Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[TheGeekySheep]

A lot of firsts for me this week: my first broody out of my first batch of hens and my first attempt to hatch eggs. She's at the top of the pecking order, she's been sitting for several days and hollers at anyone who comes near, so I'm hoping she'll be a good mama. I'm picking up some fertile eggs to put under her tomorrow morning, exciting!

 

[fisherlady]

A lot of firsts for me this week: my first broody out of my first batch of hens and my first attempt to hatch eggs. She's at the top of the pecking order, she's been sitting for several days and hollers at anyone who comes near, so I'm hoping she'll be a good mama. I'm picking up some fertile eggs to put under her tomorrow morning, exciting!

cograts on your broody! She certainly looks determined! Keep us posted on her progress...

 

[Johnn]

A couple of posts from me today:
Bella is healing well
Sorry I didn't post this last night, I didn't go to the hens till late, so I was tired when I got home!

Someone collected the college broodies eggs, so I have set them some more and a Maran has joined in sitting now! I don't think the Buff Orp is very well. I think she has a respiratory infection so I'm going to give the college some stuff to treat them with

 

[Pennoppom]

Hey y'all,
I've raised chickens for about 5 years but this is my first year with Buff Minorcas. I bought them as day old chicks (I'm sure they were actually about a week old) and placed them under a broody Buff Orpington along with some other polish chicks. I have a total of 12 chicks around this age and 2 adult hens both brown egg layers and both very healthy.

Yesterday I got home late and when I checked the nesting box I found a white egg. I hadn't pulled the eggs from the day before, so I can't be sure what happened, but I found 3 brown and 1 white egg.

I guess my questions are: 1.) is it possible that one of my Minorcas is laying at 12 weeks? or if not, 2.) is it possible that on of my brown egg layers made an otherwise totally normal albino egg?

Both scenarios seem unlikely, so I'll listen to any answers you throw out there.

Thanks, y'all!
AC

 

[bumpercarr]

Hey y'all,
I've raised chickens for about 5 years but this is my first year with Buff Minorcas. I bought them as day old chicks (I'm sure they were actually about a week old) and placed them under a broody Buff Orpington along with some other polish chicks. I have a total of 12 chicks around this age and 2 adult hens both brown egg layers and both very healthy.

Yesterday I got home late and when I checked the nesting box I found a white egg. I hadn't pulled the eggs from the day before, so I can't be sure what happened, but I found 3 brown and 1 white egg.

I guess my questions are: 1.) is it possible that one of my Minorcas is laying at 12 weeks? or if not, 2.) is it possible that on of my brown egg layers made an otherwise totally normal albino egg?

Both scenarios seem unlikely, so I'll listen to any answers you throw out there.

Thanks, y'all!
AC

If your brown egg layers have been laying heavily, it is not unusual for them to produce a white egg now and then. There is an article or thread somewhere on here that discusses how egg color is deposited and what affects it. I'd just search for egg color to see if you can find it. Depending on the breeding of the Minorcas, it is possible though unlikely that they are laying at 12 weeks. Many hatchery birds are bred to be early and frequent layers, so some of those will start to lay pretty early, but 16 weeks is about the norm for them. If I was to place a bet, I think one of your current layers laid the egg. Tomorrow's egg will probably be brown.

 

[Sydney Acres]

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.

What breed are these chicks?

I raise Dorkings, which normally have 5 toes, so foot conformation is a big concern both in selecting breeders, and in managing the birds. If you're not breeding for show standards, your only concern is whether the foot is functional or problematic. Extra toes, or toes pointing in odd directions, are only an issue if they interfere with walking or cause pain.

Last year I had a VERY sweet cockerel that was a beautiful boy in almost every way, although quite undersized for the breed. I only kept him because he was SOOO sweet, and thought I might be able to pair him with a larger hen to breed size up. His fourth toe was at an angle that was slightly too vertical, but I wasn't too concerned about it. But as he grew the toe grew longer, and then it was pointing straight down, with the tip touching the ground. But I ignored it -- I free range on grass, so he was fine. Until he injured the tip when he was ~10 months old. I tried everything to get it healed -- topical meds, oral antibiotics, antiinflammatories, bandaging the toe and putting both feet in "elevator shoes" so the toe wouldn't touch the ground. Because of the angle, the elevator shoes helped for a while but he repeatedly traumatized it, and we'd start over again. I made the decision that this was a serious fault for this breed, and that I would never breed him. I considered having the toe amputated and keeping him as a pet, but with all the repeated injuries the pecking order within the flock had been altered, and too many fights were breaking out among almost all the birds, not just involving him. It was never calm and peaceful anymore. The flock was out of balance, and as much as I loved him, the daily life and social "health" of the flock is more important than any individual bird. So I culled him, and the flock returned to normal.

There's not likely to be a lot that you can do to change the angle of the toes without long-term splinting, which is really difficult in chicks. If they're not in positions that are likely to cause problems, there's no reason to try to change them.

 

[Sydney Acres]

Quote:
I agree. I seem to remember reading years ago that brown eggs have a white base with a brown deposit on the surface. When eggs go through the oviduct quickly, there's not enough time to "paint the egg." Twelve weeks would be really young, even for a Minorca, but anything can happen!!

 

[Sydney Acres]

A couple of posts from me today:
Bella is healing well
Sorry I didn't post this last night, I didn't go to the hens till late, so I was tired when I got home!

So glad Bella's doing well. Very close call!! Boy, that chick is growing.

 

[Johnn]

So glad Bella's doing well. Very close call!! Boy, that chick is growing.

Thanks and yeah, I know! Its started leveling up to Bella and Bella's mother now! It even give Bella's mother a peck!

 

[saltandpepper2]

Here's a family pic!