Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[The Raw Mama]

We have another chick..that makes 4! Two more have pipped and all the rest are fertile and will hopefully hatch. That should make 20 or so chicks

I've heard horror stories about larger breed chickens like Jersey Giants not being he greatest brooders or mamas so I'm pleased to find the opposite for my girls!

 

[fisherlady]

Congratulations @The Raw Mama

Our Jersey Giant (Rosie) just hatched her second brood of the year for us...she has 4 white rock and 2 silver pencil rocks. A few pipped but never zipped but the ones who made it are in good hands with her. She is a fierce one for sure! She will have a few days of quiet time in a sub divide in the coop and then move back in with the rest of the birds like she has with all her other broods.

 

[The Raw Mama]

Congratulations @The Raw Mama

Our Jersey Giant (Rosie) just hatched her second brood of the year for us...she has 4 white rock and 2 silver pencil rocks. A few pipped but never zipped but the ones who made it are in good hands with her. She is a fierce one for sure! She will have a few days of quiet time in a sub divide in the coop and then move back in with the rest of the birds like she has with all her other broods.

Congratulations! Our blue hen is still sitting on the others that haven't hatched. our black hen hatched three and then left the nest with the babies so the chicks that hatch from the blue hen, I take them and slip them under the black one so the leftover eggs don't get forgotten about. There are lots more to hatch. We are up to 5 now. Went out to do chores and found a wet one half emerged. I have the mamas and babies in a separate(large) brooder because I'm worried about the roosters with them. The roosters are NASTY!!! Our black hen is fierce too though! She will take my hand off if I get too close. The blue hen will let me reach right under her. Funny how they can be so different in personality!!

 

[rexannastar]

congrats @The Raw Mama !

I've got a question for you all... my broody hatched 3 of her 8 shipped eggs 6/30 and 7/1. 'due date' was 7/1. Yesterday (7/2), I caught her off the nest twice, once sitting beside it. The first time I saw this the remaining eggs were nearly cold. The second time they were warm like she'd just gotten up for a minute. Has anyone had this happen at this stage of the game and still had chicks hatch? How long can she be off the nest before bad things happen? I mean, those eggs were cold. I fear she's done with her nest and those remaining 5 eggs are no good. I'm trying to leave her in peace and have not candled them. However, if there's still no change when I get home from work, I will check them. Just wondering if there's still any hope.

 

[The Raw Mama]

congrats @The Raw Mama
!

I've got a question for you all...  my broody hatched 3 of her 8 shipped eggs 6/30 and 7/1.  'due date' was 7/1.  Yesterday (7/2), I caught her off the nest twice, once sitting beside it.  The first time I saw this the remaining eggs were nearly cold.  The second time they were warm like she'd just gotten up for a minute.  Has anyone had this happen at this stage of the game and still had chicks hatch?  How long can she be off the nest before bad things happen?  I mean, those eggs were cold.  I fear she's done with her nest and those remaining 5 eggs are no good.  I'm trying to leave her in peace and have not candled them.  However, if there's still no change when I get home from work, I will check them.  Just wondering if there's still any hope.

My hen left her nest after 3 of 15 eggs hatched. So I had to put the remaining eggs under the other broody hen. She was off the nest for quite a while because they eggs were cold as well but I candled them and seen movement. One of the eggs that was cold hatched under the other broody hen later that day so it wasn't hopeless but I don't know how to long they were left to cool off. No more than 2-3 hours though for sure. Now I'm worried about the remaining broody hen leaving her best once some more eggs hatch so I've been removing them from her and giving them to the other hen who already has chicks. Worst case scenario, I can put the eggs in the incubator but that's a pain in he butt!

 

[rexannastar]

My hen left her nest after 3 of 15 eggs hatched. So I had to put the remaining eggs under the other broody hen. She was off the nest for quite a while because they eggs were cold as well but I candled them and seen movement. One of the eggs that was cold hatched under the other broody hen later that day so it wasn't hopeless but I don't know how to long they were left to cool off. No more than 2-3 hours though for sure. Now I'm worried about the remaining broody hen leaving her best once some more eggs hatch so I've been removing them from her and giving them to the other hen who already has chicks. Worst case scenario, I can put the eggs in the incubator but that's a pain in he butt!

Yikes... for me, this is my only broody right now (I thought another was going broody, but she must have changed her mind) and I don't have an incubator. I guess I didn't plan for this to happen! My last broody was so easy, and such a good mom... I just checked Olive again, and she's off the nest and the eggs are cold.

I guess chalk it up to part of the learning curve. Now I know better. I haven't candled them yet, but just to feel of them, I think a couple had not developed, at least not very far.
Good luck to you @The Raw Mama , it sounds like you've still got a chance of getting more to hatch! Keep us posted.

 

[kilby]

Congratulations @The Raw Mama

Our Jersey Giant (Rosie) just hatched her second brood of the year for us...she has 4 white rock and 2 silver pencil rocks. A few pipped but never zipped but the ones who made it are in good hands with her. She is a fierce one for sure! She will have a few days of quiet time in a sub divide in the coop and then move back in with the rest of the birds like she has with all her other broods.

 

[The Raw Mama]

Jersey Giants lay brown eggs. They vary from light to medium brown sometimes with speckles. It depends on the hen. If you have a BCM, it should have a copper hue on the head/neck. If you have a JG, they will be so black that they almost look green in the sun. JG's have a beige/straw colour on the pads of their feet and they're huge in size.

 

[Desert Chick3ns]

My broody hen sat so diligently on her eggs last month...even past their due dates. When I candled them, I knew they were not going to hatch...development had stopped. We were able to get her a couple of day old chicks, and she is loving being Mommy Hen! She dotes on them, worries about them, and corrals them. They have had a couple of good days together, and I was able to get a couple of pics. I'm so glad she's getting this opportunity after trying so hard to hatch.

 

[TheBanditQueen]

I am in need of some advice. Today I found my AWOL Orpie hen, brooding on 18 eggs in the middle of a mesquite bush. I know they're not all hers...3 of my other hens have been contributing, so I have no idea if some were laid there after Princess started setting (meaning staggered hatch dates ). How many eggs can one hen successfully keep warm?

She had a nice hollowed out nest in the ground, and had all 18 covered. They were all equally warm when we took them out. But in the broody pen, she just has hay in the bottom of a pet crate now, which means it's harder for her to get them all covered. Should I take some eggs away in hopes she can hatch a smaller number? Or just let her have them all since it's already been almost a week, and I have NO idea if they're all in the same time frame, or which ones would be viable or not?

I have no way to candle, and I'm leaving on vacation tomorrow, so I will have to either take some away tomorrow morning, or just leave them all be. I don't want to break her brood, and I don't have any fresh hatching eggs to give her, either. :/

What should I do?