Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Peep Nerd]

I just scored a small bunny hutch off Freecycle that is going to be a prefect brooder.
My frizzle is sitting on 6 eggs for the first time. I'm so excited!

 

[Dumb Kluck]

2 pips on due day (6-1-14) and 9 chicks hatched out before noon the next day (6-2-14)! Only 1 egg left to go, maybe... Already an incredible hatch rate & very well timed.

 

[LisaLouHoo]

My BO broody is hatching eggs today. Day 20. Good and bad news. I came home this afternoon and visited the broody and both OE eggs were close to being born when I looked under mama. So I waited another hour and then went out again and one was fully out, which is the good news. Then I notice the other egg, which I could see the face, was looking odd, so I picked it up and there were maggots crawling in the open hole and it was not zipped all around, just a big gaping hole and the chick was dead! Now, I'm waiting on the 6 marans eggs and I didn't notice any pips on them. Thankfully, this broody has not once pecked me and all I have to do is touch her wing and she just lets me partially lift her to look under. She's a first-timer and so sweet. Praying for the best.

 

[Sydney Acres]

My BO broody is hatching eggs today. Day 20. Good and bad news. I came home this afternoon and visited the broody and both OE eggs were close to being born when I looked under mama. So I waited another hour and then went out again and one was fully out, which is the good news. Then I notice the other egg, which I could see the face, was looking odd, so I picked it up and there were maggots crawling in the open hole and it was not zipped all around, just a big gaping hole and the chick was dead!

Now, I'm waiting on the 6 marans eggs and I didn't notice any pips on them. Thankfully, this broody has not once pecked me and all I have to do is touch her wing and she just lets me partially lift her to look under. She's a first-timer and so sweet. Praying for the best.

Ooohhh, that's always startling to see!

Since mom is so tolerant of you, I'd be sure to get rid of every maggot that may have been left behind on mom, the chick, and in the nest (I know, disgusting, but they don't bite through gloves or intact skin). Check through mom's feathers (if she will tolerate it), especially in the areas that she can't preen easily (around the vent, behind the tail, and the head and neck) and on the underside (breast and legs, where they would first contact her), but in her broody trance she might not pull the maggots off herself even if she could easily do so, so check everywhere if possible. Then check the chick thoroughly, especially around the vent and the navel. Then go through the nest with a fine tooth comb, or better yet just change out the nesting and bedding material all together. Most maggots are tiny on the first day, and are much larger and easier to see on the second day, so be sure to recheck once or twice daily, if mom will tolerate it. Also, be sure to remove anything that might attract flies ASAP (hatched egg shells, moist food, fresh droppings, etc). Controlling flies in the broody area would also be really important, but you can't use poisons that could harm the birds. Sticky pest strips, bug zappers, something to attract the flies to a different area where they can be poisoned away from the chickens, a bottomless wire cage covered in screen material that can be set over the nest, all those things together will likely make quite a dent in your fly population and help protect the chicks (there's probably lots of other things available also, but that's what comes to mind right now).

WARNING, this next paragraph is graphic, and quite disgusting, but relevant to this issue.

I don't mean to be an alarmist, but I've seen hundreds of (mammalian and avian) infants killed either directly or indirectly by maggots. The flies are attracted to the placenta (one of many reasons that placenta-eating is selected for in nature) or the inner egg membrane (lots of birds intentionally throw hatched egg shells out of the nest), but also get on the umbilical cord or the navel. The fly eggs hatch and the maggots eat away at the umbilical cord/navel, causing anything from blood loss, infection, pain, and sometimes penetrate into the abdomen, causing herniation or evisceration. If the babies aren't killed directly, the debilitation sometimes creates enough weakness that the infants don't nurse or eat adequately, so often die of dehydration or starvation. The maggots don't eat through intact skin, but any entry point is fair game. Once they're in the nest they can do a lot of damage, and I suspect that their smell attracts more flies to the area to lay even more eggs. Summer hatches can be challenging when flies get involved! Hopefully those were your only maggots, but I'd be very vigilant. Good luck.

 

[Sydney Acres]

So many really cute chick pictures on the last few pages!!! Love them all.

Can't wait for my broody to hatch out hers. Hope the eggs under her are fertile. They're from a flock of very elderly birds that suddenly this year my husband decided he wanted chicks from

,

but at this age fertility is always hit and miss

, and hatchability is also an issue. But I selected the best eggs of the bunch, so fingers crossed.

 

[bumpercarr]

Ooohhh, that's always startling to see!

Since mom is so tolerant of you, I'd be sure to get rid of every maggot that may have been left behind on mom, the chick, and in the nest (I know, disgusting, but they don't bite through gloves or intact skin). Check through mom's feathers (if she will tolerate it), especially in the areas that she can't preen easily (around the vent, behind the tail, and the head and neck) and on the underside (breast and legs, where they would first contact her), but in her broody trance she might not pull the maggots off herself even if she could easily do so, so check everywhere if possible. Then check the chick thoroughly, especially around the vent and the navel. Then go through the nest with a fine tooth comb, or better yet just change out the nesting and bedding material all together. Most maggots are tiny on the first day, and are much larger and easier to see on the second day, so be sure to recheck once or twice daily, if mom will tolerate it. Also, be sure to remove anything that might attract flies ASAP (hatched egg shells, moist food, fresh droppings, etc). Controlling flies in the broody area would also be really important, but you can't use poisons that could harm the birds. Sticky pest strips, bug zappers, something to attract the flies to a different area where they can be poisoned away from the chickens, a bottomless wire cage covered in screen material that can be set over the nest, all those things together will likely make quite a dent in your fly population and help protect the chicks (there's probably lots of other things available also, but that's what comes to mind right now).

WARNING, this next paragraph is graphic, and quite disgusting, but relevant to this issue.

I don't mean to be an alarmist, but I've seen hundreds of (mammalian and avian) infants killed either directly or indirectly by maggots. The flies are attracted to the placenta (one of many reasons that placenta-eating is selected for in nature) or the inner egg membrane (lots of birds intentionally throw hatched egg shells out of the nest), but also get on the umbilical cord or the navel. The fly eggs hatch and the maggots eat away at the umbilical cord/navel, causing anything from blood loss, infection, pain, and sometimes penetrate into the abdomen, causing herniation or evisceration. If the babies aren't killed directly, the debilitation sometimes creates enough weakness that the infants don't nurse or eat adequately, so often die of dehydration or starvation. The maggots don't eat through intact skin, but any entry point is fair game. Once they're in the nest they can do a lot of damage, and I suspect that their smell attracts more flies to the area to lay even more eggs. Summer hatches can be challenging when flies get involved! Hopefully those were your only maggots, but I'd be very vigilant. Good luck.

X2. I once had to put a dog to sleep that rolled in a dead animal and got infested with maggots. Have to keep those flies away from the nest or trouble happens. Thanks for reminding us Sydney.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Some more of my babies

 

[Moppet]

Well, introduction day didn't work too well......I left the play yard open and eventually Snow (mom) and the Golden Chick (very independent) came out and towards me. The two black chicks remained behind. Anyway, Squacker (mean girl) got to close to the golden chick so I got up, but Squacker didn't hurt the chick, instead Fire (the most junior of the big girls that I got from the same farm as Snow and who had been bosom buddies at one time) went on the attack, ripping a number of feathers out of Snow. So I shewed baby and mama back into the safety of their play yard. Guess I will have to lock the big girls away to give the babies a little adventure.

 

[LisaLouHoo]

Ooohhh, that's always startling to see! 

Since mom is so tolerant of you, I'd be sure to get rid of every maggot that may have been left behind on mom, the chick, and in the nest (I know, disgusting, but they don't bite through gloves or intact skin).  Check through mom's feathers (if she will tolerate it), especially in the areas that she can't preen easily (around the vent, behind the tail, and the head and neck) and on the underside (breast and legs, where they would first contact her), but in her broody trance she might not pull the maggots off herself even if she could easily do so, so check everywhere if possible.  Then check the chick thoroughly, especially around the vent and the navel.  Then go through the nest with a fine tooth comb, or better yet just change out the nesting and bedding material all together.  Most maggots are tiny on the first day, and are much larger and easier to see on the second day, so be sure to recheck once or twice daily, if mom will tolerate it.  Also, be sure to remove anything that might attract flies ASAP (hatched egg shells, moist food, fresh droppings, etc).  Controlling flies in the broody area would also be really important, but you can't use poisons that could harm the birds.  Sticky pest strips, bug zappers, something to attract the flies to a different area where they can be poisoned away from the chickens, a bottomless wire cage covered in screen material that can be set over the nest, all those things together will likely make quite a dent in your fly population and help protect the chicks (there's probably lots of other things available also, but that's what comes to mind right now).

WARNING, this next paragraph is graphic, and quite disgusting, but relevant to this issue.

I don't mean to be an alarmist, but I've seen hundreds of (mammalian and avian) infants killed either directly or indirectly by maggots.  The flies are attracted to the placenta (one of many reasons that placenta-eating is selected for in nature) or the inner egg membrane (lots of birds intentionally throw hatched egg shells out of the nest), but also get on the umbilical cord or the navel.  The fly eggs hatch and the maggots eat away at the umbilical cord/navel, causing anything from blood loss, infection, pain, and sometimes penetrate into the abdomen, causing herniation or evisceration.  If the babies aren't killed directly, the debilitation sometimes creates enough weakness that the infants don't nurse or eat adequately, so often die of dehydration or starvation.  The maggots don't eat through intact skin, but any entry point is fair game.  Once they're in the nest they can do a lot of damage, and I suspect that their smell attracts more flies to the area to lay even more eggs.  Summer hatches can be challenging when flies get involved!  Hopefully those were your only maggots, but I'd be very vigilant.  Good luck.

THANK YOU, Sydney. I did what you said and I think everything is ok. Another egg was open with rotten, green liquid. These are marans eggs, so they were difficult to candle. I know I saw life in some of them, though. I totally swapped out the whole nest box. I built another one and was able to check the chick over and mama. They look just fine, TG! Now I'm down to 5 marans eggs! I can't believe I started with 13 eggs and now only have a chance at 6 babies. Hence the phrase, "don't count your chickens before they hatch!" The hatched OE is now fluffy and is very cute. No pips yet on the marans, though. Due date is not until tomorrow, so I'm hoping some action happens in the night. The swapping gave broody mama a chance to get out of nest and do her thing. Again, I don't know what I'd do w/o the knowledge and advice I get from this forum. Love you guys!!!

 

[MoodyBroody622]

My black cochin bantam

went broody a month ago and so I eventually got her some eggs from a neighbor (buff silkie bantam eggs) and gave her some (hopefully fertile) mix breed bantam eggs from my pen. They are due to hatch

between this Friday and next Tuesday!!! Wish me luck!!