Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[ZenChicken]

Hi everyone,

I'm so happy to find this thread. I plan to hatch chicks with a broody hen this spring and I think I have everything planned out using information I've read here. The big question I have right now is how I should go about obtaining fertilized eggs (we don't have a roo). Do hatch rates decline substantially if the eggs are shipped through the mail? If so, I'd like to find local source (Rhode Island). After a few google searches, I can't seem to find any breeders nearby that offer fertilized eggs. Any advice is appreciated!

 

[vpatt]

Hi everyone,

I'm so happy to find this thread. I plan to hatch chicks with a broody hen this spring and I think I have everything planned out using information I've read here. The big question I have right now is how I should go about obtaining fertilized eggs (we don't have a roo). Do hatch rates decline substantially if the eggs are shipped through the mail? If so, I'd like to find local source (Rhode Island). After a few google searches, I can't seem to find any breeders nearby that offer fertilized eggs.  Any advice is appreciated!

I simply stopped by the home of someone I knew raised chickens and asked if they had a few extra eggs. I did not know the people. They gave me four which was all I wanted and I offered to pay but they declined. These were a backyard mix. I just wanted fertile eggs and my roo was young enough that I was not sure he was really a roo.

Look for signs or ads of eggs for sale. If you are more particular about the breed and number of eggs than I was maybe people selling eggs can give you information on others who may have eggs.

Look on line and see if there are any chicken swaps locally. You may be able to find someone that way. Ask at local feed stores. Vet offices...Tractor Supply .....just look for chickens in your daily travels and stop and ask.
Good luck!

 

[bumpercarr]

Hi everyone,

I'm so happy to find this thread. I plan to hatch chicks with a broody hen this spring and I think I have everything planned out using information I've read here. The big question I have right now is how I should go about obtaining fertilized eggs (we don't have a roo). Do hatch rates decline substantially if the eggs are shipped through the mail? If so, I'd like to find local source (Rhode Island). After a few google searches, I can't seem to find any breeders nearby that offer fertilized eggs. Any advice is appreciated!

Yes, the hatch rates on shipped eggs is significantly lower than on non-shipped eggs. If you can't find them close by, you won't have any choice but to buy eggs and have them shipped to you.

 

[peepsthebrassy]

I'm new at this but a lot of people say they can put the eggs up under their wings. I would check her and make sure she isn't caring them around trying to move them

they can move eggs i never herd of them moving eggs? but it makes sens that they would have them under her wings if they wanted to move them.

 

[Angie16hearts]

LOL, their timing is always crazy isn't it?  It's almost as if they can read our minds and figure out the worst time to brood.

Anyway, yes it is possible (and probable) that she is broody again. Generally three months is the norm, but it really depends on the breed.  I had a silky mix once that would brood, hatch, raise chicks for 4 weeks, lay one egg and then go broody again.  She was perfectly content to hatch the other girl's eggs for them...all she wanted was babies.  She was a baby making machine and I could almost count on her to be broody on a specific date (unless I ordered eggs for her...then she'd read my mind and decide to hang out for a while).

I feel your pain.  I have a broody sitting on 6 eggs, 18 eggs in the incubator and another 12 coming tomorrow.  I didn't expect a broody, so her 6 are "extras".  Of course, she picked the worst place to brood, I'll be on vacation when they hatch and the housesitter doesn't know a thing about chickens except how to feed & water....so, I'll be trying to figure out how to make all of this work in the next week or so to try to ensure that things go as smoothly as they can while I'm away.  Sigh.  There seems to always be some sort of chicken drama going on here.

Right! I thought it would be fun to figure out which hen is giving me pullets or cockerels . So I incubated 6 and 6 of two if my hens.
She's a OEG smaller guessing a bit of bantam. It's raining here and seems she likes to try this out during the high humidity and cold. Sounds strange but she does it. She's my first and after her first two attempts u new she would be my queen broody. She even staid at the top of pecking order as soon as she was back with flock.
Do OEG go broody often ?

 

[bumpercarr]

Right! I thought it would be fun to figure out which hen is giving me pullets or cockerels . So I incubated 6 and 6 of two if my hens.
She's a OEG smaller guessing a bit of bantam. It's raining here and seems she likes to try this out during the high humidity and cold. Sounds strange but she does it. She's my first and after her first two attempts u new she would be my queen broody. She even staid at the top of pecking order as soon as she was back with flock.
Do OEG go broody often ?

I believe that they do. They are right up there with silkies when it comes to broodiness. I don't have any silkies anymore, only Brahmas which are not nearly as broody as OEG, silkies or Orpingtons. Also not as good as mothers...they tend to be a little on the laid back side when it comes to their broods.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Hi everyone,

I'm so happy to find this thread. I plan to hatch chicks with a broody hen this spring and I think I have everything planned out using information I've read here. The big question I have right now is how I should go about obtaining fertilized eggs (we don't have a roo). Do hatch rates decline substantially if the eggs are shipped through the mail? If so, I'd like to find local source (Rhode Island). After a few google searches, I can't seem to find any breeders nearby that offer fertilized eggs. Any advice is appreciated!

As others have stated, yes, hatch rates can go down significantly with shipped eggs...often the hatch rate is less than 50%...it all depends on how far away the eggs were shipped and how careful they were packed and what kind of postal worker they got (and their mood that day).

I have found fertile eggs from feed stores, 4H extension offices, friends with chickens, craigs list (be careful to not bring in disease so screen your sources there), poultry classifieds and swaps.

You might try searching on Facebook for a Rhode Island poultry club or for a particular breed. That usually leads you to some sort of swap or organization. For your state, I would google a city or county as unfortunately your state will just bring up the breed. Ag magazines often have classifieds as well.

I have purchased off of ebay, and got eggs, but had a dismal hatch rate (about 25%)...but those were shipped all the way across the US and the postal workers must have been in an angry mood that day as a number were cracked upon arrival though packed well.

EDITED TO ADD: I took some time to search for you since you will just get Rhode Island the breed rather than the breeders from your state with any search, and I found this poultry club from Rhode Island that has shows, one coming up in May, who will have breeders to link up with. Here's their website http://www.littlerhodypoultryfanciers.com/j

....and the State of Rhode Island meet up thread here on BYC https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/285330/rhode-island-ocean-state-anyone-else-out-there/100

That's my thoughts.
LofMc

 

[venymae]

My dad let his broody hen set some eggs this past week, however one of the egga in the nest was broken some how. Now thw remaining 4 eggs are covered in ick. What should he do?

 

[bumpercarr]

My dad let his broody hen set some eggs this past week, however one of the egga in the nest was broken some how. Now thw remaining 4 eggs are covered in ick. What should he do?

Nothing to the eggs. Remove the old bedding that is soiled by the egg (if he can) and replace it. Other than that, just let nature take it's course.

 

[venymae]

Thanks. We were not sure if we needed to clean the eggs or not.

Nothing to the eggs.  Remove the old bedding that is soiled by the egg (if he can) and replace it.  Other than that, just let nature take it's course.