Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[bobbieschicks]

LOL  What a crazy ordeal!!!! So this is what we who are  waiting the hatch have to look forward to ...eh?

I know! I guess I could just leave her alone and say what happens happens. But after waiting 21 days I'd hate to see something happen to the chicks if I could help avoid it. Thankfully they figure the ramp out pretty quick and these are big chicks so they won't have any problems getting up inside the coop. Not like some silky chicks I've had in the past that were so tiny I had to make a special tiered step system for them.

 

[calichicken]

I know! I guess I could just leave her alone and say what happens happens. But after waiting 21 days I'd hate to see something happen to the chicks if I could help avoid it. Thankfully they figure the ramp out pretty quick and these are big chicks so they won't have any problems getting up inside the coop. Not like some silky chicks I've had in the past that were so tiny I had to make a special tiered step system for them.

I would have done the same thing...LOL! After the wait, don't want to chance anything happening!!!

 

[bobbieschicks]

I am so glad I am not the only one.  My hens (Buff Orpingtons) go crazy when they go broody.  I have one with a new chick I am constantly lifting over a fence or something with her pecking me all the while.  You would think she has never seen me before.  She is normally a nice chicken.  The chick is over a week old now, I keep wondering when she is going to snap out of it.

This RIR momma seemed so docile and she was hardly fighting with anyone else. So I figured I was safe reaching down for the chick. Suddenly she puffed herself into a basketball and flung her beak into my hand. It didn't hurt, but I was certainly surprised.

 

[poodlechicks]

That was a lot of fun, not. Just spent 30 minutes chasing three tiny chicks around while getting attacked by their mom. She keeps putting them under the coop at night and it's definitely not secure. She had tried to lure them up the ramps, but they couldn't figure it out yet. So once the auto door closed I picked up mom and tossed her into the coop and closed the door. She was frantic calling the chicks, they were frantic peeping. The chase began and one by one I caught them up and tossed them inside. Of course all of this is while there is a thunderstorm around me with thankfully small drops of rain falling. But I knew the monsoon rain would start soon so I was trying to get them in before that happened and of course now it's pitch black outside.

This is the reason people make cute little coop areas for the mommas and chicks.

In another week they will be big enough to fly up into the coop or figure out the ramp - then I'll be a lot happier.

Sorry, but I had to laugh

You poor thing!

 

[bobbieschicks]

I would have done the same thing...LOL! After the wait, don't want to chance anything happening!!!

Of course the worst of it hasn't happened yet. We are supposed to get some polar thing happening Tuesday evening that will drop temps by 20 degrees along with more thunderstorms. And I'm getting 8 shipped day olds either tomorrow or Weds, so I'll be chasing 11 chicks with 3 broodies clucking and shrieking. Should be rather interesting. Cold, rain, and chicks scurrying around like mice.

 

[calichicken]

Of course the worst of it hasn't happened yet. We are supposed to get some polar thing happening Tuesday evening that will drop temps by 20 degrees along with more thunderstorms. And I'm getting 8 shipped day olds either tomorrow or Weds, so I'll be chasing 11 chicks with 3 broodies clucking and shrieking. Should be rather interesting. Cold, rain, and chicks scurrying around like mice.

Oh Geeze....what a sight! I am in Southern Calif and we have NO WEATHER here but hot!

 

[poodlechicks]

Summer's chicks are 4 weeks old now. And another one of my BOs is broody

Last week, one of the chicks got lost and was trying to find Summer and the others, so I picked it up to put her next to her momma and chicks. This chick was screaming so loud you'd think I was trying to kill it. The broody (her name is Haru) puffed up and started pecking my legs. I thought she wanted to protect the chick, so I put the chick next to her. Haru proceeded to peck the chick furiously. Crazy broody! She must have thought I was beating the chick up and wanted in on the action

Here they are: The all black one ( turning chocolate ) looks like a cochin( no barring)
One of the barred is a cochin x barred rock mix (feathered legs), and the other 2 are barred rocks (no feathered legs). One of the barred I'm sure is a rooster.

 

[bobbieschicks]

Summer's chicks are 4 weeks old now. And another one of my BOs is broody Last week, one of the chicks got lost and was trying to find Summer and the others, so I picked it up to put her next to her momma and chicks. This chick was screaming so loud you'd think I was trying to kill it. The broody (her name is Haru) puffed up and started pecking my legs. I thought she wanted to protect the chick, so I put the chick next to her. Haru proceeded to peck the chick furiously. Crazy broody! She must have thought I was beating the chick up and wanted in on the action Here they are: The all black one ( turning chocolate ) looks like a cochin( no barring) One of the barred is a cochin x barred rock mix (feathered legs), and the other 2 are barred rocks (no feathered legs). One of the barred I'm sure is a rooster.

Awh, so cute. Oh my! She was so upset she didn't know who to take it out on!

 

[mylittlehippie]

It all depends on the hen, and what she's used to. Theoretically, you should either do it when she's off the nest, or you should do it at night. But a hen that is tame and picked up off the nest every day probably won't think anything of you reaching under her anytime.

There are a few things that I would recommend, regardless of her temperament. First, evaluate the eggs carefully. (Always wash your hands thoroughly before handling hatching eggs, and be sure that your hands are entirely dry before touching the egg. Any moisture on your hands can compromise the bloom, which is the shell sealant that keeps the egg from getting infected from surface bacteria. Do not wash hatching eggs. If they're so dirty that they need washing, don't use them. Mildly dirty eggs are fine if the bloom isn't compromised.) Since these are shipped eggs, some may not arrive in good enough condition to use, and should not take up nest space. Read about shipped eggs here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-eggs-101. Be sure to candle them to evaluate the air cell, and let them sit quietly for a day at 50-60 degrees before starting the incubation. If she is a first time broody, do not give her more than 6-8 eggs (or possibly less if the eggs are large and she is small). Assign each egg a number or letter. Draw a line around the equator of each egg that is used, and write that egg's number or letter repeatedly along that line. You may never need to identify any specific egg, but there are many unexpected circumstances where you do, and it's nice to have it set up ahead of time, where it can be seen when the egg is in any position.

Be sure that the nest has adequate padding for real eggs, and that the padding doesn't slip out of place as the hen shifts around on the eggs. If eggs get too close to the floor of the nest they can be cracked under the broody's weight. There are many, many different options. I have started using 2 inches of aspen shavings, topped by 2 inches of very high quality timothy hay (American Pet brand is soft, non-stemmy, clumps around any messes, and smells fantastic), which can be found in the rabbit food department of large pet stores like Petco. If you need to make any nest modifications, do it before you put in the new eggs, just to be sure that she accepts the upgraded nest.

If you take her off the nest to switch out the eggs, do not do it in front of her. Some broodies, even tame ones, will become frantic if they see their eggs being moved around. If they're standing up and they try to intervene, they could end up breaking eggs.

Before I put stored eggs, which are 50-60 degrees, in an incubator or under a hen, I like to slowly warm them up a bit. I can do this by either moving them to increasingly warmer rooms over a few hours, or by putting them in a dresser drawer with a heating pad (not on a heating pad, but with one inside the drawer to heat up the air inside). After they reach 80-85 degrees, then I put them in the incubator or under the hen. Rapidly heating cool eggs can cause condensation on the surface, which can affect the bloom.

Have a separate container to put the dummy eggs in so you don't end up mixing them with the hatching eggs. No need to risk breakage or have anything slow you down. Take out all the dummy eggs before adding any of the hatching eggs so there is no mixup or fumbling. This is especially important if you do it by reaching under the hen while she's sitting on the nest. If you do it at night, be sure that your flashlight doesn't shine in the hen's eyes, and that it can't fall out of your hand or pocket and break eggs (voice of experience here -- just missed them by an inch!). If she's on the nest while you do this, you don't have to put a hatching egg back in the exact same place where you found a dummy egg. Just gently place the eggs, one at a time, under her wings or right in front of her chest and she will wiggle them in to their ideal position. Just don't put all the eggs in one place.

How much you can check on a broody while she's nesting before she gets annoyed depends on the broody, and your relationship with her. My broodies are very tame, and were totally fine with me hanging out with them or taking them off the nest to eat, etc. But some broodies do not tolerate interference at all, and most are somewhere between the two extremes. If she's not tame, don't bother her any more than is absolutely necessary to provide food, water, remove any broody poo from the nest (which rarely happens, but needs to be removed ASAP if it does occur), etc. Brooding is not the time to try to tame an anxious hen!! On the other hand, if she is already tame and enjoys your company, she may be fine with you checking on her, or she may be in hormonal hell and not want you around at all. If she seems upset, don't push it.

Thank you so much. That was so helpful and informative!!

 

[bumpercarr]

That was a lot of fun, not. Just spent 30 minutes chasing three tiny chicks around while getting attacked by their mom. She keeps putting them under the coop at night and it's definitely not secure. She had tried to lure them up the ramps, but they couldn't figure it out yet. So once the auto door closed I picked up mom and tossed her into the coop and closed the door. She was frantic calling the chicks, they were frantic peeping. The chase began and one by one I caught them up and tossed them inside. Of course all of this is while there is a thunderstorm around me with thankfully small drops of rain falling. But I knew the monsoon rain would start soon so I was trying to get them in before that happened and of course now it's pitch black outside.

This is the reason people make cute little coop areas for the mommas and chicks.

In another week they will be big enough to fly up into the coop or figure out the ramp - then I'll be a lot happier.

I don't have a broody, but my life has been basically the same for the past 4 weeks. I keep hatching chicks out every three weeks, and every three weeks put them in with the flock. Every night it is the same story, chase the chicks around trying to get them into the coop (and they are big enough to get up the ramp, just don't want to). Real shocker tonight, I went out and everyone was in bed before the auto door closed. Whew! Now, only one more batch to put out in another week and then I'm done until.......December? Really wish I still had a broody, it would be so much easier.