Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[countrygirl911]

di i need to take the eggs out of the box they were layed yesterday and today she sat on then all morning for about 4 to 6 hrs 4 hrs i know of did she ruin them for sitting that long on them

 

[tinahoak]

My broodie Silkie was sitting on 10 eggs, as of today 3 have hatched

...7 more to go! They are just the cutest! The eggs belong to her and her "sister" silkie , the only roosters I have are cochins ..... should be interesting looking babies

Tina H

 

[stonykill]

We had luckily only a few inches of snow last night (12 inches was forecast). I opened the shed doors for my broody, and put food and water outside of the shed for her. She never came out to eat (no footprints in the snow). So I put the food and water in the shed she is nesting in. I'm guessing if she were hungry she would have eaten?

Also my other potential broody is not quite ready. I removed all the eggs (13 ...gonna be a good breakfast tomorrow!) and replaced them with golfballs.

 

[BlackBart]

Some eat, some don't.
Some get off to do a gigantic broody poo, some do it in the nest. The stinkiest yuckiest thing you will ever see come out of a chicken.
If I know she is a stubborn broody, I will change her bedding. I can't imagine spending 21 days living with a broody poo.

It was raining buckets today.
The new Mother Hen had her bumblebees (chicks) out in the rain. After a little bit she would call them all back in and sit on them. I guess when she felt they had warmed up enough, back out into the rain they all went.
It when on like that all day.

 

[countrygirl911]

Quote:
how do you know when they are ready i have one that sits for hours at a time and leaves the nest for 2 hrs and back on again the weather here has been in the high 8o's and inside the coop even hotter is just getting ready to go broody or is she teasing me

 

[stonykill]

Quote:
how do you know when they are ready i have one that sits for hours at a time and leaves the nest for 2 hrs and back on again the weather here has been in the high 8o's and inside the coop even hotter is just getting ready to go broody or is she teasing me

I waited until "Black Broody" nested on 2 golfballs all day. I then moved her to another nest, which she rejected. I put 5 eggs in the nest where she was nesting on golfballs, and she has been there since. They will tease you for a while. I have one doing that now. Someone put all the signs somewhere in this thread I think. But as they are warming up to going broody, they sit for 3 to 5 hours on a nest then leave. They puff all up like a turkey when they are broody and approached. And they are truely in a trance.

 

[Fuffy]

Quote:
how do you know when they are ready i have one that sits for hours at a time and leaves the nest for 2 hrs and back on again the weather here has been in the high 8o's and inside the coop even hotter is just getting ready to go broody or is she teasing me

I waited until "Black Broody" nested on 2 golfballs all day. I then moved her to another nest, which she rejected. I put 5 eggs in the nest where she was nesting on golfballs, and she has been there since. They will tease you for a while. I have one doing that now. Someone put all the signs somewhere in this thread I think. But as they are warming up to going broody, they sit for 3 to 5 hours on a nest then leave. They puff all up like a turkey when they are broody and approached. And they are truely in a trance.

That's why mine gets called 'Mrs Fuffy Puffy' whenshe's broody

Waiting for her to get on with it so I can try again

 

[Terri O]

Looky what I found waiting for me:

I was pretty surprised becaus I wasnt even missing that hen! She is one of the "barn hens" and had a sister that looks just like her so I though she had come into the coop for now. Anyhow...she only came out with three and since I have no idea where she was nesting, I couldnt check for late eggs

. The one I set in the coop box is still tight on her 13 eggs....I expect them next week sometime!
I think I will likely have a truckload of chicks in about 3 weeks...My egg count has been really down which means they are hiding them. I found out why I wasnt finding turkey eggs too...she has her own nest up in the rafters of the chicken coop! ANd here I though something had gotten her. Dumb turkeys would rather sleep in the trees than in the coop anyhow! Now if the guineas would just get on the hatching train I would be really happy!

I have a question....has anyone ever tried hatching button quail under a chicken? I have had button eggs in the bator twice now and they get fully developed and then dont pip! I have no idea what the problem is. THought I might slip a few under a hen and see what happens!
Terri O

 

[yotetrapper]

Well, mine fooled me. She abandonned ship. She had 3 "test" eggs, but when I checked on her this morning, she didnt peck at me or growl or anything, which I found weird, so I reached under her and saw she had kicked out 2 of the eggs, and didnt much care to sit on the third, lol. I have several that are wannabe broodies, but, none have committed yet.

 

[yotetrapper]

Awww cute. I SO want to hatch with a broody, but I have such bad luck ever getting one to get serious.