Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[poodlechicks]

What beautiful chicks! Congratulations!

I have 4 hatched now. I guess they were hiding well. Now that I could see better, there are 3 barred rock crosses and one cochin cross. So far... Today I was going to pull the plug on Summer's brood, but it's so cold and rainy here. I'll wait till tomorrow. I really want to post pic, but I can't seem to get it right.

 

[shakerchick]

This has been a learning experience! We lost one chick who was weak from the start and had a splay leg (which was improving with a splint) - died on the second night. Another chick drowned in the hen's water bowl. Should have put pebbles in it!

 

[fisherlady]

Hello, I need advice! I had a cochin go broody for the first time 2 weeks ago. 10 days ago I gave her 11 eggs to hatch and I candled them all last night and not a single one of them is developing. She has been amazing and has not gotten up hardly at all. I think they may not have been fertile, but I'm not sure (I purchased them from someone I did not know). What should I do now? Do I give her new eggs and hope she'll sit for another 3 weeks or do I wait and try to graft day old chicks onto her? Any help and advice would be appreciated. I am so SAD! I think she and I both went a little broody and I really want chicks! Thanks.

With a good supply of high protein healthy foods available and good water the hen should be fine to set another 3 weeks... just watch her for signs of excessive weight loss (keel bone will be much more prominent) and signs of illness or parasites. We have had broodies set without trouble for 6 weeks and we have also had hens who lost condition after just 3 or 4 weeks who needed a bit of extra care.

With that being said, extending her brood with fresh eggs is an option, but grafting a few day old chicks to her is also an option (though a bit riskier if she rejects them)... both have pros and cons, but you can go with either based on what you prefer (sometimes day old chicks of a preferred breed are hard to find)

 

[bumpercarr]

This has been a learning experience! We lost one chick who was weak from the start and had a splay leg (which was improving with a splint) - died on the second night. Another chick drowned in the hen's water bowl. Should have put pebbles in it!

I usually provide the hen with a quail waterer when she is brooding. The chicks won't drown in that one. One thing I learned a few years ago was that I needed to move waterers down to ground level when I had chicks running around. I keep mine up on blocks because the birds are constantly throwing dirt into the water, it was just something I didn't think about but the chicks couldn't reach the water until they were about a week old (and could fly up to the blocks). I changed so that I either put the waterer back down on the ground or else put an additional (smaller) waterer in the run for the chicks to use.

 

[fisherlady]

This has been a learning experience! We lost one chick who was weak from the start and had a splay leg (which was improving with a splint) - died on the second night. Another chick drowned in the hen's water bowl. Should have put pebbles in it!

So sorry you lost one!

Every broody is a new learning experience! None follow the 'normal' when you want them to, that is for sure!

 

[poodlechicks]

This has been a learning experience! We lost one chick who was weak from the start and had a splay leg (which was improving with a splint) - died on the second night. Another chick drowned in the hen's water bowl. Should have put pebbles in it!

Sorry about your chick!
I put the waterer with marbles in it in the carrier before the chicks hatched to get momma used to it. To my surprise, she started gobbling up one of the marbles. I had to go in pull it out before she swallowed the thing whole. I had forgotten how big she was and was using the same marbles I had used when she was a chick. I put shooters instead of marbles after that incident and I'm glad it happened while I was there to watch.
It's amazing how much I have learned from this one brood.

 

[Hamstery]

Another chick drowned in the hen's water bowl. Should have put pebbles in it!

I'm sorry you lost one. This is a great reminder about the pebbles, so thank you for that. I may have forgotten to do that after my girl hatched her eggs. I will do it right away.

 

[tiana29]

Wow... so sorry to hear about the losses. You could try removing the newly hatched to an inside brooder for a day, and then graft them back to her after they are more mobile... or, on her next hatch you could remove any unhatched eggs to an incubator after the first 2 or 3 are out, then add them back in one by one as they hatch and fluff. It could simply be that she is a clutz, or maybe as she ages her legs aren't as strong and she can't keep her balance over eggs and chicks as well, causing her to stumble slightly or side step and land on the chicks.
The other option on your next hatch is to only allow her 4 or 5 eggs (though you could set another dozen in an incubator at the same time). The lower number of eggs can reduce her need to reshuffle and try to make room for broken shells and new chicks, so accidents may be reduced. Then, as the incubator eggs hatch you can graft them to her so she ends up with a good number of chicks (whatever amount you think she is comfortable with)

Another thing that helps (although it is too late for this right now) is really, really deep bedding with a well defined nest for the eggs/chicks. It seems to help these big birds not cause so much damage but sometimes causes a day delay in the hatch.

Thank you for the advise. I currently don't have an incubator. I have done the really deep bedding and she does a really nice job of making a nice deep nest. Maybe next time I will set her up in an even bigger area and maybe I will take away the chicks that hatch until they are all hatched and then give them back. She is a really dedicated momma I have given her day old chicks before and she always takes them with out a problem. I think she just gets to shuffling around when she has some chicks out and other hatching and that is when she makes a mistakes and steps on them.

 

[fisherlady]

Thank you for the advise. I currently don't have an incubator. I have done the really deep bedding and she does a really nice job of making a nice deep nest. Maybe next time I will set her up in an even bigger area and maybe I will take away the chicks that hatch until they are all hatched and then give them back. She is a really dedicated momma I have given her day old chicks before and she always takes them with out a problem. I think she just gets to shuffling around when she has some chicks out and other hatching and that is when she makes a mistakes and steps on them.

If she is normally a good mama and is easy to graft to then I totally agree with the plan... sounds like it is the best of the options.

 

[Dumb Kluck]

The little red chick has a toe pointed the wrong way!?! Do I need to do something or is it just unique?


And it's hard to see the sixth toe & nail on the Black chick but both feet have an extra extra toe?!!

But all 9 that hatched are happy and healthy 12 day olds with little poufs of fluff feathers popping out everywhere.