Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[redcoopinn]

I am in a situation where I had a broody cochin, I gave her 10 fertile (so I thought) eggs to sit on. Then in comes another broody hen, barred rock and I read so many posts to just let them both sit on the eggs. We got 2 more eggs, so now a dozen a few days later. The barred rock has become aggressive. It's difficult the way our set up is, to get to the hens, we really can only get to the eggs and scoop out the shavings to clean it. I came home last night to another hen running around like crazy with a dead chick in her mouth (my 7 year old daughter screaming crying). So, I got my neighbor to come climb into the coop to get the docile cochin broody hen out of the box, leaving only one hen in there. I think most of the eggs are on day 22 now, I don't really know. I'm not sure what to do, I closed off the coop so the barred rock is the only one in the coop and no one else has access. I saw a crushed egg under her last night with a chick and no movement. I think the 2 broodies was too much weight and movement for the egg. I don't know how long to wait or what to do. Do I reach in and grab the eggs? What do I do now?

 

[PD-Riverman]

I am in a situation where I had a broody cochin, I gave her 10 fertile (so I thought) eggs to sit on. Then in comes another broody hen, barred rock and I read so many posts to just let them both sit on the eggs. We got 2 more eggs, so now a dozen a few days later. The barred rock has become aggressive. It's difficult the way our set up is, to get to the hens, we really can only get to the eggs and scoop out the shavings to clean it. I came home last night to another hen running around like crazy with a dead chick in her mouth (my 7 year old daughter screaming crying). So, I got my neighbor to come climb into the coop to get the docile cochin broody hen out of the box, leaving only one hen in there. I think most of the eggs are on day 22 now, I don't really know. I'm not sure what to do, I closed off the coop so the barred rock is the only one in the coop and no one else has access. I saw a crushed egg under her last night with a chick and no movement. I think the 2 broodies was too much weight and movement for the egg. I don't know how long to wait or what to do. Do I reach in and grab the eggs? What do I do now?

I wish in your reading you would have seen/read its best to put/block the hen by herself. Sure 2 broodies can get along and hatch, but a lot of times---it does not work----example, I have set 150+/- broodies in the last 3 years, All moved to private hatching pens--- all 150 hatched---150 beautiful nests of chicks---zero horror stories. That to me is 150 reasons to put the next 150 broodies in a private place. You can read where some leave them with the flock, some allow multi broodies in one nest, etc, etc, then you read some good stories but seem to read alot more horror stories from some that allow this to happen, Many, Many horror stories..

With your situation all I know to suggest is allow one hen to stay on the eggs, block off the rest so no chickens can get to the nest so no chickens can get the hatched chicks if they hatch, So Sorry you/your Daughter had to deal with this. If you want to hatch more in the future----I will be glad to share so your next broodies and you/daughter can have a Happy Hatch!

 

[DixieLW]

Mama hatched one baby. Some Eggs exploded...3 days later baby drowns in water dish. She still has eggs under her that I suspect she stole. Should I let her sit...or take them all away and start over...or break her?

 

[PD-Riverman]

Mama hatched one baby. Some Eggs exploded...3 days later baby drowns in water dish.

She still has eggs under her that I suspect she stole. Should I let her sit...or take them all away and start over...or break her?

Mercy, I am sorry, You can candle the eggs under her to see if any are alive----if not I would break her and let her get over this. Then if you get another broody----""before you do anything""----""""ask""""---I/we can direct you to where your next hatch is a pleasure instead of a nightmare. I set 150+/- broodies in the last 3 years, all hatched, with little to No problems---it can be done.

 

[DixieLW]

I have another one that went bloody about two weeks ago, so I moved some of the "stolen" eggs under her a couple days ago, which included some of hers.

I knew not to leave that water dish in there...stupid me. I felt bad. I just want to toss ALL the eggs and try again later. The baby was so cute!

Thanks for the offer of help!

 

[hofhine68]

So happy to discover this thread.

I just set ten Cream Legbar eggs under my broody Buff Orpington this weekend. Henrietta hatched Bielefelders for me last year.

I have a French Black Copper Marans hen who likes to go broody later in the summer. Last year she hatched Niederrheiners for me.

 

[lorelei71221]

So happy to discover this thread.

I just set ten Cream Legbar eggs under my broody Buff Orpington this weekend. Henrietta hatched Bielefelders for me last year.

I have a French Black Copper Marans hen who likes to go broody later in the summer. Last year she hatched Niederrheiners for me.

I am also trying hatch Cream Legbar eggs! They are so beautiful! I hope your hatch goes well.

This is my first experience with a broody hen (or eggs/chicks, for that matter) and I have several issues I'm trying to sort out. Here's the scenario:

- One of my Speckled Sussex, Taylor, went broody. After trying for 10 days to break her, I decided to let her fulfill her dream of being a mama, so I bought 6 fertilized Cream Legbar eggs to put under her. She is a devoted mama, but she was still getting up to eat, drink and poop.
- I candled the eggs on Day 1 and again on Day 6. Two of the 6 were yolkers and one looks like it died early (blood ring). But since I wasn't sure, I left them under her while I was out of town for the weekend.
- On Day 9 I got home, only to discover that my alpha chicken, Katy, has also gone broody and they were sharing a nest box. I candled the eggs again and confirmed my suspicions that only 3 of the 6 were viable, but I wanted to at separate the girls, so I gave them each 3 eggs--Taylor has 2 viable egg and one dead one; Katy has one viable egg and 2 dead ones. They are now living in adjacent nest boxes, apparently contentedly (although Katy pushed Taylor out of the preferred box). My concerns are:

1) If I leave the yolkers and the dead egg there, will they explode? Would it be better to only give them one or two live eggs?
2) I'm worried that Taylor isn't taking care of herself now because she's afraid if she leaves the box, Katy will steal her eggs. Her comb and wattles have gotten very pale over the last few days, although I am trying to throw them both out of the box to eat twice a day. Should I try to put food and water in the nest box?
3) Since their schedules are out of whack, will they both go into lockdown at the right time? Taylor has been broody for 20 days, the eggs are 10 days old, and Katy has been broody for 5 days.
4) If they each hatch a chick or two, will they fight over them? They have both been incredibly sweet hens so far--I've never seen them peck each other at all--but who knows what hormones will do.
5) What does my other hen, Britney, think of all this? She's all by herself now and can't figure out what's going on. (Because it's such a small flock to begin with, and they have always gotten along so well, I didn't want to separate them, although I know PDRiverman will tell me I should.

Any wisdom you all have to share would be much appreciated!

 

[DixieLW]

Well, I candled some of the eggs from under each broody. There is definitely something in all but two (which were probably laid today...) but I cannot detect movement in any of them. A couple were so dark I couldn't tell if anything is in them or not. I am so new to candling Im not sure what I am seeing or what to do. If they are alive, are the movements very slight, or hard not to notice? I think the australorp has abandoned the are I fixed up for her and move back to the nest boxes, too.

 

[PD-Riverman]

(Because it's such a small flock to begin with, and they have always gotten along so well, I didn't want to separate them, although I know PDRiverman will tell me I should.

No, No, No I want TELL you to separate them. I will tell you I would, but these are yours. I would remove any egg that's not any good too. A rotten busted/exploded egg is no fun.

Let me tell you Why I would Separate again---LOL, I set 150+/- in the last 3 years, ALL 150 hatched, all 150 had no problems, no wrong nest, no other hens in their nest, no other hens sharing their nest----Just hatch after hatch of beautiful chicks----all 150 hatches. No Horror stories, etc, etc. Yours might do great together!!

 

[hofhine68]

Hi lorelei71221

I'll try to answer all of your questions. I am by no means an expert, but what I have been doing works for me. Take what works for you and toss the rest. :^)

I'm sure I am missing things, so please ask any questions you may think of!

My broody hens get up once or twice a day throughout the whole process.

My buff goes broody first. When my Black Copper Marans goes broody I do what you did - give them each some eggs - but I wait until right before the first batch hatch before giving chicken #2 real eggs. I have wooden ones I bought some time ago but there are ceramic ones out there. They need to have a little heft to them or the hens throw them out of the box. If I know that an egg they are sitting on is "dead" I replace it with a fake egg.

When I take them off the nest in the afternoon to check on everybody I stay in the run. They are not off for more than 30 minutes, and then they go back to their nests and I am there to be sure that one does not steal/move the other's eggs around.

They don't go into lockdown the same way it would happen with an incubator. Both my broody hens got up once a day, sometimes twice a day, every day until the eggs hatch. A day before I expect the chicks to hatch I put a small waterer in the coop and shut the coop door so the other chickens can't "get involved."

Once the first nest of chicks hatch, I move the mom and chicks to a smaller hutch that is inside my big run. It looks almost like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Pawhut-Outdoo...2851713&sr=8-1&keywords=pawhut+triangle+hutch

Once a day I open the hutch so mom can wander the run and then go back to the hutch. (Same time I take the other hen off her eggs to check on everything.)

By the time the chicks are three weeks old the mom goes out into the run, and then calls the chicks to follow her. This is right about when chicken #2's eggs should be hatching and I move her to the hutch with her babies. The first batch now moves back into the regular coop with mama. By the time the chicks are three months they are sleeping on the highest roost bar.

I only have two hens that go broody - one of the buffs and one of the FBCMs. The rest of the hens don't seem to have any interest.

I have twelve hens in my run now. I have had no trouble with incorporating chicks into the flock with this process but I have heavy/docile breeds - French Black Copper Marans, Buff Orpingtons, Bielefelders, Barred Rocks, an Australorp, and two Ameraucanas. Breeds that are more high strung may react differently.

Last year I ended up with four chicks out of two batches of nine eggs each (18 eggs). One chick hatched in the first batch, three in the second. It was enough to keep my hens happy and I kept two of the four to add to my flock.

Please let me know if this is helpful!

~Kirstin