Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[emmie325]

I think I'm going to try it when she goes broody again it'll give her something to sit on when she does go broody

 

[nchls school]

I think I'm going to try it when she goes broody again it'll give her something to sit on when she does go broody

Good luck. This interests me to the point that I'm actually thinking of trying to find some quail eggs just to see if the serama hens would raise them. But, what to do with the quail should the experiment be a success.

 

[emmie325]

Lol I plan on keeping some for eggs and maybe meat not sure yet

 

[MoreChickensPlz]

So I have a bantam cochin thats sitting on some eggs, the other day I was hanging out with my ducklings outside and I see her jump out of her little house and run so fast to jump on the chain link fence (its not very high) and squirt out very smell poop

hahaha. Is it normal for her poo to be so smelly? Also is it ok if I bring her treats(scratch, veggies, fruit) while shes broody?

 

[nchls school]

So I have a bantam cochin thats sitting on some eggs, the other day I was hanging out with my ducklings outside and I see her jump out of her little house and run so fast to jump on the chain link fence (its not very high) and squirt out very smell poop

hahaha. Is it normal for her poo to be so smelly? Yes. Also is it ok if I bring her treats(scratch, veggies, fruit) while shes broody? Yes. It is not a good idea to give treats while the hen is on the nest as that will cause the hen to defecate in the nest. The same is true for putting treats near the nest. All food and water should be placed well away from the nest.

 

[MoreChickensPlz]

Thanks for the quick response!

 

[PD-Riverman]

Also is it ok if I bring her treats(scratch, veggies, fruit) while shes broody?

Yes but as stated feed her away from the nest---never give her food while she is in/on the nest in My Opinion!

 

[lorelei71221]

From what PD-Riverman posted, yes, the chicks need to be taken and put in a brooder. This I am sure he is right in saying. Quail and chicken chicks are quite dissimilar. I also agree that quail eggs break easily and bantam covers a wide variety of sizes. My 10 ounce serama might be able to brood and hatch corturnix quail eggs. Some corturnix are of similar size.

What will the hen do if you take away her chicks right away? Will she just go back to laying?

 

[nchls school]

What will the hen do if you take away her chicks right away? Will she just go back to laying?

Quite likely the hen will go back to brooding the nest at which time you could give her more eggs to hatch. If she does go back to brooding it would be better to break her of the broodiness for the hen's health. Most hens loose weight when brooding.

 

[PD-Riverman]

What will the hen do if you take away her chicks right away? Will she just go back to laying?

You can place the hen in the guail pen to mother them for a while----If you just left the quail in a bigger wire pen they would disappear/fly away in time which is the reason I said to put them in a quail pen(wire small enough they can not get through it).!!