Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[fisherlady]

Brand new to this. My children just got a flock of silkies in the hopes of having broody hens to incubate their faverolle eggs.

I've read about people ordering eggs for their broody hens but was wondering how long a hen will normally stay broody once she starts. If you give her some golf balls to sit on, would it be reasonable to expect to have a week to collect eggs to give her?

Absolutely. A hen will normally sit for quite a while over the normal 3 weeks. It is best to not make them wait for multiple weeks but a week to 10 days is easily done. Just make sure you provide quality food for her and watch she doesn't loose condition. If that happens then you will need to make sure you shorten future brooding times.

 

[losttexan]

Brand new to this. My children just got a flock of silkies in the hopes of having broody hens to incubate their faverolle eggs.

I've read about people ordering eggs for their broody hens but was wondering how long a hen will normally stay broody once she starts. If you give her some golf balls to sit on, would it be reasonable to expect to have a week to collect eggs to give her?

You bet. I always test my broodies (especially first-timers) to see if they are serious, or just playing with me before I trust eggs to them. I usually let them sit for a couple of days to see if they are just comfortable, or truly testing the broody waters, then I move them to my incubation/hatchery setup and see if that throws them off. If they remain committed, I'll give them eggs. One suggestion: if you are going through the time and expense of ordering eggs, I would have an incubator up and ready to go in case she walks off the nest and quits (which they sometimes do). Likewise, come hatching time, I would have a brooder setup (or at least plans set in my head), in case she is terrified of the chicks, neglects them, or goes homicidal. Having those two Plan Bs in the wings can save you a lot of heartache and stress (for you and the chicks).

 

[vpatt]

I am going to try giving my broody some eggs....maybe today if I can successfully move her to a better nest. I will be reading thru this thread for help.

 

[ochochicas]

I am going to try giving my broody some eggs....maybe today if I can successfully move her to a better nest. I will be reading thru this thread for help.

Move her before putting the eggs under her. Give her some fake eggs or golf balls to see if she will stay on the new nest. If she's good there for a day or two after you move her, then slip the fertile eggs in. This worked with my broody. I had to remind her a couple of times where her eggs were, but after about 4 days she figured it out. Her original nest was too high up and if the chicks hatched and jumped out they would surly have not made it.

 

[vpatt]

Move her before putting the eggs under her.  Give her some fake eggs or golf balls to see if she will stay on the new nest.  If she's good there for a day or two after you move her, then slip the fertile eggs in.  This worked with my broody.  I had to remind her a couple of times where her eggs were, but after about 4 days she figured it out.  Her original nest was too high up and if the chicks hatched and jumped out they would surly have not made it.  

Oh rats!! I already did it backwards. I stopped and got four eggs after church and came on home and rearranged evrrything and put the hen in already. As soon as I had finished I thought I might should have waited......but now it is done. I'll post an update later and see if she has settled on them or destroyed them. If she doesn't sit on them then I will try waiting til spring. I made a nest in a bucket and put the bucket in a dog crate. I put the eggs in the bucket nest. I put food and water in the crate....put her in and shut the door ....when I walked away she was halfway in the nest....that could be good or bad.
I can't believe I forgot to check my messages first!

 

[vpatt]

I waited a whole 20 minutes before checking and she is sitting on them!! Except one that was laying out of the nest....I put it in beside her and she hasn't tucked it under her feathers or popped it back out of the nest. Now my question....if she does stay on these eggs can I move the whole crate to another location? I am just thinking it might not be safe out there under the coop. I don't know if moving will cause her to come off the nest.....I just wonder if a coon or a fox can reach her through the crate. It is inside the pen which is not predator proof.

 

[K Epp]

Wait until after dark to move her. I wouldn't leave her in a unsafe place. Number the eggs so you can see if its the same one she keeps pushing out.

 

[vpatt]

Oh thanks I wouldn't have thought of numbering them. Only an hour til dark. I think I will put her on the porch .....if the eggs hatch I will decide how to fit them in with the other chickens. I have 3 weeks to figure it out.

 

[ochochicas]

Somewhere on here I posted a pic of my broody set up. Mine was in a dog crate and at night I locked them in and carried the whole lot into the big coop with the other chickens. I agree that a predator can reach inside the crate, and my chicks were small enough at the beginning that the could squeeze out the bars on the door. That is the beauty of the dog crate...you can move it where you want it. During the day mine were in a 10 x 10 horse stall with hay bale to climb on, perches, and their dog crate. The stall is NOT predator proof so I did not leave them out at night.




Since yours is locked in a crate, can't you put the crate inside the coop and leave them there until the eggs hatch? I wouldn't change her living arrangement too much until the eggs hatch since it may upset her and she'll leave the nest.

I waited a whole 20 minutes before checking and she is sitting on them!! Except one that was laying out of the nest....I put it in beside her and she hasn't tucked it under her feathers or popped it back out of the nest. Now my question....if she does stay on these eggs can I move the whole crate to another location? I am just thinking it might not be safe out there under the coop. I don't know if moving will cause her to come off the nest.....I just wonder if a coon or a fox can reach her through the crate. It is inside the pen which is not predator proof.

 

[vpatt]

My coop door is not large enough to fit the the crate thru. I wish it would! That would solve everything. But if the eggs hatch I may be able to get a smaller crate for nite time and put it in the coop. I could also use hardware cloth to enclose underneath the coop and make that critter proof. That may be the best bet. I have only had my chickens for a couple months and didn't expect any broodiness til warmer weather so I was unprepared. Inknow I didn't have to get eggs for her but I felt bad for her....