Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[bumpercarr]

Here's a family pic!

I just looked at your avatar. Too funny!

 

[Chickenny]

Hi I have been trying to read through the thread to find someone in my similar situation so I don't post the same thing twice. But haven't found anything quite the same. So here's my situation I have 4 broody hens sharing 6 eggs, and we are on day 21. They do steal each others eggs once and a while since 2 of the hens decided they wanted their eggs on the floor. As of right now 3 hens have a couple eggs each and one doesn't have any and doesn't really seem broody but won't leave the coop. It's as if she's just waiting for someone to get up do she an steal the nest. I'm thinking it's too late to move them. And just let nature take its course. But my question is can I check them to see if any have piped? Or should I just let them be. I'm do excited I want to look but I'm afraid with the 4 chickens moving around they might break an egg in the shuffle.

 

[bumpercarr]

Hi I have been trying to read through the thread to find someone in my similar situation so I don't post the same thing twice. But haven't found anything quite the same. So here's my situation I have 4 broody hens sharing 6 eggs, and we are on day 21. They do steal each others eggs once and a while since 2 of the hens decided they wanted their eggs on the floor. As of right now 3 hens have a couple eggs each and one doesn't have any and doesn't really seem broody but won't leave the coop. It's as if she's just waiting for someone to get up do she an steal the nest. I'm thinking it's too late to move them. And just let nature take its course. But my question is can I check them to see if any have piped? Or should I just let them be. I'm do excited I want to look but I'm afraid with the 4 chickens moving around they might break an egg in the shuffle.

Day 21 - leave them alone. Once they start to zip they will start chirping and you will be able to hear them. Some will chirp after they pip, but almost all chirp when they are zipping and hatching.

 

[TheGeekySheep]

Well I swapped out my broody's infertile eggs for 10 hatching eggs last night and she settled on them immediately.

But this morning I went to check on her and found that one of her sisters (who shall henceforth be known as Houdini) had broken into the cage I made for her and squeezed into the box, breaking 4 eggs in the process. >:|

I beefed up the security, and hopefully I won't have a repeat...

 

[saltandpepper2]

I just looked at your avatar. Too funny!

lol, yeah, I love everything Tolkien!

 

[sssharon]

It sounds to me like it's easier to use a hovabator. I know some people won't like that comment and I've never hatched with anything but but I have had good look I think. Sounds like a lot of work with a broody and it is work either way. You don't have to worry about anyone getting broken though.

 

[TheGeekySheep]

It sounds to me like it's easier to use a hovabator. I know some people won't like that comment and I've never hatched with anything but but I have had good look I think. Sounds like a lot of work with a broody and it is work either way. You don't have to worry about anyone getting broken though.

Incubating is certainly more controlled, and if this doesn't work out my next attempt will be with an incubator.

The reason I wanted to try with a broody first was spending less time maintaining temp and humidity and being able to integrate the chicks with the flock sooner with mama to protect them.

If my broody would settle anywhere but the nest box it would have been easy, but she won't so I had to build around her.

 

[bumpercarr]

It sounds to me like it's easier to use a hovabator. I know some people won't like that comment and I've never hatched with anything but but I have had good look I think. Sounds like a lot of work with a broody and it is work either way. You don't have to worry about anyone getting broken though.

I wouldn't say one way is easier than the other. For the eggs that I really want to control, the bator is easier for me to keep an eye on, but more work after the hatch. For your normal just building a flock type eggs, the broody is easier since she raises them for you. So, for my money there is an advantage to each and a downside to each.

I don't work too much on my broodies. They brood where they want and I pretty much just check on them every day and wait for the hatch. On the other hand, you can obsess over the eggs and obsess over the broody and then it will be as much or more work than a bator.

 

[Sydney Acres]

Hi I have been trying to read through the thread to find someone in my similar situation so I don't post the same thing twice. But haven't found anything quite the same. So here's my situation I have 4 broody hens sharing 6 eggs, and we are on day 21. They do steal each others eggs once and a while since 2 of the hens decided they wanted their eggs on the floor. As of right now 3 hens have a couple eggs each and one doesn't have any and doesn't really seem broody but won't leave the coop. It's as if she's just waiting for someone to get up do she an steal the nest. I'm thinking it's too late to move them. And just let nature take its course. But my question is can I check them to see if any have piped? Or should I just let them be. I'm do excited I want to look but I'm afraid with the 4 chickens moving around they might break an egg in the shuffle.

Are all 6 eggs 21 days into incubation, or are some a few days older or younger? You may have a staggered hatch if the eggs aren't all on the same schedule. You'll really need to watch what happens, and intervene only if there's a chick in danger of being trampled. Communal nests can work out wonderfully, or they can be disasters, depending on the hens involved. If everyone cooperates and co-broods, then a staggered hatch will be no problem because some hens will work with the chicks that hatch, and other hens will continue to brood the eggs that haven't yet hatched. This happens more frequently in heritage turkeys than in chickens (although it's not necessarily the norm). The turkey hens set up a communal matriarchal family, kick the toms out of the group (it can be fairly comical to watch, except to the toms), share incubation and poult raising duties, and the babies run back and forth from one mama to the next, perfectly happy. When it works!! When it doesn't work, hens constantly steal eggs from each other, they fight over eggs or poults, and break eggs or trample poults in the process. The hatch rate is terrible, and the poults that hatch are often killed or injured. The babies that survive are often high strung or aggressive, probably from the constant exposure to stress during critical developmental periods. So communal nests can go either way, and are a bit of a risk. But day 21 is too late to start separating broodies and organizing eggs according to incubation date. At this stage you're more likely to kill a fully developed chick by handling the eggs than you are to gain any benefit from interfering. So I would just observe as often as possible, and only interfere if disaster is eminent.

As a precaution, I would set up several separate broody apartments, in case some of the hens need to be separated. If you have an incubator, it might also be a good idea to get it up and running, in case it becomes unsafe to leave the eggs with the broodies until you get the broody apartments ready, or in case a chick is injured and needs to be brought inside (the incubator can act as a brooder, and may do better than a heat lamp for an injured chick), or in case there is the need for an assisted hatch.

"Hope for the best, plan for the worst."

 

[TheChips]

Waiting is the hard part. I'm kicking myself for not writing down on the calendar when she started sitting on her eggs. I assume 28th of may. So around Wednesday ??