Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[bumpercarr]

Okay so my first egg is due to hatch today! Two more tomorrow, then the last on Sunday. Without an incubator, what shall i do if my broody gives up on the last egg?

Also I can't help but think.. How to the baby chicks breathe under momma? I am dying to know if they have piped.. I'm dying to peek! Lol

Read some of the other forums on here about homemade incubators. You can actually finish out a hatch with a heating pad, a light bulb.....there are a few different ideas out there. The way I look at it, if you don't have an incubator trying one of the other methods doesn't hurt anything if it doesn't work after momma has left the nest.

But, usually if she can hear or feel the last egg(s) moving around, she will stick it out for a little while longer. But if she leaves, you need to snatch them quick, especially if they've started to pip as they can dry out and chill very quickly once her body heat and moisture is removed. Wrap the egg in a warm, damp towel (don't smother it and not for long) and get it under some heat. By my estimation, she may leave right before these hatch.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

 

[vpatt]

Everything Rebrascora said is spot on.  He is trying his moves with the younger pullets first since they are smaller and not dominant like some of the other hens are.  He is more likely to be "successful" with them since they probably will not chase him off or peck at him.  As he increases in size, gains experience, and moves up the pecking order he'll soon be getting cozy with the older hens as well.  It took my little Roo until he was about 6 or 7 months to win the affections of the older girls.  He was always gentle with them though...a very nice roo.

I, too, love having the roosters around.  They take great care of  my flock.  My very nice rooster fought off a coyote a couple of  months ago.  Unfortunately, he got a leg infection and we had to put him down later.    The second rooster became aggressive after the first one left the coop.  We have to watch him all the time.  When we touch any of the hens he feels threatened and will come after us.  We currently have another younger rooster that is larger than the mean one.  Either he will take over the dominant role (soon I hope) or the mean one will have to go.

So sorry about your rooster.

 

[CandylandRanch]

This may sound like a silly question, but ... If the humidity is dry, that won't affect the hatch at all with broody hen?

 

[bumpercarr]

This may sound like a silly question, but ... If the humidity is dry, that won't affect the hatch at all with broody hen?

It can, but the broody gives off her own humidity and heat because she is brooding. Her hormones are running wild while she's sitting and for any of you that experience hot flashes, you know that regardless of the temperature and humidity outside, you are hot and sweating.

So, not a silly question, but if you reach under her, you can feel how hot and humid it is under there....it really is a miracle of nature!

 

[Lady of McCamley]

This may sound like a silly question, but ... If the humidity is dry, that won't affect the hatch at all with broody hen?

Only if you live in very, very dry areas...in Mexico, I believe, the farmers wet the sand underneath the hen to get better hatches. (I read that somewhere).

The only time, in our temperate climate, that I have affected the humidity is by inadvertently moving a hen off the nest during a crucial hatch point, and the chick became shrink wrapped (dried membrane). I also suspicion I may have affected one other hatch by sectioning off the coop such that the hen was enclosed tightly during the last day....it would have changed the amount of air circulation substantially. All said, not the hen's fault in either case but my tampering too much with either her or the environment at the last minute.

But bumpercarr is spot on in that the hen does all the work and keeps the humidity right where it ought to be.

Lady of McCamley

 

[rebrascora]

Here in the damp of Blighty, it used to be common practice I believe to cut a sod of turf and turn it over to make a broody's nest, thereby creating quite a moist environment I would imagine. I assume the soil would also act as a hinderance to mites and lice too. They would naturally be nesting on the ground, not in dry wooden boxes we provide with air flow underneath that are removed from the dampness of the earth and dew etc. It may be that we make life harder for our broodies by giving them conditions that we think are beneficial. My first broody pooped in her nest during the last couple of days of incubation and it did occur to me that perhaps that was her means of upping the humidity. All 14 eggs hatched and were healthy without any cleaning of the nest by me, as I was unaware until the chicks had started hatching. It was a disgusting mess but all 14 chicks came out clean. How amazing is that! Since then I have added a little moisture to the nest and I haven't had a nest soiled since. Most likely coincidence but it's food for thought.

 

[bumpercarr]

Here in New Mexico, our humidity is about 18% normally, we might occasionally get into the mid 40s for humidity in the middle of the summer. So, my summer broody hatches are usually pretty good, other times of the year....not so good, maybe 25%. But, I've learned to expect that. It is the main reason that I do my important hatching in an incubator. Even then, still have a hard time keeping up with the humidity. But I love watching broodies at work, so I give them eggs even though I know that most of them won't hatch most of the time.

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

Here in the damp of Blighty, it used to be common practice I believe to cut a sod of turf and turn it over to make a broody's nest, thereby creating quite a moist environment I would imagine. I assume the soil would also act as a hinderance to mites and lice too. They would naturally be nesting on the ground, not in dry wooden boxes we provide with air flow underneath that are removed from the dampness of the earth and dew etc. It may be that we make life harder for our broodies by giving them conditions that we think are beneficial. My first broody pooped in her nest during the last couple of days of incubation and it did occur to me that perhaps that was her means of upping the humidity. All 14 eggs hatched and were healthy without any cleaning of the nest by me, as I was unaware until the chicks had started hatching. It was a disgusting mess but all 14 chicks came out clean. How amazing is that!  Since then I have added a little moisture to the nest and I haven't had a nest soiled since. Most likely coincidence but it's food for thought.

Thanks for sharing! That's a very interesting insight. While they may seem dumb at first glance, they certainly have some strong instincts that we are completely aware of. I always think of birds migrating, or how butterflies migrate successfully, even though their parents are dead and no one showed them the way.

 

[StarMeKritten]

With her August chicks all grown up, my silkie/ cochin mix hen has decided that it is time to hatch some more eggs! She started sitting on 8 eggs yesterday. I'm pretty sure all the eggs are hers but have no idea who fertilized them. I'm looking forward to figuring that out if/ when they hatch.

 

[CandylandRanch]

Ho

With her August chicks all grown up, my silkie/ cochin mix hen has decided that it is time to hatch some more eggs! She started sitting on 8 eggs yesterday. I'm pretty sure all the eggs are hers but have no idea who fertilized them. I'm looking forward to figuring that out if/ when they hatch. e

How fun!