Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[fisherlady]

Cool - thanks! I think I'll just use my fingers for now, and track down some foam, etc later ....I'm not patient enough to hunt for foam or washers after work today

I have used a toilet paper roll or paper towel roll... just cut in multiple slits about 1" long in on one end and then slide that end over the end of the flashlight (the cuts allow the roll to be either expanded or compressed around the end of the flashlight)... then just place the other end against the air cell end of egg.

 

[fisherlady]

I do recommend working over a folded towel or pillow, that way if you drop an egg it has a better chance of surviving the accident....

 

[fisherlady]

I thought I had posted some pics here but I guess I got side tracked on my way to the thread. Here is my broody and her chicks. I kept trying to talk her out of the idea of chicks in the winter, but she wasn't having any of it.

Beautiful pictures of the happy family!

 

[Faraday40]

I do recommend working over a folded towel or pillow, that way if you drop an egg it has a better chance of surviving the accident....

x2
I once dropped an egg on day 18 as I was moving them into the hatcher.

I felt horrible.

 

[feistychick]

x2
I once dropped an egg on day 18 as I was moving them into the hatcher.   I felt horrible. 

Will definitely bring some padding out with me - I would cry if I dropped one and broke it (and it was developing)!

 

[feistychick]

Candled and it looked like 5 have veining Didn't drop any either! That was so neat. Some of them weren't as warm as others, so I wonder if she's having trouble covering them. They don't look like they stick out, but I'll check tomorrow in the light and see if there's any sticking out. Good thing she's pretty nice about me being in there. She doesn't put up with other birds, but it seems that I'm okay to touch her and the eggs.

 

[Faraday40]

Candled and it looked like 5 have veining

Didn't drop any either! That was so neat. Some of them weren't as warm as others, so I wonder if she's having trouble covering them. They don't look like they stick out, but I'll check tomorrow in the light and see if there's any sticking out. Good thing she's pretty nice about me being in there. She doesn't put up with other birds, but it seems that I'm okay to touch her and the eggs.

Sounds great! Remember that less "fussing" is better for the hen. The main goal of candling is to remove any blanks & quitters, so that the hen can incubate the viable eggs well. I do'n't remove any until it's obvious. (Usually mark "?" on day 7 on the eggs I'm unsure about & re-candle those around day 10 before tossing.) Then I might do a final quick candling around day 17. After that I do my best to leave her alone. Some people don't bother candling at all, so it's a surprise if/when they hatch. After all, hens have been hatching eggs without human interference for as long as there have been hens.

 

[feistychick]

Sounds great!  Remember that less "fussing" is better for the hen.  The main goal of candling is to remove any blanks & quitters, so that the hen can incubate the viable eggs well.  I do'n't remove any until it's obvious. (Usually mark "?" on day 7 on the eggs I'm unsure about & re-candle those around day 10 before tossing.)  Then I might do a final quick candling around day 17.  After that I do my best to leave her alone.  Some people don't bother candling at all, so it's a surprise if/when they hatch.  After all, hens have been hatching eggs without human interference for as long as there have been hens.

Thanks - I'm going to do my best to keep myself out of her hair There seem to be mixed opinions on taking them off the nest to make sure that they are eating, etc. I've never seen her off the nest at all, she's definitely slimmer than she was. Is this normal and should I be taking her off occasionally to make sure that she eats? I've not done anything yet - but wonder if there's anything that I should watch for that says she's not looking after herself? I'm very lucky, she is actually quite sweet with me.....not so much with the other chickens though

 

[ChickenCanoe]

There are mixed opinions but not mixed facts based on science and history.
Chickens have been hatching eggs for hundreds of thousands of years without starving to death.
I put hens in a broody apartment and they don't come off the nest every day but they do most days.
LEAVE THEM ALONE. They are in a trance and know when they need to defecate, eat and drink.

If being broody killed the bird, there wouldn't be chickens.

 

[feistychick]

There are mixed opinions but not mixed facts based on science and history.
Chickens have been hatching eggs for hundreds of thousands of years without starving to death.
I put hens in a broody apartment and they don't come off the nest every day but they do most days.
LEAVE THEM ALONE. They are in a trance and know when they need to defecate, eat and drink.

If being broody killed the bird, there wouldn't be chickens.

Thanks for the advice, it is my first broody in my first batch of chickens - which is why I asked. I figured that was probably the case, but felt like I should ask about her eating enough - just to be sure.