Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[IroquoisEgg]

Yeah, taking them away just seemed mean-like if someone tried to take my kids from me-Momma would be opening a can of you know what! My other gals are easy going actually, we have continually all year long added new members to the flock, of all ages and usually not so much as even a peck-of course there's the chase 'em away thing but honestly very little actual contact.

The nest box is about 5 inches of the ground though-I should probably build a little ladder, right? Do I need to put chick feed and a waterer out there on the coop floor? Here's a picture of my broodies-they were all set on the same day and the Black Silkie on the right has at least 1 chick under her-not sure about the others but I have seen parts of Emo's (my 5yr old son named her-not sure what an "emo" is..but hey why not) chick and heard the peeping. I thought about just adding alot of pine shavings over there, sorta bring the ground up to the boxes but I dunno.

Whaddya think?

 

[Chicklette 1]

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I don't know what the longest time is, but I had one pip, and 12 hours later finally hatch. She was really weak after that, but is perfectly healthy now!

Thanks for your response. I guess I will have to wait until morning now. Hopefully it was not an accidental little hole in the egg put there by mama's nail or something!

 

[angidee]

Anyone know if vaccinating the chicks hatched by a broody hen will make her reject them when returned?

 

[OrpingtonManor]

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I hope not. I'll be trying it, too.

 

[stonykill]

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I don't know what the longest time is, but I had one pip, and 12 hours later finally hatch. She was really weak after that, but is perfectly healthy now!

Thanks for your response. I guess I will have to wait until morning now. Hopefully it was not an accidental little hole in the egg put there by mama's nail or something!

good luck!

 

[Miss Lydia]

cute pictures mprivett, and IE, I built the floor up under my broodies nest boxes using pine shaving, any way good luck on hatching today, my Brahma hen has one hatched out so far today 2 more to go. ya'll have a good one!

 

[quiltnchik]

I went on a quilt retreat from March 25th through the 28th. When I got home on the 28th, my Silkie hen and her mate were still penned up, so I let them both out. My hen raced me to the laundry room door, so I figured she needed to go in, get in her cage and lay her egg (she's a bit spoiled! lol). When she continued to sit, and sit, and sit, I knew what was going on with her - another broody! I let her sit on golf balls for a couple of days (I took her egg that she laid that day away from her), and then put 4 of her eggs and 4 eggs from my mixed flock under her. I candled night before last and all of the eggs are developing well, though one was a bit dark and hard to tell for sure. I was most excited about her little eggs and can't wait to see her with her biddies, which are due to hatch around the 20th - only a week to go!

 

[kingdr85]

Everyone keep posting the pics!!! - THEY ARE AWESOME.

 

[AlbionWood]

If, as hoped, the eggs under our two broodies hatch... will I need to get medicated (coccidiostat) feed for the chicks, or will they develop immunity from being on the ground from the start? I really don't want to get medicated feed, because then I have to keep it away from the rest of the hens; my customers don't want medicine in their eggs.

 

[marathonmultiplesmom]

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Your Delaware roo looks JUST like mine