator. #2 left her nest and is coparenting the 7. I put her eggs in the incubator. The D'anver girls have 6 chicks. I moved their left over eggs to the incubator as well. I'll candle tonight and see what I have.

Congratulations on your hatch and so sorry for the silkie chick...

 

[bumpercarr]

it's great you have a good broody i would love to have one so i could let the babys out of the brooder during the day. the oldest chicks in the brooder are 5 weeks and they are getting cabin fever but i don't want to let them out until they are at least 8 weeks i'm scared of my rooster hellion will do.

I put mine into the coop (in a wire dog carrier or a separate apartment) between 3-4 weeks if the weather is good. I'll put them up at night back into the brooder if necessary for protection. Usually between 4-6 weeks I let them loose with the flock. Mine have lots of room so they can get away from any of the mean ones. I found anything later than 6 weeks to be difficult, by then the cockerels are thumping chests and generally can get into trouble with the alpha male, if I have one in with the rest of the flock.

I'm getting ready to separate any day now. I've got 6 cockerels (I think) varying in age from 5 weeks to 8 weeks. They are in with the main flock now, but I'm preparing to move them to their own pen. I was hoping to be able to sex the chicks in the brooder (2 weeks old) before moving the boys so that I could move them all at the same time but I don't know if I'll be able to wait another 3-4 weeks. We'll see how long I can wait.

 

[winteree]

I put mine into the coop (in a wire dog carrier or a separate apartment) between 3-4 weeks if the weather is good. I'll put them up at night back into the brooder if necessary for protection. Usually between 4-6 weeks I let them loose with the flock. Mine have lots of room so they can get away from any of the mean ones. I found anything later than 6 weeks to be difficult, by then the cockerels are thumping chests and generally can get into trouble with the alpha male, if I have one in with the rest of the flock.

I'm getting ready to separate any day now. I've got 6 cockerels (I think) varying in age from 5 weeks to 8 weeks. They are in with the main flock now, but I'm preparing to move them to their own pen. I was hoping to be able to sex the chicks in the brooder (2 weeks old) before moving the boys so that I could move them all at the same time but I don't know if I'll be able to wait another 3-4 weeks. We'll see how long I can wait.

yeah I'm just worried about the space to "get away" i wanted to open the new run by now but the hard wire cloth i ordered isn't here yet despite me putting a two-day rush order on it

the older chicks can't get though the chicken wire but the youngest chicks can and i don't want to lose any more baby's today

but i do have odds and ends pieces of hard wire cloth left so maybe i can out something together with that because my grams sick rooster is taking up the old dog crate with the run i was going to use for the baby's after i broke my rooster of his mean streak.

 

[winteree]

I know how it feels. Last year when my pullets were around 5 weeks, my basement floor was all soiled and they jumping out the brooder into everything.
Thanks! I think she is going to hold on till hatch day. I am hoping she doesn't break any more eggs b/c I'm down to 7 from 12.

good luck