Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Johnn]

Nice pics of the mothers and chicks. Congrats everyone!

 

[Johnn]

My light Sussex is broody again. Have locked her out the shed now. I feel really bad not letting her sit but I can't have anymore chicks. If she doesn't stop in a couple of weeks I will probs give in and ask my friend if they want any eggs hatching then will give them the chicks when she's done with them.

 

[GuineaFowling]

Hello, I have a broody EE hen and yesterday I put seven fertile eggs under her. She is in the 'community' nest box where the other hens can lay as well. When she requires nourishment and leaves the box she comes back and sits in a different one. Should I move her out of the coop and I to a separate pen so she only sits on the fertile eggs? Or should I leave her? I moved the eggs out of the nest box and put them under her after she moved to the other box. I think I should move her because my guineas often go into the hens coop and get a bit jealous of the broody hen and I feel like they'll bully her. The guineas are jealous because she recently lost her only keet from her set of eggs.

 

[bumpercarr]

Hello, I have a broody EE hen and yesterday I put seven fertile eggs under her. She is in the 'community' nest box where the other hens can lay as well. When she requires nourishment and leaves the box she comes back and sits in a different one. Should I move her out of the coop and I to a separate pen so she only sits on the fertile eggs? Or should I leave her? I moved the eggs out of the nest box and put them under her after she moved to the other box. I think I should move her because my guineas often go into the hens coop and get a bit jealous of the broody hen and I feel like they'll bully her. The guineas are jealous because she recently lost her only keet from her set of eggs.

If it is her first brood, she might be difficult to move, in other words it may break the mood for her. Depending on your set up, you can try to build her a little screened area out of chicken wire to keep the others out, then they can see but can't touch. Just make sure that you give her food and water in there and enough room to take a good poo every day. I would also (if she will tolerate it) take her out to dust bathe every few days. I usually leave mine with the rest of the flock, just because it makes re-integration so much easier, but I don't have guineas. Make sure your eggs are marked so if any other eggs get deposited in the nest they can be easily removed.

 

[Dumb Kluck]

If it is her first brood, she might be difficult to move, in other words it may break the mood for her. Depending on your set up, you can try to build her a little screened area out of chicken wire to keep the others out, then they can see but can't touch. Just make sure that you give her food and water in there and enough room to take a good poo every day. I would also (if she will tolerate it) take her out to dust bathe every few days. I usually leave mine with the rest of the flock, just because it makes re-integration so much easier, but I don't have guineas. Make sure your eggs are marked so if any other eggs get deposited in the nest they can be easily removed.

My girls first brood just hatched on the floor of the secure run. I tried early on to put her in the coop but she threw a screaming fit non-stop until I put the eggs back under the ramp :/ then she settled in and sat. About half way through I decided to basically gut & remodel the interior of the run around her while she huddled beneath the ramp. I installed a broody pen in the corner where a shelving unit once stood, and moved her & the nest a couple of feet over into the pen, she stayed put until she had 9 chicks begging for a filed trip!

 

[Johnn]

Bella and chick

Bella and her mother are like a family unit now. Well Bella's not liking it as much! Bella's mother looks after her own chicks and gives Bella's little baby treats and offers it protection. She also lets it go around with her at feeding time as Bella usually strays off and she is higher in the pecking Oder so it gets more food. Bella on the other hand is nice to her chicks but when her mothers chicks come near her she pecks them! Tonight when I went up Bella's mother came running out the woods with Bella's chick and one of her own. Bella was left behind with Her mothers other chick and Bella came running normally then when she saw the chick running after her she went mental and started screaming and started flapping when running!

 

[mebberry4]

It is probably a sultan cross.  Feather feet are dominant, if either parent has them generally the chicks will as well.  I only say a cross because I don't see evidence of a poofy head.

That's ok by me lol! A big poofy head would probably get pecked like crazy in my mixed flock. Light feathering on the legs is probably fine, I just think heavily feathered legs must get so messy! Maybe I will email the lady and see if she thinks it could be sultan offspring

 

[bumpercarr]

That's ok by me lol! A big poofy head would probably get pecked like crazy in my mixed flock. Light feathering on the legs is probably fine, I just think heavily feathered legs must get so messy! Maybe I will email the lady and see if she thinks it could be sultan offspring

Feathered feet aren't generally a problem for me. I raise Brahmas, so that is all I have is feathered feet. We were up to 105 yesterday, so I turned a sprinkler on in their run to cool things down. They got a little mud on their feet yesterday afternoon, but this morning they were clean. So, no problems unless you are in a really wet area.

On your chicks, if they were silkie mixes they would have 5 toes....I think 5 toes are a dominant trait, but each parent has two genes. So, if the roo has 5 toes/4 toes and the hen has 4 toes/4 toes, then most of the offspring will have 5 toes. You can also end up with chicks that have one leg with 4 toes and one leg with 5 toes. That is my genetics lesson for the day. Another lesson for you, silkiness is a recessive trait, so if you breed a silkie to anything else, the chicks will more than likely be 5 toed, feather footed, but smooth feathered (not silkie).

 

[Dumb Kluck]

! I'm going to count toes as soon as I click submit! Just found out that the Roo is a silkie bantam, everyone has feathered feet LOL

Oh my, bizarre toes! Three front toes & a back toe but some have a full second back toe & some have only a vestigial of the fifth toe, and the lil red head has two back toes on one foot & one & 1/2 on the other ?!! I haven't checked them all but the sampling was quite a surprise!

 

[mebberry4]

Feathered feet aren't generally a problem for me.  I raise Brahmas, so that is all I have is feathered feet.  We were up to 105 yesterday, so I turned a sprinkler on in their run to cool things down.  They got a little mud on their feet yesterday afternoon, but this morning they were clean.  So, no problems unless you are in a really wet area.

On your chicks, if they were silkie mixes they would have 5 toes....I think 5 toes are a dominant trait, but each parent has two genes.  So, if the roo has 5 toes/4 toes and the hen has 4 toes/4 toes, then most of the offspring will have 5 toes.  You can also end up with chicks that have one leg with 4 toes and one leg with 5 toes.  That is my genetics lesson for the day.  Another lesson for you, silkiness is a recessive trait, so if you breed a silkie to anything else, the chicks will more than likely be 5 toed, feather footed, but smooth feathered (not silkie).

That's great to know! I love the look of Buff Brahmas, so maybe I will get some one day and not have to worry about messy legs

As far as I know there shouldn't have been silkies anywhere on her property.... I really need productive egg layers :/
That is helpful information. Chicken genetics boggles my mind. Every once and a while I end up on some chicken genetics forum and my eyes glaze over a little

Oh I forgot to mention, I checked the little lavender chick...only four toes!