Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[oolyboolu]

Aww thanks! She's so well behaved too, never pecks nor minds when I've checked on her eggs

 

[lilstarshine7]

Chicks are doing great and have 2 great mommas....so far 13, not sure what is under the other mom.

 

[appps]

Very cute! Make sure you get rid of those shells though have seen mention of a hatching chick getting caught in one and not being able to hatch twice now in the last two days.

 

[mordred25]

Further to my post of a couple of weeks ago (23046), here is today's surprise;

Been a very busy month or so. A number of my hens have been disappearing into the bushes and sitting on eggs, and every time I end up with a better result. The most amazing one has just happened, as I found her a week or so ago but since she is a real pecker, I wasn't able to work out how many eggs she was sitting on.(she is a mixed Barnevelder cross with a New Hampshire and a few others along the way, slightly above average chicken size but not huge ) Now I know. 100% hatch rate which surprised me but 17 eggs?!! The other 3 hens and the incubator did well with 17 chicks between them, one of which has died due to failure to thrive, but now I have another 17! Be interesting to see how she goes. She was an old hen given to me occasionally laying an egg and because when she would go broody she wouldn't let the other hens in the nest boxes, but everytime she had eggs put under her she would abandon them. Guess she is making up for all the lost ones.

Adrian

 

[cwrite]

Further to my post of a couple of weeks ago (23046), here is today's surprise;

Been a very busy month or so. A number of my hens have been disappearing into the bushes and sitting on eggs, and every time I end up with a better result. The most amazing one has just happened, as I found her a week or so ago but since she is a real pecker, I wasn't able to work out how many eggs she was sitting on.(she is a mixed Barnevelder cross with a New Hampshire and a few others along the way, slightly above average chicken size but not huge ) Now I know. 100% hatch rate which surprised me but 17 eggs?!! The other 3 hens and the incubator did well with 17 chicks between them, one of which has died due to failure to thrive, but now I have another 17! Be interesting to see how she goes. She was an old hen given to me occasionally laying an egg and because when she would go broody she wouldn't let the other hens in the nest boxes, but everytime she had eggs put under her she would abandon them. Guess she is making up for all the lost ones.

Adrian

Wow Adrian! So great that she got to have some bubbies even if she had to do it her way. : )

 

[Peep-Chicken]

How long do you chicks stay with their mom? I have a 17 week old pullet, that if you separate from her mom, she has a panic attack. Her mom doesn't really care were her 'baby' is, although sometimes she will call her over for food.

 

[fisherlady]

How long do you chicks stay with their mom? I have a 17 week old pullet, that if you separate from her mom, she has a panic attack. Her mom doesn't really care were her 'baby' is, although sometimes she will call her over for food.

Our hens are usually done with the chicks between 4 -8 weeks, I have had a couple of hens who allow the chicks to hang around them longer, sometimes even acting 'motherly' to them on occasion, but many cut them off completely. Now the hens may be done with the chicks, but the chicks certainly would prefer to stay with the hen for much longer and I have seen 'teenage' chicks attempt to roost near their broody mama for many weeks after mama is done with them.

It doesn't surprise me that your pullet is still trying to hang with her mama, especially if she was a lone chick.... most chicks have a couple of 'hatch mates' which they hang with after mama kicks them loose, they tend to form their own 'mini-flock' through their teen age time until they begin laying eggs and really become a full fledged flock member. If she doesn't have a hatch mate, or maybe only a few hatch mates, she will try clinging much harder to her mama because no bird likes to be alone.

 

[oolyboolu]

Today is official hatch day and I'm stuck at work!!

Mamma hen didn't seem too bothered last night, nor did I notice any "lockdown" attitude or anything... Fingers crossed!!

 

[oolyboolu]

Chicks are doing great and have 2 great mommas....so far 13, not sure what is under the other mom.

Omg look at all those BABIES!!! So cute!

 

[ChickyChickens]

Omg look at all those BABIES!!! So cute!

Yess, sooo amny!!!!