Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[little]

i put the water in the brooding box. gonna leave her be now.

 

[little]

bumpercarr. i set all the eggs at the same time,so i can expect them to hatch at the same time,yes?

 

[NotTheMomma]

Don't give up on broody hens! Or eggs that have been in the fridge!
This year, I had no roosters. Some died from I guess old age, and my main rooster died defending his hens from a hawk. But this beautiful Light Brahma wanted to be a Momma!!! After trying unsuccessfully for two weeks to break her setting, I bought a dozen of mixed barnyard eggs. Seriously, the lady had at least 50 hens of all breeds, and probably 12 or so roosters that I saw running around. She sells eggs, I needed eggs. So, I put the eggs under my hen, and she was quite content with that arrangement.
I did check them at 2weeks in, and thought the chicks looked awfully small, but all eggs were fertile. I discarded two fo the eggs due to the way the eggs looked, and didn't want a chick to have trouble hatching. So she got 10 eggs. Day 21 came and went with no chicks. I was so disappointed as I knew they were fertile and that the hen was sitting. I decided to open an egg to see what the heck had happened. To my surprise, the chick was still alive,though not ready to hatch. So I left the other eggs under her. On Day 28, I went out to check, no chicks that morning. But that evening when I went to lock them up, all eggs had hatched, and all chicks have feathered legs, just like my hen!

The chicks are now around 5 weeks old, two are light brahma in coloring, and two look like dark brahmas, the others, I'm not sure. But the weird thing, they hatched in pairs. Before I knew the chicks had hatched, one had gotten away from the Mom, and one of other chickens basically scalped it. I put it down because at under a few hours old, and that much damage, I just wasn't sure it could survive. However, the remaining chicks. 7 at this point, there's 3 different pairs that look identical to each other and then the lone one that looks like no one else, except feathered legs and toes!!
Nature is just amazing!!! Eggs that shouldn't have hatched. And all the chicks looking like brahmas when the eggs came from all breeds of chickens, and no of them were separated. Just most free ranging, with a huge barn to come into to lay, and some that stayed near the barn on their own. But it was so many breeds!! Wonder what the odds were?

 

[little]

isn't god amazing!

 

[bumpercarr]

bumpercarr. i set all the eggs at the same time,so i can expect them to hatch at the same time,yes?

Maybe, remember, she moves them around quite a bit while she's sitting on them. If an egg cools, it can delay the hatch.

 

[DelaneyFarm]

Well, we're down to 10 eggs. I went to give her more water and found a broken, stinky egg, which I threw away, and then realized there was a dead chick at the edge of the nest, and an empty egg. Then another egg on the edge of the nest, which was cold and when I broke it open, the chick was dead and there was a lot of blood. I'm really hoping that the remaining ten eggs may net us a chick or two. It will be awfully disappointing if nothing comes of the whole affair, even though it was accidental to begin with. I think I may have to get an incubator, and hatch a few on my own, to add to our flock, rather than waiting on a hen, who, I suspect, may have either stepped on the chick, or pecked it after it got out? Or stepped on the egg, breaking it, and then the chick was just dead? Not ready? I'm very confused but I'm just going to wait and see if anything happens. No point in disturbing her further, I suppose they'll either hatch or not. Or is there something I could do at this point? Could I babysit them with warm rice socks and damp towels to see if they'll hatch on their own, then slip them back under mom? Or is that a bad idea...? Advice sought

 

[ooltewah]

Help! I've messed up. My lovely babies free range and thus pick their broody place. Usually it's a safe place. Big red is under my steps and her first baby hatched today. I'm so worried something is going to get the babies at night. If I move her to porch in a crate do you think she will turn on them!!!! There is more to be hatched

 

[bumpercarr]

Help! I've messed up. My lovely babies free range and thus pick their broody place. Usually it's a safe place. Big red is under my steps and her first baby hatched today. I'm so worried something is going to get the babies at night. If I move her to porch in a crate do you think she will turn on them!!!! There is more to be hatched

I would try to put some sort of fence around them to protect them at night. She must feel safe there, or she wouldn't have nested there. I read an article the other day that talked about the vitality of chickens and how the best ones are the survivors. If you aren't able to fence her in with a temporary fence, she might be just fine. After all, she's managed to sit on those eggs for 21 days without anything getting to them. Believe me, there are a lot more predators for eggs than there are for chicks. Skunks, raccoon, weasels, snakes, rats, other birds....you name it and they love to eat eggs. Since she is under the steps, they are safe from predators in the sky (owls, hawks). So, I'd fence and wait until everyone is hatched (she probably won't be moving a muscle for a few days) and then when she is ready to leave the nest make sure she has somewhere safer to sleep with the babies. Just my thoughts.

 

[TheChips]

I havent posted in here in a while!

I just wanted to stop by and say thanks to those who helped me with my hen while she was sitting on her two eggs! She only had 2 and both hatched on the 25th day.

I do believe they are over a week old, healthy and i cant wait to see what sex they are. Crossing my fingers 2 hens

 

[little]

bumpercarr you are so smart. thanks for sharing your knowledge. i've learned so much in the last month.i didn't even know how to get the eggs under her in the first place.wow.now i have babies.i saw 2 last nite. i'll check her again pretty soon.i have the whole day off to enjoy. again thank you.