Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[ChickyChickens]

My broodies eggs have started to hatch!

 

[vpatt]

My broodies eggs have started to hatch!

I know you are excited. Good luck!

 

[ChickyChickens]

I know you are excited. Good luck!

Thanks

 

[Faraday40]

Here was my 1st sign that we had chicks:


On day 19 of incubation, my daughter told me we had chicks. The incubator eggs weren't even pipped, so it surprised me that the broody's eggs set on the same day already hatched. The broody was an experiment with backyard mutt eggs, the incubator (shipped, purebred) eggs were on purpose.
Broody: 5 hatched out of 6 = 83% (Of course I didn't know that for a few days, since we didn't want to touch her.)
Incubator: 4 hatched out of 10 = 40%

Last year my daughter's 4H project was to see how shipping affected hatch rates. Because of this hen, she wants to compare & contrast broodys vs. incubators for her project this year. Princess started searching for her former nest, by dashing into the garage every time it opens. I'd like to keep my car in the garage 'til we're past the heavy snow, so I hope Princess can wait another month or two.

 

[A6chickenhome]

So sorry!

Thank you vpatt.

 

[A6chickenhome]

I am so sorry to hear of your loss.  Each loss is hard. Hawks can be such a detriment, and they do like to pick off the smaller, slower birds.

I also would strongly recommend that you do not leave the carcass for scavengers...as rebrascora stated, it will draw more hunters and scavengers, and in my area rats...and you do NOT want to get them started. Also, the last thing you want is the hawk to come back and eat more (it will likely try to do so the next day, I've seen them do a fly by to the spot of the kill the next day). That will reinforce to the hawk this is a good hunting ground.

Because of our rat situation, we put our deceased birds in a bag and dispose of it in the trash. If it was an ill bird, I always would dispose in the trash, or burn the carcass, as I don't want any disease left on the premises...that is totally legal (unless my flock was suspcioned/diagnosed with something contractible by humans, like Avian flu).

With non-ill birds, such as those killed by predators, if you would like to bury it so that it can decompose and add nutrients back into the soil, do so very deep, otherwise you will continue the cycle of hunters and scavengers on your property....or you can burn it and scatter the ashes on your rose bushes.

If you have heart to do so, then rebrascora has given wise advice as using it for training on how to dissect and do a necropsy. You will begin to build your eye to what is healthy and what is diseased with the intent of gaining knowledge that will help you become a better flock master.

Lady of McCamley

EDITED TO ADD: I would also keep an eye out for the hawk's return, and you may need to take measures to prevent it viewing your backyard as a happy hunting ground as it has made a successful kill. I find hawk netting and strips of reflective tape to be very helpful. Also, when I see it flying over, or landing in a tree to supervise which one they'd like to pick off, I run out with a pan lid and spoon to make a lot of noise to scare it away. If you have a good watch dog, that can be helpful. Even though mine is a big fluff ball who wouldn't think of barking at the hawk, let alone attacking one to protect the flock, just his presence is another deterrent.

Thank you, I did decide to do the trash because things are pretty frozen here. The hawk did come back the next day. Amazingly it got my hen under the back deck, pretty brazen.

 

[A6chickenhome]

Aww, sorry!! 


WEll...i bury my bodies....

Thank you ChickyChickens.

 

[ChickyChickens]

Thank you ChickyChickens.

 

[A6chickenhome]

I would be wary of leaving it for scavengers as it may just attract/encourage predators to come for more live ones.
I have buried birds that died in the past but now I conduct a post mortem(to try to establish cause of death in an ill bird, but also to improve my knowledge and ability to pluck and dress/eviscerate) and then salvage whatever meat/organs are healthy and cook and feed to cats or chickens and bury the remainder for the worms, trees and bacteria to break down and benefit. 
I know that sounds heartless and I do love my chickens, but once they are dead then I have an obligation to protect the others and not to waste their body. This seems the best way to do that. 

Have you ever eaten any meat from a bird that may have been killed many hrs before you find it? I thought about it but a friend said that they thought the meat would be spoiled if the organs weren't removed right away. I don't think you sound heartless. I raise my birds for food and cherish the opportunity to do that. I also love my birds and try to provide them with the best life I can.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Here was my 1st sign that we had chicks:


On day 19 of incubation, my daughter told me we had chicks. The incubator eggs weren't even pipped, so it surprised me that the broody's eggs set on the same day already hatched. The broody was an experiment with backyard mutt eggs, the incubator (shipped, purebred) eggs were on purpose.
Broody: 5 hatched out of 6 = 83% (Of course I didn't know that for a few days, since we didn't want to touch her.)
Incubator: 4 hatched out of 10 = 40%

Last year my daughter's 4H project was to see how shipping affected hatch rates. Because of this hen, she wants to compare & contrast broodys vs. incubators for her project this year. Princess started searching for her former nest, by dashing into the garage every time it opens. I'd like to keep my car in the garage 'til we're past the heavy snow, so I hope Princess can wait another month or two.

I love how you used the mail shipping box for the hen's broody box...was that the box that the shipped eggs came in? If so, the irony would be funny!

40 to 50% hatching rate on shipped eggs is considered pretty normal. Some people have lucked out and had 100% on shipped eggs, others practically zilch. Shipping is hard on the eggs...I got a success rate of 4 out of 16, so 25% rate on my one and only (thus far) shipped eggs....some of the eggs were cracked or had detached air cells, so I only set 12 eggs...which if you consider those only set, then I got 33%....didn't enamor me to the concept of hatching shipped eggs, not at the cost I incurred for eggs and shipping (I think that it worked out to $11 a chick!)

I love 4H projects with the kids...that is a great way to learn science and animal husbandry.

Although you've probably already covered this with your daughter, In case you haven't seen these yet, and might still find them useful, I like to use these links with my egg/chick hatching teaching units:

Development of embyro (awesome video)

OHSU 4H Extension, The Incredible Egg (free for public download):
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/4h/4-H1500theincredibleegg.pdf

Good luck on your daughter's project this year..Keep us posted!

Lady of McCamley (and former 4H leader)