Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Faraday40]

Well...I said I was done with hatching this summer...and I've now set 5 more eggs under Rosie who has fledged the 2 Cream Legbar chicks (at about 4 weeks of age...Vivi, my Silkie nannied them for another 3 weeks).

I've discovered that my RSL/Barnevelder daughter not only lays really nice brown red eggs, but that her daughter (after breeding mom back to Barnevelder poppa) looks like a Barnevelder. I only set one of RSL/Barnevelder eggs as I was focused more on the olive and dark brown development....those 4 daughters are about 12 weeks now...with this one 3/4 Barnevelder/1/4 RSL that is really looking nicely Gold Laced Barnevelder....pretty lacing and everything (leg color may be just a bit off...a little too dark).

So I rounded up more of RSL/Barney eggs to see if it is true...by 2nd generation, with 3/4 Barnevelder and 1/4 RSL...will I consistently get Barnevelder looking birds?

Hopefully time will tell

So day 0...set tonight.

LofMc

Barnies are a pretty bird, so making more pretty birds sounds like a lot of fun. Genetics are a funny thing & strange things can pop up. I had to pretty brown roo (that hatched from a pink egg) and a pretty golden hen that laid med brown eggs. The pairing produced a funny-looking pullet that laid olive eggs. The egg color really surprised me.

+ =

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Barnies are a pretty bird, so making more pretty birds sounds like a lot of fun. Genetics are a funny thing & strange things can pop up. I had to pretty brown roo (that hatched from a pink egg) and a pretty golden hen that laid med brown eggs. The pairing produced a funny-looking pullet that laid olive eggs. The egg color really surprised me. QUOTE]

Yes...genetics are a funny thing....which makes them also a lot of fun.

My black Isbar/Marans has dutifully produced nothing but black daughters who I will have to wait to see if they lay olive or dark (hopefully) brown.

My Splash/Barney daughters...my greys...have produced mostly black offspring with one exception...a stunning blue chipmunk that was developing into a blue with red/brown. Unfortunately it was an extra roo, so I had to send him off but I would have loved to see how that was going to turn out....those genetics will be the next thing I monkey with to see what that pattern turns out to be.

Oh, then of course there is the breeding pair I just hatched with the Cream Legbars...and I had to rehome and lost the only pullet of the last CL/Barney pairing...it was a stunning black with gold penciling...a customer hatched the same color tones too.

So much to do. So little time. So little space. (Seriously...do we really need a front yard?)

LofMc

 

[fisherlady]

My front yard is now storing a boat and a couple of utility trailers which used to be in back yard....which now has a second coop and has basically become a chicken playground!

 

[luvmychicken]

I have 2 bloody guinea and a bloody mallard. Does that count

 

[buterflysbeauty]

So today is hatch day! Big mama got up just now, first time today and our golden EE, Harper went right in and sat on the nest. She hasn't went far from the coop all day which is odd. Its not the first time shes done this this hatch. Anyone else have a hen babysit?

 

[Lady of McCamley]

So today is hatch day! Big mama got up just now, first time today and our golden EE, Harper went right in and sat on the nest. She hasn't went far from the coop all day which is odd. Its not the first time shes done this this hatch. Anyone else have a hen babysit?

I generally find it best to block momma off at lock down. I've had other hens try to hoard into the nest. It has always ended up with squashed chicks as they are very vulnerable while hatching.

Momma shouldn't be up and foraging now. The EE may be interested, but it would be surprising if she stays for the whole hatch. She'll likley get up and hopefully Big Momma will return...or they may both try to sit on the nest with disastrous results....and you could get some shrink wrapping as humidity changes when hens change.

Generally not a good system, but maybe you'll get lucky.

Hope all turns out well.

LofMc

 

[buterflysbeauty]

I generally find it best to block momma off at lock down. I've had other hens try to hoard into the nest. It has always ended up with squashed chicks as they are very vulnerable while hatching.

Momma shouldn't be up and foraging now. The EE may be interested, but it would be surprising if she stays for the whole hatch. She'll likley get up and hopefully Big Momma will return...or they may both try to sit on the nest with disastrous results....and you could get some shrink wrapping as humidity changes when hens change.

Generally not a good system, but maybe you'll get lucky.

Hope all turns out well.

LofMc

Big mama is the top hen and no one else has but harper has dared touch the nest since she's been sitting. Mama got up to go potty and eat, she was off maybe 20mins. Harper laid her egg and left within 10mins of sitting on the eggs. I haven't blocked them off since she is the top hen. So i didn't think i need too. Everyone is still peeping.

Do you guys start the incubator when its hatch day with a broody just in case she leaves or there's still eggs when everyone else has hatched? 4/7 eggs have pipped.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Big mama is the top hen and no one else has but harper has dared touch the nest since she's been sitting. Mama got up to go potty and eat, she was off maybe 20mins. Harper laid her egg and left within 10mins of sitting on the eggs. I haven't blocked them off since she is the top hen. So i didn't think i need too. Everyone is still peeping.

Do you guys start the incubator when its hatch day with a broody just in case she leaves or there's still eggs when everyone else has hatched? 4/7 eggs have pipped.

I don't, unless they are really expensive purchased breeder eggs. I expect my hens to do the work.

Many do start up an incubator for back up.

LofMc

 

[Tribalchickens]

Hello, we have 7 chickens and between us have had many chickens previously, but are not experienced with hatching and rearing chicks, mumma chick was extremely broody and very young and we couldnt break her, we done a lot of research into it and understood that she would do it herself. I had to start feeding her as she didnt leave the nest for six days and started getting weak and her comb turned a greyish green. I would rather her abandon the eggs and her survive, so i held out overipe fruit and she started then expecting a delivery service every day ahaha! She started to move around a bit more but not eating or drinking so the waitress service continued. She is now doing it on her own and letting us know very vocally when she leaves her nest.
I have tried finding out about how we help raise the chicks if she gets it a little wrong again and what we do in terms of keeping them together and when to clean the nest etc... cant find anything anywhere else!
Four days until due hatch!
Xx

 

[Faraday40]

Hello, we have 7 chickens and between us have had many chickens previously, but are not experienced with hatching and rearing chicks, mumma chick was extremely broody and very young and we couldnt break her, we done a lot of research into it and understood that she would do it herself. I had to start feeding her as she didnt leave the nest for six days and started getting weak and her comb turned a greyish green. I would rather her abandon the eggs and her survive, so i held out overipe fruit and she started then expecting a delivery service every day ahaha! She started to move around a bit more but not eating or drinking so the waitress service continued. She is now doing it on her own and letting us know very vocally when she leaves her nest.
I have tried finding out about how we help raise the chicks if she gets it a little wrong again and what we do in terms of keeping them together and when to clean the nest etc... cant find anything anywhere else!
Four days until due hatch!
Xx

Chicken room service sounds pretty nice. One of my broodies was like that. She was set up in her own broody apartment in the garage. Each day she'd wait until I came by. As I checked on her food & water, she'd hop off the nest & relieve herself. I'd remove that smelly load ASAP.... which of course reinforced the idea. Why sit in a smelly cage all day when she knew that I'd clean it up right away for her? Time of day didn't matter. It was merely my presence that brought it out.

In the last few days before hatching, the hen shouldn't really move off the nest. If it is possible for a new chick to accidentally fall out, then you may want to block off the nest somehow. The chicks should hatch & pretty much stay warm under mama for the 1st day while all their siblings hatch. Once hatched, I like to move mine into a rabbit cage, or something like that, for the 1st week. (Tiny chicks have a way of slipping through cracks or wandering off into danger.) It's no problem moving the family AFTER they're all out of the shell. Mama simply wants her chicks & is happy fussing over them.

I hope you have a successful hatch and enjoy watching your hen with her babies.