Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[mebberry4]

SQUEEEEEEE!  Yesterday only two eggs chirped when I checked them all and I had two pips by afternoon... I checked every 15 minutes but nothing changed all day... this morning I found half a dozen fluffy chicks under mom!!!  pics to follow when mom does her daily business of being off the nest for 5 minutes (she refused to mess in her broody pen or nest the whole time!)  one day she was locked in and so she shat out the side of her brooder instead of in it!  I am the proudest chicken grandma you ever did see e  

Congrats on the hatch! Sounds like you have an awesome broody!

 

[mebberry4]

Not a very good picture lol but it's all I have been able to get so far.

I'm afraid to lift her off and cause a problem. The black chick snuck out for a brief second, but I didn't have my camera ready...rookie mistake! The little buff one is on the left of the black one, but mostly hidden under Momma's wing.
I risked my fingers for a brief second to lift her wing and saw the buff one all fluffy and dry. It has the tiniest brown stripes along its back. Wonder what which breed it's mother hen was.

When do the first to hatch generally start to venture out from under the broody?

Also, I think I am going to risk grabbing some of the unhatched eggs to do a quick candle tonight to see what's going on under there. I think it will be fairly easy to get rid of the clear ones at this point.
From what I can tell my broody is doing well with the chicks, but I'm afraid to make her mad by disturbing her and have her peck at the chicks. Any recommendations? Thanks!

 

[halfbakedtulip]

Well after introducing myself wayyy back in the thread I am back lol Out of 6 eggs ( 4 black silkies, 1 milles fleur, 1 milles fleur silkie mix) only 3 ended up hatching. I now have 2 black silkies and a Milles fleur/silkie mix ! Mine were hatched in the coop. I put wire across after the second was born as it was a day ahead of everyone else and I was afraid of it running around and the eggs getting squashed while Mama tried to corral it. My question now is when should I take the wire down? When will Mom want to bring them outside? Is it too soon? The last 1 hatched on Saturday evening. Any help would be appreciated! Momma is top of the pecking order and the other hens are terrified of the "whirling dervish" lol if this helps at all

 

[Sydney Acres]

Well after introducing myself wayyy back in the thread I am back lol Out of 6 eggs ( 4 black silkies, 1 milles fleur, 1 milles fleur silkie mix) only 3 ended up hatching. I now have 2 black silkies and a Milles fleur/silkie mix ! Mine were hatched in the coop. I put wire across after the second was born as it was a day ahead of everyone else and I was afraid of it running around and the eggs getting squashed while Mama tried to corral it. My question now is when should I take the wire down? When will Mom want to bring them outside? Is it too soon? The last 1 hatched on Saturday evening. Any help would be appreciated! Momma is top of the pecking order and the other hens are terrified of the "whirling dervish" lol if this helps at all

SOOO cute!

If mom is at the top of the pecking order, she may want to take them out after they're just 3-4 days old. It really depends on the dynamics of the flock, and how much room there is for the babies and mom to get out of the fray. Be sure to pick a day when you can closely supervise the initial integration back into the flock, just in case things don't go as expected. If you read back several days, there were several posts regarding this same issue, so your timing is perfect.

 

[fisherlady]

Halfbakedtulip... Ours hatch in the coop also...mama usually is ready to take them out on the third day when the weather is nice. biggest hurdle is the ramp, usually. So supervision is particularly important morning and evening to make sure no one is left behind.

 

[fisherlady]

Oops, I see Sydney already answered!

 

[mebberry4]

Finally! Actual pictures of a chick!

A little lavender one popped out for some fresh air! This one makes three that I have seen....maybe one or two more to go!
How the heck did I end up with a lavender chick? I'm seriously confused.
Any thoughts?

 

[bumpercarr]

Halfbakedtulip... Ours hatch in the coop also...mama usually is ready to take them out on the third day when the weather is nice. biggest hurdle is the ramp, usually. So supervision is particularly important morning and evening to make sure no one is left behind.

The ramp can be an issue if you have one. I usually put a box on the floor for them to sleep in just in case they can't get up the ramp. Momma will try to get them up the ramp, but then as dark comes will go into the box/crate/dog kennel, whatever I put out there for the babies. Reading about all of these hatches makes me really miss my broody. No signs of my brahmas going broody at all.

 

[Dumb Kluck]

Moms sitting tight, but three inquisitive chicks have popped out and tried water from a chicken nipple & moms yogurt, ground flax & nut meal breakfast. I'm going to scramble an egg for them before the chick starter goes into the brooder. These pipped yesterday and hatched overnight, maybe a few more will hatch today?!! I keep thinking that if I feed mom enough, she will HAVE to get up so she can do her daily business, allowing me to oogle her brood ... ... ...

 

[Dumb Kluck]

Every chick I see has different color/markings!?! Supposedly there were three different kinds of eggs in the mix lot of 10, but it looks like some seriously mixed genetics based on the 5 very different chicks I've seen so far ... I do like variety,

I do.