Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Faraday40]

i didn't lock them together they got out every day from the brooder to free range but at the end of the day so the other hens couldn't get to the chick starter. I guess it doesn't really matter i'm pretty sure either she killed him or he got eaten I couldn't find him when I went to go put everyone up tonight I haven't been this depressed in a while i'll be putting up pics later after I find my usb connection

So sorry.

 

[vpatt]

So sorry.

yes, I'm sorry too. how sad.

 

[KrystalRose]

Thanks for all the replies!

My brooder area is roughly 2' 6" x 5' and about 2' tall. Here is a picture of what the back wall looks like from the main coop side, it is where I have all my chicken nipples for the big girls so probably not a good spot for a door, but I am thinking the short side wall to the left that you cannot see is where I would put in a screened chicken door.



Several of you have mentioned that you let the chicks and mama with the rest of the flock after a couple weeks. I have a closed area for my girls that is 21x21 outside and 16x8 in the coop for 15 hens and 1 really nice roo. Since they aren't free range do you think it is safe for the little ones to start introducing them to the flock at only 1-2 weeks, or is that only a good idea for free range birds?

By the way, the doors you see to the brooder are hung with hardware from a sliding closet door, so the tracks are up above, keeping the bottoms of the doors free from getting gummed up. But since the doors are elevated from the floor a little, I have to keep 2x4 pieces down there for the first 1-2 weeks so the chicks don't try to squeeze under.

Thank you for liking my totally awesome painting design!!! Lol. After debating several more complicated ways to paint my coop, I grabbed a kitchen sponge, cut it into a chicken foot and went crazy! It turned out kinda cool I think!?

 

[fisherlady]

Thanks for all the replies! My brooder area is roughly 2' 6" x 5' and about 2' tall. Here is a picture of what the back wall looks like from the main coop side, it is where I have all my chicken nipples for the big girls so probably not a good spot for a door, but I am thinking the short side wall to the left that you cannot see is where I would put in a screened chicken door. Several of you have mentioned that you let the chicks and mama with the rest of the flock after a couple weeks. I have a closed area for my girls that is 21x21 outside and 16x8 in the coop for 15 hens and 1 really nice roo. Since they aren't free range do you think it is safe for the little ones to start introducing them to the flock at only 1-2 weeks, or is that only a good idea for free range birds? By the way, the doors you see to the brooder are hung with hardware from a sliding closet door, so the tracks are up above, keeping the bottoms of the doors free from getting gummed up. But since the doors are elevated from the floor a little, I have to keep 2x4 pieces down there for the first 1-2 weeks so the chicks don't try to squeeze under. Thank you for liking my totally awesome painting design!!! Lol. After debating several more complicated ways to paint my coop, I grabbed a kitchen sponge, cut it into a chicken foot and went crazy! It turned out kinda cool I think!?

That is a beautiful set up...I'm sure a door would work fine on the short side or you could still put a slide door on the long end and just plug off the last water nipple so it doesn't interfere at the door way. The actual opening only need be about 8" wide unless you have really large birds. I'm one of the ones who usually let's the chicks in with the flock when they are very young. It sounds like your coop and run set up is very roomy so you can integrate easier even when they aren't free ranging. Just be careful and stay to observe behavior so you can intervene if needed. I would not leave them unattended until you see how the adults interact with both the chicks and the broody. Expect to see a few hen scuffles until the broody gets the rules established.

 

[vpatt]

I let my first hen and chicks mix with the flock at two to three weeks with no trouble. Second broody took her babies out on day two. I did see a conflict between her and Joe over food and it scared me that the chicks were in the mix....but they calmed down and everything went well after that. I did try to fence them in but they walked right thru my fence! I still marvel at them in cold weather.....mama takes good care of them!

 

[vpatt]

I should add that I go outside to feed, gather eggs and just watch the birds often.......I am out at least five or six times a day. When I saw the flare up between the rooster and my hen I did grab the chicks and put them back in their nest and mom followed them (I had forgotten that when I wrote the above post). That is when I put the fence up around their broody box.....only to check on them a little while later and discover that my fencing skills were sadly lacking.
I was just checking those two babies out a few minutes ago.....they are really growing and I'm pretty sure at least one of them is a roo. Of the November chicks two of the three are roos. I am just trying to look forward to chicken soup and bone broth.

 

[KrystalRose]

I just candled my eggs tonight. Initially I picked the 12 most likely candidates by candling about 2 dozen at day 4-5. 8 of the eggs I was pretty sure of and the other 4 were hopefuls. I numbered them in order with a shop pencil and lo-and-behold numbers 9-12 weren't fertile tonight. I cracked them open just to be sure and I didn't see anything but white and yolk. The rest of the eggs, I could see mostly dark, a little veining in some and a small air sack, I even think I saw a hint of feet in one or two of them. Since they are all brown except one blue EE egg, they are kind hard to candle in the first place. Right on track for 13-14 days. I am soooo excited! Next weekend I will start listening for some little peeps! I am glad to get the 4 dud eggs out of there to give her some extra room to maneuver the others and after hearing of eggs exploding under hens, I definitely didn't want that!!! Since this is my first time with a broody I stupidly didn't collect the eggs and put them under her all on the same day so I have fingers crossed that most or all of them will hatch before she gets off the eggs. They look like they are within 2 days of each other in growth, so I will keep my fingers crossed and count this as a lesson learned.

I need to take a pic of my awesome EE broody! She has not pecked at my hand once, even tonight when I pulled all her eggs out and candled them in front of her she never pecked or growled once! Such a sweetheart. The funny thing is as a chick I thought for sure she was some kind of game fowl since she was so skittish and wanted nothing to do with us. Then she got sick a couple months ago and I had to nurse her back to health over a couple weeks with a 3cc syringe full of water and hand put food in her mouth. After that she is still not cuddly but will let me do anything I need to with her without a fit.

By the way I used this thread to judge the egg progress while candling, awesome pictures:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...g-candling-pics-progression-though-incubation
Sooooo Eggcited!!!!!

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I just candled my eggs tonight. Initially I picked the 12 most likely candidates by candling about 2 dozen at day 4-5. 8 of the eggs I was pretty sure of and the other 4 were hopefuls. I numbered them in order with a shop pencil and lo-and-behold numbers 9-12 weren't fertile tonight. I cracked them open just to be sure and I didn't see anything but white and yolk. The rest of the eggs, I could see mostly dark, a little veining in some and a small air sack, I even think I saw a hint of feet in one or two of them. Since they are all brown except one blue EE egg, they are kind hard to candle in the first place. Right on track for 13-14 days. I am soooo excited! Next weekend I will start listening for some little peeps! I am glad to get the 4 dud eggs out of there to give her some extra room to maneuver the others and after hearing of eggs exploding under hens, I definitely didn't want that!!! Since this is my first time with a broody I stupidly didn't collect the eggs and put them under her all on the same day so I have fingers crossed that most or all of them will hatch before she gets off the eggs. They look like they are within 2 days of each other in growth, so I will keep my fingers crossed and count this as a lesson learned.

I need to take a pic of my awesome EE broody! She has not pecked at my hand once, even tonight when I pulled all her eggs out and candled them in front of her she never pecked or growled once! Such a sweetheart. The funny thing is as a chick I thought for sure she was some kind of game fowl since she was so skittish and wanted nothing to do with us. Then she got sick a couple months ago and I had to nurse her back to health over a couple weeks with a 3cc syringe full of water and hand put food in her mouth. After that she is still not cuddly but will let me do anything I need to with her without a fit.

By the way I used this thread to judge the egg progress while candling, awesome pictures:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...g-candling-pics-progression-though-incubation
Sooooo Eggcited!!!!!

So happy things are progressing...keeping my fingers crossed too.

I re-candled my eggs tonight, although I said I wouldn't....day 9...two Isbar eggs look good...the third has development but is lagging behind so I don't expect much.

The 2 Cuckoo Marans OE (Isbar roo) eggs are so dense I can see NOTHING. Not a thing. I re-candled in hopes, with new batteries in the flashlight, I'd see something. Nope. I'll just have to trust I get some OE's too.

New broody is sitting tight though. Good girl. She is a veteran and acting every inch of it.

Lady of McCamley

 

[KrystalRose]

So happy things are progressing...keeping my fingers crossed too.

I re-candled my eggs tonight, although I said I wouldn't....day 9...two Isbar eggs look good...the third has development but is lagging behind so I don't expect much.

The 2 Cuckoo Marans OE (Isbar roo) eggs are so dense I can see NOTHING. Not a thing. I re-candled in hopes, with new batteries in the flashlight, I'd see something. Nope. I'll just have to trust I get some OE's too.

New broody is sitting tight though. Good girl. She is a veteran and acting every inch of it.

Lady of McCamley

Well we are in this together! I cannot wait to go check on her and hear those little peeps!

She is sitting soooo tight that she hasn't even gotten up to poo in the last week, (and the nest is clean) I am thinking of kicking her out with the rest of the hens when I throw out scratch to let her stretch her legs and hopefully void herself before she gets sick. Then I will leave her alone for the final week of lockdown....

HOLY CRAP!!! I just let her out with the flock for a couple minutes, and she emptied all her bowels! Poor thing! I bet she will feel better now! A couple hen fights later she was ready to go back onto the nest and take a nap where its quiet and peaceful! I definitely need a view screen between the brooder box and main coop so they don't forget each other so badly, thank goodness she is normally a halfway dominate hen and can hold her own.

 

[fisherlady]

So happy things are progressing...keeping my fingers crossed too.

I re-candled my eggs tonight, although I said I wouldn't....day 9...two Isbar eggs look good...the third has development but is lagging behind so I don't expect much.

The 2 Cuckoo Marans OE (Isbar roo) eggs are so dense I can see NOTHING. Not a thing. I re-candled in hopes, with new batteries in the flashlight, I'd see something. Nope. I'll just have to trust I get some OE's too.

New broody is sitting tight though. Good girl. She is a veteran and acting every inch of it.

Lady of McCamley

I am so glad she is doing well for you!! I can't wait to see some new broody/baby pictures!