Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

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ochochicas said:
My australorp left her brood when they were 5 weeks old and laid an egg the next day.  I'd bet she won't be taking care of them for much longer.
She is a Black Copper Marans.  The babies in front are out of a Speckled Sussex hen.  I had two roosters, so I'm not sure who the daddy is.  The chicks are probably 1/4 CCL.  I had some CCL eggs under the broody but they all died.  Something is wrong with the eggs/breed.  :(  I do love the 7 babies I have though, plus I have 13 more in the house that hatched in November.  My hatching addiction has begun!  
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My hen left them alone all day today but she is on the floor of the coop with them under her wings now instead of roosting. I will say that I kinda felt bad for mama(that's what I named her) because they wouldn't follow her very far away from the coop while she was brooding them. I kinda felt like they were holding her hostage:confused:! I think she would have brooded them longer if they would follow her around, which I think is normal chicken behavior. I'm not sure how I feel about these CCLs.

Oh, and I know what you mean about the hatching addiction. Now that I've successfully done it, I can't wait for my hen to go broody again!
 
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vpatt said:
What is a CCL? Is there a page where I can learn what abbreveations stand for? I have searched but can't find it. Thnx
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CCL = Crested Cream Legbar (usually)

There are several abbreviation lists, but I haven't found a comprehensive one yet (doesn't mean it doesn't exist)....it would be helpful to have one.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/397944/list-of-breed-abbreviations

Lady of McCamley (LofMc...sorry couldn't resist)
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So I brought my broody inside my house about a week before the hatch was due because she was getting on the wrong nest and others were laying new eggs on her, also the nest she was in was elevated off the ground and I didn't want the baby's to fall..

Also, I was afraid after reading stories that the other hens and my rooster (also have two pekin and Muscovy duck hens) that they wouldn't accept the babies, maybe eat them?
Heck... This was my first hatch so I didn't know what was best..

So the babies were born yesterday, and for now all are happy in my extra bathroom.. But they are going to need room very soon.. So...

What to do?

1. I could make mom and babies a make shift home in my pole barn (where I had brooded my flock when they were babies) until she quits them and then reintroduce her and babies with "playpen method". I would put brooder lamp low for extra heat.. But they wouldn't have access to outdoors..

2. I could put them all in the coop with everyone else (large 12x12 or so) which is already being heated (maintains above freezing, were in Michigan here, burr). But how will the flock react? Will the babies endure the cold? We leave the door to the run open all day.. It has a less than A foot elevated ramp to outdoors.. What if they got stuck outside?

Obviously I'm a little unsure about what is best.. Agh, help!
 
Hi all, i have a small flock, 3 boys, one from last year, and two from my first brood,3 yrs ago, and 5 girls, one larger rescued aracuna making green eggs, and a couple of daughters, mixed with my bantam boys, plus one 3 yr.old white bantam hen and a grown mixed hen from this year.
My question about whether or not to let her sit now, since I'm in NH,and its getting cold, has kindof been answered. We had a week of VERY cold, and i have a heat lamp in their small coop to keep water warm and since i put it on a few weeks ago they began laying after a late fall molt. The only hen to exhibit brooding and actually raise the one chick this year is the one sitting. There were two very small eggs i have let her keep but she is very upset when i check for others and take them. Its been a couple weeks, and i expect it to get colder soon. It sounds like it should be ok for her to hatch two, if they will hatch,that is...
I turned the light off tonight, going down to mid 20's, and hope they will be ok in the morning. I have been reading about more fresh air and allowing them to be unheated.
They free range together, the two boys keep the girls safe, and the younger rooster takes care of any strays, and keeps my sitter company. It is a lovely group, and i pray the new one or two will be hens.

I also have a house chicken rescued two years ago on her second day alive, when she was pecked and thrown out to die. She does not go with the bunch, but follows me everywhere.
She has never laid an egg yet, but her sisters have. She is agressive with the other girls, and i even saw her flare up and go toe to toe with my largest black rooster! Funny stuff, sometimes she gets in a mood and doesn't want to be petted, but mostly is so sweet.

If they are raised together it works, there were scuffles, occasional bloodletting from the two lower roosters jockeying for status..but rarely after thefirst time..

Love the help and info I've gotten, oh, and i feed sunflower hearts, cracked corn, safflower, millet, and put diatomaceous earth on their seeds, adding a suet cake in the coop for whenever..they seem to do well, but i will try getting wheat seeds too, oh, i throw a few oats in the mix but they don't like them. I do sprout the whole oats in an inch or so of organic potting soil for the good grass it provides in a couple of days. My 20 parakeets REALLY like the grass!! My inside chicken and the cat eat it too! Really cheap, a giant bag of oats I've had for a couple of years but still works for me! The cat grass in the stores is usually oat grass, but it's 2 or 3 bucks, and the big bag of oats was 13$ or so!
 
rapjurr said:
Hi all, i have a small flock, 3 boys, one from last year, and two from my first brood,3 yrs ago, and 5 girls, one larger rescued aracuna making green eggs, and a couple of daughters, mixed with my bantam boys, plus one 3 yr.old white bantam hen and a grown mixed hen from this year.
My question about whether or not to let her sit now, since I'm in NH,and its getting cold, has kindof been answered. We had a week of VERY cold, and i have a heat lamp in their small coop to keep water warm and since i put it on a few weeks ago they began laying after a late fall molt. The only hen to exhibit brooding and actually raise the one chick this year is the one sitting. There were two very small eggs i have let her keep but she is very upset when i check for others and take them. Its been a couple weeks, and i expect it to get colder soon. It sounds like it should be ok for her to hatch two, if they will hatch,that is...
I turned the light off tonight, going down to mid 20's, and hope they will be ok in the morning. I have been reading about more fresh air and allowing them to be unheated.
They free range together, the two boys keep the girls safe, and the younger rooster takes care of any strays, and keeps my sitter company. It is a lovely group, and i pray the new one or two will be hens.

I also have a house chicken rescued two years ago on her second day alive, when she was pecked and thrown out to die. She does not go with the bunch, but follows me everywhere.
She has never laid an egg yet, but her sisters have. She is agressive with the other girls, and i even saw her flare up and go toe to toe with my largest black rooster! Funny stuff, sometimes she gets in a mood and doesn't want to be petted, but mostly is so sweet.

If they are raised together it works, there were scuffles, occasional bloodletting from the two lower roosters jockeying for status..but rarely after thefirst time..

Love the help and info I've gotten, oh, and i feed sunflower hearts, cracked corn, safflower, millet, and put diatomaceous earth on their seeds, adding a suet cake in the coop for whenever..they seem to do well, but i will try getting wheat seeds too, oh, i throw a few oats in the mix but they don't like them. I do sprout the whole oats in an inch or so of organic potting soil for the good grass it provides in a couple of days. My 20 parakeets REALLY like the grass!! My inside chicken and the cat eat it too! Really cheap, a giant bag of oats I've had for a couple of years but still works for me! The cat grass in the stores is usually oat grass, but it's 2 or 3 bucks, and the big bag of oats was 13$ or so!
Click to expand...
welcome-byc.gif


I have had great success with winter brooding, the hen does all the work, and the chicks do great. Mine have brooded in teens and 20's with strong wind chill and 6 inches of snow. They all just need to be out of direct weather and draft, which sounds like you've got, and you are keeping the water unfrozen, so you've got that (although beware little chicks can drown in deep bowls).

I would just keep an eye out to make sure the broody is doing well brooding with her chicks in the main flock, and the others are respecting the chicks. If any issues rise up, be prepared with a plan B to segregate as needed.

Lady of McCamley
 
Well, this is a little off topic, but I have a wee problem. My granddaughter was here three weeks ago and helped me collect eggs. Of course, she begged me to hatch some for her. So, that day we had three eggs and I took the incubator out and put them in. One had a blood ring, two developed. Today is day 21.

One egg has hatched. Don't see a pip on the second, but I'll keep my fingers crossed that it is going to hatch...it looked good at lock down.

My question is this, if the second doesn't hatch, how do I raise this one by itself? I've never, ever raised a single chick before. I usually put about 20 eggs in each hatching batch. Any ideas? I know this chick is going to bond to me and I know I don't have a broody nor any way to get any chicks for companionship (it really isn't the season, I don't know anyone who is hatching). I'm not so worried about getting it into the flock, I think I can do that the same way that I would do any other chicken when it is old enough. And remember, this is my granddaughters chick, it has to be "happy".

Ideas?
 
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