Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Phantom-Bantam]

Thank you for that. We are really only looking to add to our little flock this time at least. We really want to just experience it and see how it all goes but given how addictive chickens are who knows what may happen in the future. We have 1, pekin cockerl, 1 frizzle pekin and 2 normal pekins, 1 silkie and 1 little serama so a mixed flock. We are using the silkie to mother the eggs as she has always been prone to broodiness and went broody just at the right time so fingers crossed she pulls it off. But like you say this will definitely be a learning curve for us so I will try not to be too disappointed if nothing happens and will be delighted if we only just get one little fluff ball.

 

[cinnabunz]

Had my cochin go broody now she has 5baby fluff balls and 4 appear to be girls!!! So excited to see what they growup to look like since they were a random barnyard mix

 

[cinnabunz]

 

[NysiaAnera]

We have three broodies on eggs now, one with chicks, 8 chicks in a brooder... and a whole slew in an incubator. Yep, it totally figures that several would finally go broody after I started to incubate! Two of them should have chicks hatching at the same time as the incubator though, so maybe I can sneak some chicks out under them. Or perhaps just give them extra eggs at the end of day 17. That may be easier because they all chose floor nest boxes to brood in, so they are only accessible from the front, making sneaking chicks in very difficult.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Olive is a happy mother of 9. All are looking good. The littlest is the blue chipmunk...still not sure which hen that came from as it is a coloring I wasn't expecting. Hmmm.

Rosie is reduced to 3 eggs. Pulled the last one out as it was clearly not developing. Hopefully these last 3 will go.

Two washed, one unwashed.

LofMc

 

[sjturner79]

We have three broodies on eggs now, one with chicks, 8 chicks in a brooder... and a whole slew in an incubator. Yep, it totally figures that several would finally go broody after I started to incubate! Two of them should have chicks hatching at the same time as the incubator though, so maybe I can sneak some chicks out under them. Or perhaps just give them extra eggs at the end of day 17. That may be easier because they all chose floor nest boxes to brood in, so they are only accessible from the front, making sneaking chicks in very difficult.

If they are good Broodies I'd just turn off the incubator and give the hens the eggs

 

[NysiaAnera]

If they are good Broodies I'd just turn off the incubator and give the hens the eggs

As far as I can tell, each one is a first time broody. The Buff Orpington might be a second timer, but I would need to pull out last year's pictures for reference. I thought about just giving them the eggs, but I decided to wait and see how they do first. If all goes well, I will split the eggs in the incubator between them at day 17.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

One of my students mentioned she was going to do an egg hatching unit in school next month for science, and she was struggling in science.

What could I do but take her out and show her Olive with her brood of 9 chicks less than a week old.

Then we pulled Rosie's 3 eggs and brought them into the house to candle in my dark laundry room (normally I just do that at the coop at night, but it was daytime lessons).

ALL 3 are nicely developing for day 14.

My student was awed by the chick movement, and we noted the vein growth and air cell.

We carefully placed the eggs back under Rosie and talked about how she would stay on the nest pretty much 24/7 for 3 whole weeks, periodically turning the eggs.

I then started my student on my 4H egg unit with parts of the egg. We cracked one open and saw the blastoderm, since mine are fertile, and discussed the bullseye shape of the fertile germspot then discussed the albumin and yolk, membranes, chalazae, and shell...how it all works as a wonderously efficient little incubator.

We talked about how when the hen lays the egg at 106degrees, the cooling to ambient temperature vacuum packs the egg, which creates the air cell and helps prevent spoilage, and how the bloom protects from bacteria as well. The fertilized egg remains in stasis until brought to 100degrees for 24 hours, then the embryo begins to develop if kept to temperature for 21 days.

We watched an animated video of the embryo growth over those 21 days.

I left her with some homework sheets and diagrams to continue with next week to hopefully see Rosie's 3 little chicks freshly hatched (due on Saturday, and this is a Saturday student).

I feel accomplished.

For those interested, these are awesome tools for students learning about chick hatching:

(awesome animation of the embryo to chick process)
https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/sites/catalog/files/project/pdf/4-h1500.pdf (excellent egg hatching unit with work sheets useful for multiple grades)

Have fun.

Happy Easter
LofMc

 

[NysiaAnera]

Two more broodies got eggs today! That makes it 5 on eggs, one with chicks. 2 Buff Orpingtons (one being Buffy), 2 Buff Brahmas, and 2 Black Australorps.

 

[adnanfarms]

Is this is the the first peak by chick