Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Sydney Acres]

Help!
Ihave a broody who has been sitting on eggs since July 2 nd.
I remove her from the nest twice a day, so she can run around, eat, drink, & dust bathe. (I have used this method & had 6 successful hatches.I do have food & water in their broody area, which they ignore.)

The other day when I was removing the broody she had an egg tucked in under her wing & it fell when I lifted her.

Yesterday when I removed her from the nest I noticed a smell...kinda yucky...no broody poop in the nest. I smelled each egg & couldnt detect the bad egg.

Last night I candled the eggs, one was not fertile & one looked dark & cloudy. I removed those two eggs.
I detected no cracks!

Now what do I do? Should I clean out the nesting material &replace with new?

Since she's tame and doesn't mind being handled, I would first be sure that the smell isn't coming from her. Some broodies can get a fecal mat with the feathers pasted over or below the vent. If you find lots of poop stuck to her feathers, try to remove as much of it as possible by hand, then coat it in corn starch to help dry it out. Then try to remove a little bit more each time you have her out. I would only bathe her as a last resort, and only spot bathe even then, since bathing could break her brood.

Once you've got her taken care of, if needed, then I'd see if the nest needs to be changed. If possible, try to only change the soiled/smelly area, as some hens get upset when their nest is altered too much. Be sure to smell each egg every time she's off the nest until you get the smell eliminated.

I also take my tame broody off the nest daily. After the first egg under the wing incident, I always gently lift each wing to release the eggs before lifting her.

 

[Sydney Acres]

Thank you.

She pooped, and then moved herself her chick and rolled her egg to the other side of the brooder. Lol She is pretty mellow so I could keep an eye on it, but I dont want to over handle it anymore than I have. Then again I dont want to miss something if it is alive and gets distressed. The rapid breathing type movement I saw yesterday followed by the lack of movement now, and that the blood vessels seem to have receded when I candled,without an internal pip, makes me think it didnt make it. She is determined to sit on it though. The spot is in second pic. This was this morning.

Wow, you got great pictures. I've not done enough candling to know what that is. You should probably post these pictures on a candling thread, as I'm sure someone with more experience could help you. I wouldn't take the egg out of the nest until you're 100% certain that it's dead, or until day 25 and you do a float test (see the hatching 101 article).

 

[bobbieschicks]

Came home from church and found this! Bunny my Maran was wandering around clucking with the chicks and the momma RIR. Eventually I caught her up, put her back on her eggs, and she settled back down. Hopefully she will last another two or three days. The shipped eggs should be here by Tuesday or Weds. I don't want to have to give all eight chicks to my silky.

Broody girls driving me crazy!

 

[kabhyper1]

Wow, you got great pictures. I've not done enough candling to know what that is. You should probably post these pictures on a candling thread, as I'm sure someone with more experience could help you. I wouldn't take the egg out of the nest until you're 100% certain that it's dead, or until day 25 and you do a float test (see the hatching 101 article).

I'm not sure which candling thread to post it on, there are a ton LOL! I turned it the right way for hatching, but I really think it's dead. It isn't moving at all. There is a lot of light passing through and I don't see the movement I saw yesterday. I'll leave it, but I will be super surprised if it hatches. Heres mom and baby this evening. And my silkie and her 3. They all hatched at the exact same time!

 

[Sydney Acres]

So tuesday is day 21 for my broodys eggs....what signs should I be looking out for? I check her regular as I found her with an egg bit pushed out behind her....not out the nest just not under her well and not as warm as the others. So im just keeping check shes got them tucked under well.

You may find that on days 18-21 she goes into "lockdown." She doesn't move, and is a little more annoyed with interruptions. At that point it's more important to keep food and water in front of her in the nest, within beak's reach, and in a shallow container that the chicks can't drown in, but wide enough to not spill into the nest easily. If she does get up, she may be more careful not to move the eggs around when she gets back on the nest. Not all hens do lockdown, but don't be concerned if she does.

You may hear the chicks cheeping either before, during, or after the eggs hatch. You may see her talking to her eggs quietly, as the babies can hear her now. As the eggs hatch, you may see her in a slight squatting position (as opposed to fully setting down), slightly hovering over the eggs but still keeping them warm, although this is fairly subtle and doesn't look a lot different than just regular setting. You may not see the chicks for 1-3 days, depending on how shy they are. They are very fragile and chill easily, even in hot weather, during this time. They tend to just cling to her fluff, or stay under her wing. They do not need to eat or drink for the first 3 days, although they can and often are quite hungry and thirsty, so chick-safe waterers and feeders that don't spill are important.

Congratulations on your upcoming hatch. Remember that 21 days is only average -- many chicks are hatched out and completely normal anytime between days 18 - 23, and sometimes even up to day 26.

 

[bobbieschicks]

Yeah! The Maran was still on her nest at lock down. The RIR momma was however under the coop with her babies tucked under. Had to shoo them out with the rake then grab the babies and walk them up the ramp inside. Momma started to attack me so I grabbed her up and tossed her in too. Then quickly scooped up baby two & finally baby three. So everyone is safely tucked away inside the coop.

 

[bobbieschicks]

I'm not sure which candling thread to post it on, there are a ton LOL! I turned it the right way for hatching, but I really think it's dead. It isn't moving at all. There is a lot of light passing through and I don't see the movement I saw yesterday. I'll leave it, but I will be super surprised if it hatches. Heres mom and baby this evening. And my silkie and her 3. They all hatched at the exact same time!

Awh!

 

[Sydney Acres]

I'm not sure which candling thread to post it on, there are a ton LOL! I turned it the right way for hatching, but I really think it's dead. It isn't moving at all. There is a lot of light passing through and I don't see the movement I saw yesterday. I'll leave it, but I will be super surprised if it hatches. Heres mom and baby this evening. And my silkie and her 3. They all hatched at the exact same time!

I have a beautiful 6 day old chick that I was 99% sure was dead after day 19, then hatched on day 22, two days after his 2 clutchmates. I candled and tapped and absolutely nothing. But he was just a very sound sleeper!!!

 

[kabhyper1]

I have a beautiful 6 day old chick that I was 99% sure was dead after day 19, then hatched on day 22, two days after his 2 clutchmates. I candled and tapped and absolutely nothing. But he was just a very sound sleeper!!!

I really hope that is what is happening. I have had chicks die the day before hatch, and I hate it when it happens. No explanation. I hope I haven't made things worse by quickly candling, but then again she rolled it 2 feet across her brooder, over the food dish and back under her today, so I think I would have done less damage than she has. The heartbeat/ breathing what ever it was, movement yesterday and the lack of veining today have me worried.

 

[OHfarmerswife]

Since she's tame and doesn't mind being handled, I would first be sure that the smell isn't coming from her.  Some broodies can get a fecal mat with the feathers pasted over or below the vent.  If you find lots of poop stuck to her feathers, try to remove as much of it as possible by hand, then  coat it in corn starch to help dry it out.  Then try to remove a little bit more each time you have her out.  I would only bathe her as a last resort, and only spot bathe even then, since bathing could break her brood.

Once you've got her taken care of, if needed, then I'd see if the nest needs to be changed.  If possible, try to only change the soiled/smelly area, as some hens get upset when their nest is altered too much.  Be sure to smell each egg every time she's off the nest until you get the smell eliminated.

I also take my tame broody off the nest daily.  After the first egg under the wing incident, I always gently lift each wing to release the eggs before lifting her. 

Thanks Sydney
I changed out the nesting material, it was all stiff & matted.
She dust bathed for quiteo some time on the dirt.
Iwill check her underneath on the morning.
I laid the eggs aside while I changed the nest, and they didn't smell. Maybe its just mom!