Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Jabbok]

Here is a link to my blog and pictures of the mama hen and I quickly tried getting a picture of the peep.

http://strobelshappenings.blogspot.com/2011/04/chicky-picture-365.html

 

[countrygirl911]

Quote:
what i saw was some stringy looking stuff on the yolk where the bulls eye is so i figured that it had started to develop i almost looked lie a piece of string all my other eggs do not have that just the ones she was sitting on. How do i break her i have taken eggs away, dunked her bottom in cold water shooed her off and nothing is working to break them would love for one of them to go broody but they are just teasing me this has been going on since thursday. My BR does it every other day and so does my RIR. one day it is the BR and the next is the RIR. will they ever finally go broody.

 

[StormyMoon]

hmm I think when they develop you should see a red dot even at day 4 there is a floating bobbing red dot I believe some say this is the eye?
I could be wrong.....someone else can chime in and explain better than me tho.

 

[StormyMoon]

Quote:
what i saw was some stringy looking stuff on the yolk where the bulls eye is so i figured that it had started to develop i almost looked lie a piece of string all my other eggs do not have that just the ones she was sitting on. How do i break her i have taken eggs away, dunked her bottom in cold water shooed her off and nothing is working to break them would love for one of them to go broody but they are just teasing me this has been going on since thursday. My BR does it every other day and so does my RIR. one day it is the BR and the next is the RIR. will they ever finally go broody.

I have had my br and my rir for over a year now non have gone broody but my Australorp is one crazy broody chicken and she means business she isnt mean or anything to us but she sure does look wild and crazy if I was another chicken i wouldnt dare mess with her.

 

[countrygirl911]

i just wish they would make up there minds they are the only 2 that are acting like they want to go broody but they have not made the leap yet. someone told me that 4 to 7 days after the first signs hens usually goes broody for the BR that is between the 5th and 8th and for the RIR that would be between 6th and 9th is this true.

 

[eleanorkay]

I moved my broody with her four chicks to a dog carrier in the run last night. Its enclosed with roof, plastic and straw around sides but its only been in the 30's at and 40's during the day.
Mama is keeping them warm but here I am at 5:30 am getting ready to go out and put a heat lamp on. I've worried all night that its too cold for them to get to the water and food. Is this what I need to do or should I move them into the basement where its warmer? Thanks.

 

[boxermom]

They will be fine, eleanorkay. I had a broody last year in February. The coop was only 20 deg. I put a heat lamp in her brooder, but the chicks didn't use it. They used mama.

However, mama used it for sunbathing.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Quote:
If it's a white stringy thing that could be the chalaza, the bits that hold the yolk centered in place inside the shell. It's in every egg, some are more noticeable than others. Here's a link to photos of chick development day by day http://lancaster.unl.edu/4h/Embryology/embryophotos.shtml I still think that the eggs should be edible after 6 hours of incubation.

I started a thread on How to Break a Broody here https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=181289 Hope it helps.

 

[phasianidae]

Quote:
I bought chick starter and that should be good for their food, right?

Thank you!

I use feed somewhere between laying feed and chick feed. The chicks will be fine with that type of ration as long as they are aloud to forage.

 

[PamB]

UGH! I have many broodies and four of them sat on some eggs. Well, Day 21 came and went and NONE of the five eggs under them hatched.

Three wouldn't give up, so I gave them four more eggs. I ended up separating just two about a week ago because the third was pecking and stealing eggs from the other two all the time. Anyway, yesterday was Day 21. NOTHING is happening AGAIN!

Do you think it is because they were taking the eggs from eachother in the beginning? A few months ago, I had one broody sit on five eggs and they ALL hatched. The only thing I can think of is that these multiple broodies just aren't working. Anyone ever experience this? I feel so bad...these poor two girls have been sitting for six weeks now. I'm going to have to try to break them if none hatch. I'm really sad for them because they've been working so hard.

ETA: All were developing well at day 10 when last candled.