Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[chicknmania]

If they were mine I would leave it alone, unless the eggs are pipping, and you really want more chicks. IME, the mother hen knows what she's doing, and I don't interfere unless she has abandoned the chicks or is trying to hurt them. If the eggs are not pipping it's possible they weren't viable to begin with, or the embryos have died for whatever reason.

 

[Faraday40]

I moved my broody hen and her nest of 8 eggs from the coop, into a separate hutch inside the chicken run. She has plenty of food and water. The hen has been on these eggs for 12-16 days because other hens laid more eggs in her nest box while she got up to eat.
After the move, I closed the door to the hutch and all was well. Two days later, I forgot the door open. The hen exited and when I found her a few hours later, she was standing in the coop, looking for her nest.
Her eggs were cold and I caught her and put her back in the hutch. WILL THESE EGGS HATCH AFTER GETTING COLD FOR A FEW HOURS?

This happened to me (but overnight). Eggs were cold for 1-8 hrs. I was happily surprised when something hatched. (It did take a whole day longer to hatch, though.)

 

[Faraday40]

May I get some advice please? I have a little hen who was desperate to have chicks. She sat on the nest through two back to back failed hatches. Finally, today she has produced two chicks and has abandoned the last 6. I don't need any more chickens but wonder if I should try to help the last few to hatch. I need to know how feasible this is and a few basics. Have the eggs in a box with heat lamp and heat pad. They were cold. I do not want to take the 2 chicks away from her to induce her to go back on the nest.

thank you

You should candle the eggs. If it's opaque (mostly shadow) then you might be able to incubate it - if you want to. If it's a clear egg (allows light through), then definitely toss. Either way, allow mama to care for the living chicks. If another hatches inside, you can try to introduce it by slipping it under mama @ night.

 

[Attila the Hen]

Good idea about when to reintroduce if they hatch. I have not had any luck with candling and have never seen movement with the water test. Will try that one again. Actually, will try both again. Have the eggs on a heating pad and a lamp overhead. It's not too hot but I need to find out what temperature they should be at.

Thank you so much for your response. It was very helpful.

 

[numzldr]

So I have a 2yr.old australorp who went broody on the 6th, I moved her into the nursery with 10 eggs on the night of the 7th. She's been out n about a few times but went right back to brooding.She kicked 1 egg out about a wk.in. Last nite I changed the feeder n water. Put a capful of Braggs acv in the 2qt waterbottle n starter/grower in the feeder. Any day now.

There was no sound at 5:30 am but now I hear cheeping n mama clucking real low.I reckon this time 2maro I'll see outside of the house with some little ones.

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

I moved my broody hen and her nest of 8 eggs from the coop, into a separate hutch inside the chicken run. She has plenty of food and water. The hen has been on these eggs for 12-16 days because other hens laid more eggs in her nest box while she got up to eat.
After the move, I closed the door to the hutch and all was well. Two days later, I forgot the door open. The hen exited and when I found her a few hours later, she was standing in the coop, looking for her nest.
Her eggs were cold and I caught her and put her back in the hutch. WILL THESE EGGS HATCH AFTER GETTING COLD FOR A FEW HOURS?

They should be okay if you stick them back under her. It's amazing! My first broody hatched out her chicks in December in an unheated coop. I was going nutty when she left to get up and eat or drink, but she still hatched out some babies. It was around freezing temperatures too!

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

I think I may have 10 chicks under my hen. Will have to wait until tomorrow to know for sure.

 

[fisherlady]

I think I may have 10 chicks under my hen.

Will have to wait until tomorrow to know for sure.

I will be out on the lake tomorrow, but will check in when we get back to camp to see how the hatch went... hope all goes well with it!

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

I will be out on the lake tomorrow, but will check in when we get back to camp to see how the hatch went... hope all goes well with it!

Our final hatch count was 12 chicks out of 14 eggs! Super broody!

 

[sunny & the 5 egg layers]

Our final hatch count was 12 chicks out of 14 eggs! Super broody!

That is a wonderful hatch rate!