Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[fisherlady]

so if any eggs that aren't growing a hen will eat or roll them out of the nest? and if you mess with a broody too much at the being of being broody will she stop being broody? My hen been was still on the nest of eggs when i got home yesterday so i think she went broody and i marked the eggs and gave her more food and made shire she knew their was food and water there. i did that by putting my finger in the water and making nose with it. did the same with the food. she did get off the eggs but only to dust herself then she got right back on the nest. sorry if it is a stupid question.

They won't always roll them out or eat them.... but it is something that some broodies do, so it is worth mentioning as a probable reason for disappearing eggs under a broody. If all hens did it then 'exploding' eggs wouldn't be a potential hazard, and folks do have that happen once in a while.

To reduce the potential hazard of eggs going bad some folks candle the broodies clutch and pull ones which are duds, doing this or not is a personal decision/preference. I usually just candle around day 10 and pull any clears but I don't get too worried if I don't get a chance to do so.

Some hens are easily broken if you mess with them, others are rock solid from the first day they park themselves in the nest.... this is another of those things that just depends on the hen's personality and there is no clear answer to.

 

[Prairie Fleur]

Well, it appears that my 2 BCM hens have gone broody. First one and then her BFF must have decided that she needed babies too if her friend was. I gave the first hen some eggs yesterday after letting her sit on a falsie for a couple days. Both seem to be sitting really tight already and my 'bator is completely full so I'm hoping they'll stick to it and help me out.

 

[Kassaundra]

@Heron's Nest Farm did you let your broody mom try again? If so what happened?





My second broody's eggs are hatching 4 of 8 so far are hatched. I went down to take pics when 3 were out. Here are pic of the 3, but they are being held for pics so the broody mom isn't in these pics, later when I move the mom to a better location I will have pics of mom and chicks.

 

[Heron's Nest Farm]

@Heron's Nest Farm did you let your broody mom try again? If so what happened?





My second broody's eggs are hatching 4 of 8 so far are hatched. I went down to take pics when 3 were out. Here are pic of the 3, but they are being held for pics so the broody mom isn't in these pics, later when I move the mom to a better location I will have pics of mom and chicks.

What kind of chick is the featherless one?! I feel sorry it. Hope i't not cold!

My broody hen showed no interest! I was going to try again today when I get home. She seems to have made her way back into the flock, but not without a few bouts of feather pulling between her and my newer layer.

Not sure what that young thing was thinking! She was dealing with a hormonal mamma!

 

[vpatt]

Yep, the trance is normal.... and she probably has eaten any non-viable eggs...  many of my hens eat any quitters or non-starters. 

Thank you! I had no idea about the trance. When the other two went broody this past winter it was too cold to sit around watching them. And I don't remember learning that they might eat their own eggs...wow! Still no peeping or cute fuzziness.....maybe tomorrow....I hope at least a couple of them hatch. And that they are pullets, lol.

 

[Heron's Nest Farm]

They won't always roll them out or eat them.... but it is something that some broodies do, so it is worth mentioning as a probable reason for disappearing eggs under a broody. If all hens did it then 'exploding' eggs wouldn't be a potential hazard, and folks do have that happen once in a while.

To reduce the potential hazard of eggs going bad some folks candle the broodies clutch and pull ones which are duds, doing this or not is a personal decision/preference. I usually just candle around day 10 and pull any clears but I don't get too worried if I don't get a chance to do so.

Some hens are easily broken if you mess with them, others are rock solid from the first day they park themselves in the nest.... this is another of those things that just depends on the hen's personality and there is no clear answer to.

I once had a hen sitting on a clutch. I went back to check her and a few were gone. Next day the same thing and the next. It was a skunk vivisting and having a meal! He just lifted her, ate a few eggs and came back until they were ALL gone!

 

[Kassaundra]

What kind of chick is the featherless one?! I feel sorry it. Hope i't not cold!

My broody hen showed no interest! I was going to try again today when I get home. She seems to have made her way back into the flock, but not without a few bouts of feather pulling between her and my newer layer.

Not sure what that young thing was thinking! She was dealing with a hormonal mamma!

The naked chick is GENETICALLY a naked neck, however that is not why it is featherless. The reason it is featherless is it has a double hit of the scaleless gene.

 

[bumpercarr]

Decided it was time to clean the coop yesterday. I lifted up a board and there must have been 20 mice under there! Because of the mice, I kicked everyone out of the coop before continuing with the cleaning and inadvertently also kicked out the broody. She went into immediate panic mode! I hurried up and cleaned up the mouse problem, cleaned out her pen in the coop and then moved her eggs to another nesting box since I need to move her in a few days. She went right back to the old nesting box and sat...even without any eggs there. I gently moved her over to the other box, kept cleaning and a few minutes later, there she was...in the old nest box. Gently moved her again and you guessed it, watched her settle down on the eggs and then get up and move to the old nest box again. This time, I blocked the old nest box and she finally settled in the new one. This morning, still in the new nest box. I'm really wanting her in there because I need to move her to a downstairs apartment before her brood is over.

Sigh...silly chickens!

Planting lavender and peppermint in some pots to put in the coop. Hopefully that will take care of the mouse problem.

 

[saltandpepper2]

My hen went broody today, and I'm separating her from the rest of the flock on Sunday! Super excited! Question though, has anyone ever had issues when a large hen hatches out bantam and large chicks?? I want more banties, but my hens never go broody, but I also need a few more layers. If I put both under her, will there be any issues?

 

[Heron's Nest Farm]

My hen went broody today, and I'm separating her from the rest of the flock on Sunday! Super excited! Question though, has anyone ever had issues when a large hen hatches out bantam and large chicks?? I want more banties, but my hens never go broody, but I also need a few more layers. If I put both under her, will there be any issues?

My hens hatch whatever I put under them.