Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[AmericanMom]

Ahhhhh! I hope that all of the eggs have hatched/ are hatching! Update us tomorrow when you go and check up?

I'm just waiting for alittle light, Of course woke up this morning to the start of the rainy season here... Been bone dry for the last month or so and now its a stinking downpour!!

 

[AmericanMom]

I'm just waiting for alittle light, Of course woke up this morning to the start of the rainy season here... Been bone dry for the last month or so and now its a stinking downpour!!

Grabbed a flashlight so I could see into her nest better, as far as I can tell, 5-6 are out, one looks as if it just hatched and another has a good size pip, didn't want to disturb her to much, shut her back in for the day and will recheck this afternoon...

I put mostly EE eggs under her and the one got I was able to get a good look at is so pretty, Very light grey and brown... Hope its a pullet!!! So happy!!!!

I LOVE this life!

 

[fisherlady]

Grabbed a flashlight so I could see into her nest better, as far as I can tell, 5-6 are out, one looks as if it just hatched and another has a good size pip, didn't want to disturb her to much, shut her back in for the day and will recheck this afternoon...

I put mostly EE eggs under her and the one got I was able to get a good look at is so pretty, Very light grey and brown... Hope its a pullet!!! So happy!!!!

I LOVE this life!

Congrats!! It is so cool when you catch your first glimpse of those little black eyes staring back at you when you lift up mama... that just never gets old!

 

[AmericanMom]

Congrats!! It is so cool when you catch your first glimpse of those little black eyes staring back at you when you lift up mama... that just never gets old!

It never does that for sure... Let my family think I am crazy, for now I am living a lifelong dream but never seemed to have the time for.

 

[minamisfit]

It's day 21 and no signs of a pip on the 3 eggs that are under my broody hen. Started out with 7, candled up until about 4 days ago when she last got off the nest. The 3 seemed healthy, although I couldn't see in the brown eggs too well they had a very healthy looking airsack. I guess I'm just getting impatient! They are Ameraucana mixes, so EE's I'm guessing. One is a green egg and the rooster was an Ameraucana. (I got the eggs from a neighbor so not sure exactly what they are) If I don't have a chick by tonight how many more days should I wait? Will she knows when to get off the nest? First broody hatch. I hatched 2 batches of eggs in the spring with an incubator, they were all out by day 22.

 

[fisherlady]

It's day 21 and no signs of a pip on the 3 eggs that are under my broody hen. Started out with 7, candled up until about 4 days ago when she last got off the nest. The 3 seemed healthy, although I couldn't see in the brown eggs too well they had a very healthy looking airsack. I guess I'm just getting impatient! They are Ameraucana mixes, so EE's I'm guessing. One is a green egg and the rooster was an Ameraucana. (I got the eggs from a neighbor so not sure exactly what they are) If I don't have a chick by tonight how many more days should I wait? Will she knows when to get off the nest? First broody hatch. I hatched 2 batches of eggs in the spring with an incubator, they were all out by day 22.

Give her till at least day 23, if she was off of the nest longer than usual at some point (especially early on) that you weren't aware of it could have easily slowed hatch down by a day or two...

hoping it works out for you and her!

 

[AmericanMom]

Ok, here is my question... Broody as I said has some hatched, not sure on the hatch date and she is locked into her nest, should I keep her locked up for the day?? of course today is the first very rainy day we have had all summer, Fall is upon us and most of the chooks are in and out of the main coop (where she is) Other momma with week old chicks isn't leaving the coop and I am a bit concerned as the broody hatching chicks is top dog and is very aggressive to anything that comes close (cept me of course

) Her nest isn't all that big maybe 14" deep and 16" wide
Our coop is large enough to accommodate many of the flock but coop expansion of course got put on hold til next week due to the two broody's.... I could separate her into the chick run but that's where the first broody is keeping her chicks and we opened it to allow more room...

We had planned as I said to expand the coop this year and add a broody section with their own run but something happened along the way and before we knew it summer is almost over. This is the first time I have had two broody's together in the coop with the weather like this.

 

[fisherlady]

Ok, here is my question... Broody as I said has some hatched, not sure on the hatch date and she is locked into her nest, should I keep her locked up for the day?? of course today is the first very rainy day we have had all summer, Fall is upon us and most of the chooks are in and out of the main coop (where she is) Other momma with week old chicks isn't leaving the coop and I am a bit concerned as the broody hatching chicks is top dog and is very aggressive to anything that comes close (cept me of course

) Her nest isn't all that big maybe 14" deep and 16" wide
Our coop is large enough to accommodate many of the flock but coop expansion of course got put on hold til next week due to the two broody's.... I could separate her into the chick run but that's where the first broody is keeping her chicks and we opened it to allow more room...

We had planned as I said to expand the coop this year and add a broody section with their own run but something happened along the way and before we knew it summer is almost over. This is the first time I have had two broody's together in the coop with the weather like this.

If she doesn't seem stressed by being enclosed then I would leave her like she is for today, though later you may go out to recheck that last egg and if all of her little ones are out and dry it would be OK for her to be brought out and set in the coop for a few minutes to stretch and broody poo before you enclose her again. Broodies can be aggressive toward intruders, and unfortunately that may include older chicks that don't belong to her. Usually it is just a few nasty pecks and a harsh noise, but still no reason to chance it for today if mama seems content as she is. Her and the babies will be fine in the nest until tomorrow, which will allow you time to plan a way to deal with having 2 broodies. The other option (depending on where her box is) would be to take some 1/2" or smaller hardware cloth and create a small 'paddock' right in front of her nest box. It only needs to be about 18"x18" or so... you can place a piece of scrap 2x4 in front of the lip of her box (if needed) to allow the little ones a ramp so to speak. By creating the paddock you will gain an extra couple of days and it will ensure the little ones don't stray from mama in the box, and the others can't get in to her to bother them either.

 

[AmericanMom]

If she doesn't seem stressed by being enclosed then I would leave her like she is for today, though later you may go out to recheck that last egg and if all of her little ones are out and dry it would be OK for her to be brought out and set in the coop for a few minutes to stretch and broody poo before you enclose her again. Broodies can be aggressive toward intruders, and unfortunately that may include older chicks that don't belong to her. Usually it is just a few nasty pecks and a harsh noise, but still no reason to chance it for today if mama seems content as she is. Her and the babies will be fine in the nest until tomorrow, which will allow you time to plan a way to deal with having 2 broodies. The other option (depending on where her box is) would be to take some 1/2" or smaller hardware cloth and create a small 'paddock' right in front of her nest box. It only needs to be about 18"x18" or so... you can place a piece of scrap 2x4 in front of the lip of her box (if needed) to allow the little ones a ramp so to speak. By creating the paddock you will gain an extra couple of days and it will ensure the little ones don't stray from mama in the box, and the others can't get in to her to bother them either.

Ok... That's kinda what my thought was also.. I just went and checked and by what I can see there are 3-4 eggs left unhatched, didn't want to get to personal but it looked as if atleast one has piped.. Again, I am usually a hands off broody but the weather today has me concerned as many of the chickens are in the coop.. My plan was for sure to not recheck again until around 4pm, that's when I normally opened her coop up to allow her out (hens done laying by then) .. I stood out there in the rain for awhile trying to decide how I can better give these gals and guys some cover (they free range 1/3 acre, lots of trees and such) but not really a lot I can do without help from DH..I will go back out in a bit and work on putting something up to give her alittle more room for a few days.. I thought our nesting boxes were set up perfectly but now that I have had a few broodies this year I can see where it needs to be tweaked here and there.. For sure going to work on the expansion this weekend, the butchering of rabbits can wait another week.

If only she would have been ok being moved we wouldn't have this issue, third time broody this year but first time she put her foot down on a move

 

[fisherlady]

Time for some broody Peekaboo! Took a few pics recently...

Pidgy doesn't want to play!

Jeckle is keeping her youngsters close despite them being plenty old enough to be on their own, she has even adopted 2 from another broody who said 'enough is enough' at 6 weeks!... LOL


Janeway is a bit more cooperative, she had her 2 little ones up on the big bird shelf at 3 weeks

Hardrock is also up on the shelves, her and Janeway hatched on the same day, each with 2 chicks and they often share the chicks and it isn't unusual to see different chicks with different mamas at any given time. Seems to work for both hens and chicks, so we don't bother them

and 2 of our last 3 broodies who hatched last week.... enjoying a bit of warm sunshine with their chicks...
The hens are sharing 8 chicks between them. These chicks are growing up with a lot of 'aunts and uncles'!