Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[chickenlisa]

Here are the pics I said I'd post of Meanie Mama, but now she's just a Great Mama...I can't call her Meanie when she is doing exactly what she should be doing, protecting these 9 precious babies. We heard a fox last night and saw it with our big spot light. She didn't make a peep and kept all the babies tucked under her, so that fox didn't even know she was in her own pen (really close to our house though) with helpless babies.

 

[Dumb Kluck]

I guess she is making it loud and clear to you that she wants to brood where SHE wants to brood

Would it be possible to place the eggs where she feels comfortable brooding? And move her to the maternity pen after the chicks have hatched? Just a suggestion, as this is my first time dealing with a broody myself.. There are so many experienced people here on this thread that will be able to guide you all through the process.

If the eggs are over a week old, you'll be able to tell if they are still viable by candling.

My sweet broody was LOUD when she made it clear that she would be nesting within a couple of feet of her chosen spot (see, we did manage to compromise). I tried early on to move her nest to one of the ignored nest boxes in the coop (with the ceramic egg & a couple golf balls stuffed tightly into the top half of plastic Easter eggs She screamed bloody murder absolutely non-stop until I put her fake eggs back where she had them, on the floor of the secure run :/ I never heard a bird make so much racket for so long! Maybe the coop would be to hot, or occupied, or whatever. I gave her 10 viable eggs & she was agreeable to being moved into a wire broody cage with an open door for daily rituals about 18" from her chosen spot, with a board leaned up to simulate the ramp she was squatting under & provide shade/shelter.
Shes back under the original ramp with her chicks which is fine since the layer hens have a secondary run and a backdoor to the coop/nests, and I replaced the secure run floor with rinsed crusher dust so the chicks have a virgin surface to scratch, peck, and dust bathe in... and misters that I can turn on when it's 100+
Speaking of chicks, of the 10 eggs I got for $8 (some were even refrigerated), 9 hatched in a 12-24 hour period on day 22, egg 10 turned out to be liquid dud despite my optimism :/
And all 9 have thrived for 11 days good job red headed mama

Perhaps it is time to move my random outbursts of chicken induced

to the raising chicks forum ...

 

[Sydney Acres]

Quote:
But we love your chicken induce joy!!

 

[Sydney Acres]

I am totally puzzled!
I have a broody Cochin, who I tried to move to the maternity pen. When moved she didn't sit on the nest but on the roost. I left her for 3 days.
I figured maybe I moved her too soon. Put her back in her pen she went straight to the nest box she had previously occupied. I let her sit on fertilized eggs fir over a week & moved her to the maternity pen last night. Went out at 6 this am & she was not on the nest, but sitting on the roost. The eggs are cold

.
Put her back in her original pen & yes right back to her box she went.

I am at a loss!!!!!

Some broodies won't tolerate being moved.

That being said, there are some extra things you can try.

1) Instead of just moving her to a new nest, move the entire nestbox. If that's not possible (too large, attached to the coop, etc), then try to put a removable "insert" into the nestbox that she's currently using. You can use sturdy cardboard and packing tape to make a cardboard nestbox that will fit inside her current nestbox perfectly, then put all her nesting material and eggs back in. (Be sure that the box is strong enough, and taped together well enough, that it will hold at least three times her weight when picked up. You don't want to lift it up and have the bottom fall out with her in it.) Let her set on that for one day to be sure that putting in the insert didn't disturb her too much.

2) At night, pull out the entire insert and move it, leaving her in the nest in her broody trance during the move. Do not shine a light on her during the move, and stay as quiet as possible during the whole process.

3) If your maternity pen is small, cover it with a sheet and leave the sheet in place for 1-2 days, so she's in very dim light. If it's bright and sunny outside, you may need a thicker sheet or two sheets to block enough light (but be careful about overheating her also). If your broody pen is too large to cover with a sheet, set up a small, temporary run inside the maternity pen. My small run is 2'W X 2'H X 5'L and made out of welded wire. It has no floor, just the four sides and a top. Half the top is "hinged" to the other half, and can be lifted up like a hatch door. Just several flat wire panel held together with zipties (cable ties). Have bedding on the floor, her cardboard nestbox, food and water in there, but no perches, all covered with a sheet for 1-2 days. Set it all up at night so that's how she wakes up the morning. Hopefully the light will be dim enough that she stays calm and adjusts to the new pen. After 1-2 days, start rolling the sheet back slowly, maybe just 6-12 inches a day, until the run is 1/2 uncovered. You can leave it that way until the chicks are hatched and she's ready to leave the nest, or you can continue rolling back the sheet until the run is fully uncovered. Once (if) the sheet is gone, then you can decide whether or not to remove the small run out of the maternity pen before the chicks hatch.

Eggs can tolerate being cold for a short time. It all depends on how cold, and for how long. Brinsea, one of the top-of-the-line incubator companies, actually has a cooling feature built into their high end model incubator. Research has shown that chicks are more vigorous when the eggs are cooled a little each day during a portion of incubation (don't have the details, as I've only read the summary, not the entire article). So the embryos may have survived the cooling -- don't give up on them yet. But you do have to decide whether to leave her in her chosen nest site, or take the risk and try again to move her to the maternity pen. Good luck.

 

[Moppet]

One of the posts made me chuckle. For my Broody Hen, I got 6 fertilized eggs from a friend - I marked each with an X with a permanent marker.....and it was a good thing because a few times some of my other hens would sneak in and lay while she took her daily break.
anyway, now my little brood are almost 4 weeks old. They love coming in the yard and run around with mom, but unfortunately the other hens like to go into the nursery and steal their food.....for my laying hens I buy expensive organic non-gmo layer feed and I want them to eat that and not my chicks's feed!
Mom appears to be molting. Is that the normal progression or is it just a coincidence?

 

[OHfarmerswife]

Some broodies won't tolerate being moved. 

That being said, there are some extra things you can try.

1)  Instead of just moving her to a new nest, move the entire nestbox.  If that's not possible (too large, attached to the coop, etc), then try to put a removable "insert" into the nestbox that she's currently using.  You can use sturdy cardboard and packing tape to make a cardboard nestbox that will fit inside her current nestbox perfectly, then put all her nesting material and eggs back in. (Be sure that the box is strong enough, and taped together well enough, that it will hold at least three times her weight when picked up.  You don't want to lift it up and have the bottom fall out with her in it.)  Let her set on that for one day to be sure that putting in the insert didn't disturb her too much.

2)  At night, pull out the entire insert and move it, leaving her in the nest in her broody trance during the move.  Do not shine a light on her during the move, and stay as quiet as possible during the whole process.

3)  If your maternity pen is small, cover it with a sheet and leave the sheet in place for 1-2 days, so she's in very dim light.  If it's bright and sunny outside, you may need a thicker sheet or two sheets to block enough light (but be careful about overheating her also).  If your broody pen is too large to cover with a sheet, set up a small, temporary run inside the maternity pen.  My small run is 2'W X 2'H X 5'L and made out of welded wire.  It has no floor, just the four sides and a top.  Half the top  is "hinged" to the other half, and can be lifted up like a hatch door.  Just several flat wire panel held together with zipties (cable ties).  Have bedding on the floor, her cardboard nestbox, food and water in there, but no perches, all covered with a sheet for 1-2 days.  Set it all up at night so that's how she wakes up the morning.  Hopefully the light will be dim enough that she stays calm and adjusts to the new pen.  After 1-2 days, start rolling the sheet back slowly, maybe just 6-12 inches a day, until the run is 1/2 uncovered.  You can leave it that way until the chicks are hatched and she's ready to leave the nest, or you can continue rolling back the sheet until the run is fully uncovered.  Once (if) the sheet is gone, then you can decide whether or not to remove the small run out of the maternity pen before the chicks hatch.

Eggs can tolerate being cold for a short time.  It all depends on how cold, and for how long.  Brinsea, one of the top-of-the-line incubator companies, actually has a cooling feature built into their high end model incubator.  Research has shown that chicks are more vigorous when the eggs are cooled a little each day during a portion of incubation (don't have the details, as I've only read the summary, not the entire article).  So the embryos may have survived the cooling -- don't give up on them yet.  But you do have to decide whether to leave her in her chosen nest site, or take the risk and try again to move her to the maternity pen.  Good luck.

Thanks Sydney
The maternity coop is 4x8 with a 4x20 run.
When I moved her last night I closed the coop door &the pop door do is would be dark & quiet.
I suppose she didn't sit all night as the eggs were cold this am.
She is on one of the favorite nest boxes & gets sat on so others can lay their eggs.
I think I am going to pot up a barrier under the poop board that way she will still be in the coop with her chicken buddies, but separate & safe.
Such a shame cause the maternity ward is soooo nice. I will try to move her after the chicks are born.

This is only my second year with chickens, but this is my 6 th broody....never had this problem!

4 chicks born yesterday, but that broody is in the coop, under the poop board in a maternity area.

Last broody did just fine on the big maternity coop & was ably to take her babies out with the flock as all free ranged together each afternoon. The babies were only 2 weeks when they began to go outside & they loved it. I supervised of course.

 

[Sydney Acres]

Thanks Sydney
The maternity coop is 4x8 with a 4x20 run.
When I moved her last night I closed the coop door &the pop door do is would be dark & quiet.
I suppose she didn't sit all night as the eggs were cold this am.
She is on one of the favorite nest boxes & gets sat on so others can lay their eggs.
I think I am going to pot up a barrier under the poop board that way she will still be in the coop with her chicken buddies, but separate & safe.
Such a shame cause the maternity ward is soooo nice. I will try to move her after the chicks are born.

This is only my second year with chickens, but this is my 6 th broody....never had this problem!

4 chicks born yesterday, but that broody is in the coop, under the poop board in a maternity area.

Last broody did just fine on the big maternity coop & was ably to take her babies out with the flock as all free ranged together each afternoon. The babies were only 2 weeks when they began to go outside & they loved it. I supervised of course.

Be sure that you mark her eggs with a line around the equator of the egg, so you can identify it in any position. Then check daily or every other day to be sure that no new eggs are added to the nest. That will help you avoid staggered hatches. This won't be a problem, though, once you get her box fenced off from the others.

Cute chicks!!

 

[nipper75]

I had 1 chick hatch under a pair of buff brahma bantam sisters on Tuesday morning. How long before they actually get out of the nest?

 

[3 NH reds]

I just feel absolutely sick over this. That was the prettiest chick.

It was the light colored chick RIGHT NEXT to Momma in this picture. I don't think she did it. I suspect the turkey.

Sorry for the loss. Turkey can be mean. But are you aware Turkey can get sick from Chickens? We just got our 6 Turkey for the year tonight and I look in our Ranger coop and 2 more broody hens added to the list. Who knows what this Will bring. I wonder how many eggs are they brooding?

 

[poodlechicks]

This afternoon I went to see Summer and found another chick had hatched! It's another cochin mix. The 3 of them are just so cute! I think that's what I am getting out of the 7 eggs, unless there are more chicks under momma.