Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[ronikins]

Ok, I guess I'll give it a trial run and leave baby with mama. I haven't seen the cats go into the coop yet. I am just worried they'll catch wind and decide to go in there. I don't have the mama and baby in any special area. They are just in the big coop on a haybale that's about a foot and half tall. The water I have in the coop for the adult chickens is a tall bucket. And the feeder is up off the ground. I guess I'll have to put a small waterer and feeder for the baby. But I don't know how the baby will get back up on the haybale when it's bed time....

What about when the other babies hatch in the nest boxes? Those are about 3 feet off the ground.

Sorry for all the questions. I just don't want the baby to die. I'd feel very awful...

Here's a better pic of the new one

 

[NotAFarm]

Your broody looks very determined in the pic. She will not leave the chick on the ground if it can't get back up. She'll stay down with it. You will be surprised how fast the chicks are able to jump up on mom's back and get carried around by her. Since it's an "only child", she will have her full attention on it and will be a force to be reckoned with if anything bothers the chick. Since they are in the coop with other adults, many times the others will also protect chicks from harm (of course, sometimes the other adult chicken can also be the source of harm). I'd let mama have a shot at raising the chick, it's the natural thing to do. You will need to put a waterer in where the chick can reach it. Also, be careful that the bucket of water you mentioned in not in a place where the chick could get into it and drown. I use the plastic lids from ice cream tubs or paper/plastic plates for new chicks. It's best if the chick food isn't accessible to the flock or they will eat it and leave none for the chick. Broodies are the best!!

 

[ronikins]

OK, I'm feeling better about it. Thank you for saying that.

I also meant to say that the mom is a BO and the dad is a RIR. All the hens are BOs. And there is only one rooster.... lucky guy

 

[OrpingtonManor]

So awesome to see a chick with a mama hen!

Sadly, I don't think my broody girls are going to hatch anything for their troubles. They were due on Tuesday, but nothing has happened. I'm still leaving them, since it's been cold. I figure the extra two days won't hurt. Then, if nothing happens, I'll take the last egg, and put two of my newly hatched 'bator chicks under tham. I hope it fools them.

 

[quiltnchik]

Quote:
Make sure you do it at night. Remove the egg and replace it with a chick and/or chicks. Keep each chick inside your fist and place it under the hen, then walk away. When you go back in the morning, all should be fine; that's what we did with my broody and it worked like a charm

 

[mskittydjs]

Ronikins...your BO looks just like mine!!! Mine had been playing with being broody for a week now and then Monday night, before going to bed, I went to check my girls and saw Cinderella sitting in the nest! AT NIGHT!!!

She is in most of the girls favorite nest box and I had no idea how many eggs she had under her, since I had emptied 6 eggs out of it earlier in the evening. I didn't want to disturb her since this was so new to her. I waited til Tuesday morning and she was still there. She came running out to eat snacks with the other girls and I was able to see the nest. She did not even have her own egg under her...it was an Ameraucauna blue egg!!!! So after work Tuesday, I checked on her and she was still there!!!!

Wednesday morning, she did not come out to eat with the other girls so I tried to offer some water and feed but she refused it. I was worried all day long about how many eggs she had under her since some of the other girls really like that box! So tonight, I prepared an outside huge nest cage (that I bought from on old farmer for just this reason!) and during the hours of darkness, I transferred 12 of the 20 eggs from under her and then her to the cage with food and water. There is no telling what I will hatch since I have 7 types of girls and 4 different big boys! It doesn't matter cuz I'll love them anyways!! So I am figuring (from all the reading/learning I have done here!) that I should have some babies around May4th!!!

I will definitely be reading this post to see how everyone else's hatches go and let you know how mine is. This is my 1st time having a broody so I am excited!! Thank you to all of you who have been inspirational in teaching me and (without even knowing it) encouraging me to try a natural hatch!!! Thanks again!!!

 

[sandracollins]

I have a b.o that went broody last week I put 20 call duck eggs under her and when I candled them last night 14 were fertile 2 were broken( she is a very big hen and very small eggs ) and the other 4 looked clear but it's only day 4 so I left them there for another while. She is quite mean and kept pecking me, she is in a dog cage with the door open but she hadn't come out for 4 days so I put her outside yesterday to streach her legs and she walked like she was an old man stiff all over. How long have your broodies gone without leaving the nest ? She has food and water in the dog box with her but dosent seem to eat much but man did she do an elephant poop when I put her out

 

[Miss Lydia]

broodies run out poop eat drink and fluff their feathers up and scream and run right back in, so some time when we don't see them they are doing all the above. lol. I'm worried now since my brahma hen hatch her 2 on Tuesday that she hasn't brought them out yet to eat. theres food in the coop but as far as I can tell she hasn't left the nest with them. Do I need to be worried? also congrats on the hatches everyone, can't wait to see pictures of mama hen and her call duck babies..

and I posted this link yesterday but don't know how many saw it it has great info about Broody hens etc.

http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Broody-Hens-1.html

and ronkins, love the picture of your hen and chick

 

[NotAFarm]

Quote:
Were these the only two eggs she had? My broody that hatched two weeks ago today, had at least one early a.m. Thursday and didn't bring them out until Saturday morning. She had 11 chicks and left one egg, an earlier quitter, in the nest when she came out. Keep in mind that shipped chicks are sent out at a day old and then spend 2-3 days in shipment. The chicks can live off of the yolk they absorbed but if they are not out by Friday, I would be thinking there is something else going on, especially if those are the only two eggs she had.

 

[Miss Lydia]

She had 3 eggs and only 2 hatched the other wasn't fertile so I took it out yesterday. So she has just the 2 chicks in the nest with her. My dh says she'll bring them out today when it warms up. I hope so but thanks for the encouragement, I'll just watch at a distance and see how she does. Just a little nervous since it's her first time.