Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Johnn]

Coco loves her little family. When her Mams missing she calls for her and runs and finds her and then when her sisters are away she sits and calls for them. She gets upset if they aren't all together! Here's her and her sisters. She's still doing so well after the rat trap business. (dont even ask about the bowl being so muddy)

Was trying to get a pic of coco running away from the primary hen but ended up getting one of the primary hen running away from cocos mam!

 

[rebrascora]

Johnn I love your stories and photos of your hens. So pleased Coco has recovered so well from her rat trap ordeal.

There's a burning question I've got to ask though. Having looked at some of your wonderful photos, it appears that you are up on the moors somewhere and today, you referred to your mother hen as "Mam" which is the term I would use, whereas almost everyone else uses Mom or Mamma or Mum, so I'm just wondering what part of the world you are from? It strikes me we might be near neighbours. Hope you don't mind me asking, but the views of the moors in your photos look really familiar. Of course it will be even more interesting if there is somewhere in the states that looks so much like it does here.

I'm very pleased to report Tasha's 2nd brood are hatching on schedule... today is day 21. There were 4 out and alive when I checked about 3pm, but I haven't disturbed her since. She's on 10 exchequer leghorn eggs, supplied by Margo and Matilda and fertilized by the sadly departed Horace!. I haven't candled them but I've checked them regularly when she has been off the nest and none of them smell bad, so I'm guessing/hoping that they will all be ok.
Frances' 8 chicks are all doing well still. I built a new little roost for them today, but she hasn't tried to get them up onto it yet and went back into the sideboard/brooder with them tonight. She will be getting turfed out tomorrow night though because Tasha will need it for her chicks, so she better start roosting with them tomorrow or be prepared to spend the night on the hen house floor.
I also built a new roost for Tasha's first brood, who are at the 11-12 weeks, teenager stage. I had to lift them up onto it and they were not at all happy about that, but things were getting ridiculously cramped on the other roost area and there were lots of squabbles and birds getting pushed off. There are plenty of lower roost bars but they all want to be on the top, so I built the new bars high in the hope that would keep them happy. Fingers crossed they will find their own way up tomorrow night and not have to be womanhandled! Oh, the indignity of it!

Hope everyone's chucks and chicks are doing well.

Best wishes to all

Barbara

 

[poodlechicks]

Just stopping by to check on the great stories and the cute pictures. No broodies for me at this time and I have found I nice home for the chicks, but I will keep coming here to say hello if you don't mind

 

[bumpercarr]

Just stopping by to check on the great stories and the cute pictures. No broodies for me at this time and I have found I nice home for the chicks, but I will keep coming here to say hello if you don't mind

Don't mind at all! You've been such a great support to me when disaster struck this year, not once but twice. I have broody Brahma that is on day 14 tomorrow (she's the one that we pulled off of a shared nest when I went to Texas and replaced my flock). So far, no broken eggs and being broody has really mellowed her, unlike my last silkie cross broody that became an evil witch as soon as she went broody. This one is very intent, but she doesn't attack anyone that comes near like the last one. She just calmly sits and ignores any distractions. My 10 weeks olds actually sleep on her back at night and she doesn't move a muscle. Anyway, we will see if we get any babes out of this in about a week. She put herself in a corner that is almost inaccessible by a human, so I've only been able to candle once at 7 days.

 

[poodlechicks]

What a sweetheart your broody is! Letting 10-week-olds sleep on her back.

Thank you for the kind words.

These are the chicks who went to live in a nice farm, at around 10 weeks. Summer the foster momma is that buff "blob" who photobombed the picture

These babies are staying with me. The BR/Cochin mix is the girl I assisted with the hatch. She was born with a defect on the left eye that rendered her blind. She looked so much like a rooster in the first few weeks that she was named Kristoff Sven (long story. Her buddy, the buff bantam (no idea of the breed) is always by her side. I thought he was a girl, so he was named Linda. They were raised in the house with me until around 9 weeks. I have learned a lot about telling girls and boys apart since they hatched

 

[bumpercarr]

What a sweetheart your broody is! Letting 10-week-olds sleep on her back.

Thank you for the kind words.

These are the chicks who went to live in a nice farm, at around 10 weeks. Summer the foster momma is that buff "blob" who photobombed the picture

These babies are staying with me. The BR/Cochin mix is the girl I assisted with the hatch. She was born with a defect on the left eye that rendered her blind. She looked so much like a rooster in the first few weeks that she was named Kristoff Sven (long story. Her buddy, the buff bantam (no idea of the breed) is always by her side. I thought he was a girl, so he was named Linda. They were raised in the house with me until around 9 weeks. I have learned a lot about telling girls and boys apart since they hatched

I've noticed that those that are raised together usually want to stick together and seems that he may be her seeing eye chicken! I'd say he has some Cochin in him, since he has the feathered feet. At least, I'm assuming that your only feather footed are cochins. Could also be a few other feather footed breeds.....

 

[fisherlady]

Just stopping by to check on the great stories and the cute pictures. No broodies for me at this time and I have found I nice home for the chicks, but I will keep coming here to say hello if you don't mind

It is great to see folks stopping back in... broodies not required!

We have 3 broodies due to hatch Thursday or Friday, and another hen waiting for eggs, which we should be able to give her tomorrow. We have had 25 or 26 broodies this year... honestly would have to set down with our 'chicken calendar' to get an accurate count. Ours hatch in the coop with the flock, get a couple of days of 'special treatment' if they want it, then they are free to mix and mingle. Right now I can't even keep half of the hens and chicks straight as to who belongs to who, since the hens tend to share their chicks and chick raising duties and often they are all in groups. Even at night it isn't unusual to find Janeway (a top broody) with her chicks and others in a nest while the other broody goes up to the roost for the night.... in the morning the 2nd hen comes down, gathers up her own chicks and heads out for the day?.?... my DH and I are constantly amazed and amused by the strange antics of the flock.

 

[poodlechicks]

I've noticed that those that are raised together usually want to stick together and seems that he may be her seeing eye chicken! I'd say he has some Cochin in him, since he has the feathered feet. At least, I'm assuming that your only feather footed are cochins. Could also be a few other feather footed breeds.....

When K Sven hatched I didn't place her w/ Summer and chicks because of her eye. I thought she needed a bit of TLC for a few days. The next day, a friend of mine gave me "Linda", who was 2 days old at the time. My friend has a menagerie of chickens, including some bantams with feathered feet that I have no idea what they are. She also has polish, araucanas, ameraucanas and silkies. She also had no idea what kind of mix this chick was. I am assuming this little roo is a bantam, judging from his size compared to the others at the same age. He positions himself right by KS blind side. It is very moving to watch.

 

[bumpercarr]

When K Sven hatched I didn't place her w/ Summer and chicks because of her eye. I thought she needed a bit of TLC for a few days. The next day, a friend of mine gave me "Linda", who was 2 days old at the time. My friend has a menagerie of chickens, including some bantams with feathered feet that I have no idea what they are. She also has polish, araucanas, ameraucanas and silkies. She also had no idea what kind of mix this chick was. I am assuming this little roo is a bantam, judging from his size compared to the others at the same age. He positions himself right by KS blind side. It is very moving to watch.

Probably silkie mix then, the cockerels and cock birds that are silkies are amazing caregivers. Many folks with silkie cocks say that they will raise a brood for them.

 

[fisherlady]

When K Sven hatched I didn't place her w/ Summer and chicks because of her eye. I thought she needed a bit of TLC for a few days. The next day, a friend of mine gave me "Linda", who was 2 days old at the time. My friend has a menagerie of chickens, including some bantams with feathered feet that I have no idea what they are. She also has polish, araucanas, ameraucanas and silkies. She also had no idea what kind of mix this chick was. I am assuming this little roo is a bantam, judging from his size compared to the others at the same age. He positions himself right by KS blind side. It is very moving to watch.

I'm glad you found her such a good companion! It is great that he is so good with her... some roosters just can melt your heart when you see them taking care of 'their girls'!