Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[rebrascora]

When I set a broody, I fasten her on her clutch (I make a nest in an old drawer) in a dim (not completely dark) cupboard with food and water. Once a day, whilst I am doing chores and can supervise her, I open it to let her out. The increased light when the door is opened stimulates her to get off and go out with the flock and do whatever is necessary. I close the cupboard door again to prevent other hens laying in her nest and/or messing with her food and water. When she starts to head back into the hen house, I go in and open the cupboard door for her to climb back onto the nest. If by any chance (as sometimes happens during the first couple of days) she goes into another nest box instead of her nest in the cupboard, I wait until she settles and then lift her out and put her on her proper nest. The cupboard door has a few large holes drilled in it to let a bit of light and air in but keeps her protected from more dominant hens.... my broodies are mostly lower down the pecking order.
This system works really well for me. I can see that she gets off every day to eat and dust bath and relieve herself and I know that she is safely back on her eggs when I leave with no risk of her clutch being abandoned or added to or broken by other hens climbing on to them. It's usually just a matter of 15-20 mins and if I let her out when I feed the other hens, she gets to forage with them so they don't forget her and there are no re integration problems. By the time I have finished my chores she is back on the nest and I can leave knowing that nothing untoward can happen whilst I'm not there. There is room in the cupboard around the perimeter of the nest for food and water as I said and to poop if necessary but it doesn't generally happen. After a few days they get into a routine of coming off within a minute or so of the door opening and it makes me laugh to watch them going back to the nest because they look into the other nest boxes and then in the cupboard and then look about to see if anyone is watching before they hop back on and settle down.....you've got to love broody hens!!

 

[nchls school]

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.

X 2

 

[Faraday40]

I've successfully brooded 2 ways:
1. A broody apartment (dog crate) separate from the flock in a quiet, darkened area (my garage). Food & water on one side & a next box with eggs on the other. The silly hen learned that I checked on her daily & removed the poop. All too quickly she learned to hold it until she saw me. I'd pass by the clean cage & say Good morning, then on cue, she'd make me a big, fresh, broody present. UGH! That unmistakable odor! Once chicks were about a week, I slowly transitioned the family into the flock. Some bullying bumpiness, but mama protected the chicks. I
Broody hen on eggs

chicks & broody in dog crate

transition into flock. (I moved the whole dog crate into the run.)



2. Closed off nest box but kept broody in the flock. My therory was that the broody would not have to fight her way back into the flock. I provided a small cup of food in the nest & water nipple within reach. I opened it up daily when I cleaned the cage. Most days she took a quick break at that time.

When chicks hatched & mama tried to get them to leave the nest, I moved the family into a rabbit cage for their safety.(Chicks can get into all kind of small places!) By the time they were 1 week, I gave the broody more freedom to move in & out of the cage with her chicks.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I have a designated double-ended broody hutch (think rabbit hutch with a nest on each end, covered walkway between) that has an attached netted/fenced run for my broodies and subsequent chicks (until they are of grow out size and moved to the main flock). (photos below)

I never lift or fiddle with a broody. She gets up to eat/drink/poo when she wants. They will lose substantial amount of weight (remember they are at the business of incubating 24/7 for three weeks) for which I often place Chick Saver in the water and keep high protein chick feed with sunflower seeds in the feeder for high energy boosts. If you worry about it, remember you don't keep opening the door of the artificial brooder to check on the eggs as that messes with the humidity and heat too much...the hen knows what she is about.

The hutch is inhabited only by 3 frequent brooders...all banties....who do the majority of my brooding. They are my broody stable. They will co-brood together, or separately, depending upon the season. Since they are all small, and fairly equal in pecking order, I generally do not have issues with stealing eggs or aggression, but if there is a problem, I have a divider that fits into the hutch that allows me to subdivide. I can also create an upper and lower level by opening and closing screen doors.

I candle at day 3 or 4, then again around 10 pulling any that are certain quitters. I then may candle at day 22 or 23 if nothing is happening. The less you handle the better for the hen and the growing chick as you risk not only disturbing the hen and discouraging her but also disturbing the chick inside especially later on when they are turning in the shell to get into hatching position.

And yes, there are a lot of different opinions as to whether to move, candle, or isolate. Each situation is unique, each flock different, and even goals of flock care that affect your decisions.

Good luck with this batch. You will learn a lot. I still learn something with every new batch.

LofMc

 

[feistychick]

Thank you for the pictures and descriptions of your set ups! I had no idea that we would ever have broody chickens, and had not prepared for them. In Feb, I plan to start work on some additional areas - and it's great to know what others are using that works. Our chickens have an area of the barn with a decent run built space off the back - but when I started looking at it last week, eek it is SO not baby proof. We have a spare regular coop and run that we will be okay to use for these babies, but I had intended it for use as a hospital or quarantine space (hoping no one gets sick at the same time) I think we'll need to look at making broody apartments and grow-out areas for littles.

 

[tjo804]

Hello everyone.
I have my first set of eggs that should be ready to hatch Christmas Day.

I have read the first and last couple of pages and followed the links is it okay if I post my story here for input on how to do better next time?

I have only ever done day old chicks before, so eggs not in the pan is new to me

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Hello everyone.
I have my first set of eggs that should be ready to hatch Christmas Day.
I have read the first and last couple of pages and followed the links is it okay if I post my story here for input on how to do better next time?

I have only ever done day old chicks before, so eggs not in the pan is new to me :/

Yes. Absolutely. That is what this list is for.

Wishing you a happy hatch!

LofMc

 

[tjo804]

Thank you LOFMC

I got my first Silkies last spring and one of the smallest went Broodie late nov. I let her have eggs Dec 4 she kept her clutch of mixed Cochin bantams and Silkie eggs.
I did not think she would stay with it as she is so young. She is still a Pullet after all.
NOW I am sure at day 20 that I have done everything wrong from the start to finish.
The coop they are in was Never intended to be a place for little Chicks it is the pen I used to set next to the Layers Coop to introduce The new Pullets through fences. It has an old dog house 28 inches off the ground that has a roost (and now 1 nest box in it) I got worried about the Old Ladies Bulling since they are aprox 5x the size of the silkies and not all of them like new comers. Kinda like bringing a toddler to a retirement home some love it and some really let you know they Do Not! Any way the plans on the Breeding coop fell off for now

So BabyBear has her eggs at day 18 I start to panic they will fall out of the coop and die if they hatch. See December is a complete blurr of sick DGD and pies cakes cookies and bread.
I am not proud of it but I have been a terrible Flock Master this month

I have not candled correctly (been researching) but the air cells are getting bigger at day 15 one of the eggs was on the other side of the coop so I assumed Momma threw it out. at day 18 I finally opened the egg to find the prettiest baby silkie almost all put together. I cried and burried her But then Panic set in BabyBear has really done it! she made Babies.

Day 19 I fixed up the small grow up pen in the garage (it is a prefab coop from TSC that says it is suitable for 6 -8 adult chickens) blocked off the nest boxes and put up a short partition on the open door to the small run area. Then at pitch dark I picked up the Broody nestbox eggs and an extra silkie trying to be Broody I carried the 2 ladies and all to the garage and set them inside the small coop.

I checked a couple of times to make sure they did not get up off the nest. Before sunrise this morning I took Sunshine (the other Silkie) out of the coop and returned her to the Silkie pen.

BabyBear is doing well still in her Broody trance and I am hoping all goes well for her but I really botched this I think so God willing BabyBear will get a couple of babies for all her hard work and sacrifice.

Please be brutal with the You Never Do That's! I am learning and like I said I already know I messed up for her I am just not sure how badly. I am not looking for support because I will do better next time I am looking for the plain truth on how to do better for HER.

Thank you in advance

and
Merry Christmas

 

[nchls school]

Thank you LOFMC I got my first Silkies last spring and one of the smallest went Broodie late nov. I let her have eggs Dec 4 she kept her clutch of mixed Cochin bantams and Silkie eggs. I did not think she would stay with it as she is so young. She is still a Pullet after all. NOW I am sure at day 20 that I have done everything wrong from the start to finish. The coop they are in was Never intended to be a place for little Chicks it is the pen I used to set next to the Layers Coop to introduce The new Pullets through fences. It has an old dog house 28 inches off the ground that has a roost (and now 1 nest box in it) I got worried about the Old Ladies Bulling since they are aprox 5x the size of the silkies and not all of them like new comers. Kinda like bringing a toddler to a retirement home some love it and some really let you know they Do Not! Any way the plans on the Breeding coop fell off for now So BabyBear has her eggs at day 18 I start to panic they will fall out of the coop and die if they hatch. See December is a complete blurr of sick DGD and pies cakes cookies and bread. I am not proud of it but I have been a terrible Flock Master this month I have not candled correctly (been researching) but the air cells are getting bigger at day 15 one of the eggs was on the other side of the coop so I assumed Momma threw it out. at day 18 I finally opened the egg to find the prettiest baby silkie almost all put together. I cried and burried her But then Panic set in BabyBear has really done it! she made Babies. Day 19 I fixed up the small grow up pen in the garage (it is a prefab coop from TSC that says it is suitable for 6 -8 adult chickens) blocked off the nest boxes and put up a short partition on the open door to the small run area. Then at pitch dark I picked up the Broody nestbox eggs and an extra silkie trying to be Broody I carried the 2 ladies and all to the garage and set them inside the small coop. I checked a couple of times to make sure they did not get up off the nest. Before sunrise this morning I took Sunshine (the other Silkie) out of the coop and returned her to the Silkie pen. BabyBear is doing well still in her Broody trance and I am hoping all goes well for her but I really botched this I think so God willing BabyBear will get a couple of babies for all her hard work and sacrifice. Please be brutal with the You Never Do That's! I am learning and like I said I already know I messed up for her I am just not sure how badly. I am not looking for support because I will do better next time I am looking for the plain truth on how to do better for HER. Thank you in advance and Merry Christmas

Learning is brutal enough without someone adding to it. I hope they hatch. Merry Christmas.

 

[feistychick]

Hello everyone.
I have my first set of eggs that should be ready to hatch Christmas Day.
I have read the first and last couple of pages and followed the links is it okay if I post my story here for input on how to do better next time?

I have only ever done day old chicks before, so eggs not in the pan is new to me :/

Hope your hatch goes well, and that you'll post pictures of the babies!