Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[BittyBanty]

One of my OEGB girls has started her 21 day journey to motherhood. Wish her luck cause she is sure determined! She hid 6 eggs in the tall weeds and I only found them when searching for her by flashlight on the second night she was gone. They are moved to the pen and in a comfy (and secure) nestbox. We are hoping for chicks around April 6th-8th.

 

[NottinghamChicks]

Wow, congratulations to all of your broodys! How exciting to have nature return to the barnyard. My Cochin mix is due to hatch on the 22nd and the 24th. Hope she has good eggs because she has been such a good momma

I will be taking way too many pics for all to see so I hope you don't mind

 

[Miss Lydia]

I don't mind at all I love baby pictures

 

[Chicklette 1]

Well, my first hatch certainly had it's ups and downs! I had a broody silky and her silky roo who I was sure had bred. I had no intention of hatching eggs but she seemed so desperate to be on those eggs that I relented and on Mar. 23rd gave her 3 of her eggs and let her sit on them. It got very crazy because the other hens would sit on her eggs and add some other infertile eggs to the pile so I decided to move her to a separate nest and coop with her own water and food. In the meantime, I am trying to learn to candle eggs with a flashlite and the candling development chart that i printed from this site. I must say the by the time I was through, I was candling with good results. I spent a lot of time in the corner of the closet where the light seemed to be just perfect. I was very excited because I saw something moving in all 3 eggs. Now I am 2 days away from hatch and I see a little hole in one egg but something about the hole bothered. The shell around the hole was pushed in and not out as I would have expected. Next day I picked her up to see what was happening and the whole side of the shell was pushed in and there was quite a bit of blood. I took it out and opened it the rest of the way and there was a perfectly formed chick except the yolk was not all used up. It was opening it's mouth trying to breathe so I tried putting it back under the mother (stupid to think it could live but too upset to throw it away). Anyway, next day it was dead and off to the side in the nest so I disposed of it. Finally, on hatch day, one chick hatched and by the next morning the second chick had hatched. Nice clean hatches. I put the chick food and a small waterer in with them and it appeared that they had eaten and I also dipped their beaks in the water. I got 8 baby chicks from MPC the same day and put them in the brooder. I had my silkie in a coop protected from rain, wind, etc. with her nest box. All went well for a couple of days and then I was checking her and the babies and I only saw one baby under her wing. I looked all over and sure enough, at the back of the coop, next to the nest box, the chick was lying there dead. I do not know what happened but I really thought the mother would round up her chicks and keep them warm, etc. I know they were able to get in and out of the nest because I saw them do it. It was the larger of the 2 chicks and appeared very healthy. No signs of anything done to the chick..........just dead. I really thought I had covered all my bases as I was very excited about having my first hatch. I took the remaining chick and put it in with the 8 chicks I got a few days before. She has fit right in and eats and drinks and sleeps with all the others but boy, she (notice I've made her female already) is the tiniest little thing ever. I have 3 silkies in with her but they are much bigger. Anyway my first hatch went less than stellar! Any thoughts or suggestions to improve my next hatch would be most welcome.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I am so sorry your first hatch with a broody didn't go well. If this is her first time she is learning and so are you. Things happen and we can't always explain it. I hope you won't give up on her. From all I've heard about Silkies is they are great brooders and mothers. Sounds like you did all the right things, I don't even candle, if they hatch they hatch. So hoping for a better time for you and your little silkie next time.

 

[kingpartyof5]

I checked in on my young BA broody hen. She is on day three and got up off the nest while I was out, so I peeked in to see 14 eggs in there! Wow, that's crazy. Anyway, there is dried egg yolk all over most of the eggs. I checked them all and they are crack free. I have not had a broken egg in awhile and there were no remains in the nest or coop. Did she eat one? Is it going to effect development if I leave the dried yolk on them? Should I clean them off? (if so, with what?)

Thanks.

 

[Chicklette 1]

Quote:
Thank you Miss Lydia........You made me feel better about it anyway. I felt my mama silkie did her best and she tended her eggs so I really do not know what happened but I still think she is a wonderful little mother and will have her hatch again. I still cannot believe how little this one that I have from her turned out. I am watching her very carefully but in spite of her size, she seems strong so I am pleased that I have one out of the 3 I started with. I felt badly taking her one chick away but I was fearful and after mama was convinced that there were no chicks in her pen, she went right back to being just one of the group.

 

[Miss Lydia]

sounds like you did the right thing in taking the chick also, would love to see pictures and glad to hear it's doing so well.

 

[mammat]

I am glad to have found this thread. I am first time hatching eggs and am using a silkie incubator. She is soooo cute. Due to hatch on Sat 23rd. Hope she does a good job taking care of them. We have her is a very large dog crate that I have used for my purchased day old chicks before so I know they cannnot wander off. I currently have pine shavings in there. Any ideas what I shoudl put in there for bedding instead? Her next is made of shavings but I could clean out the rest of the cloor space and replace with newspaper. What do you think?

 

[mammat]

I am glad to have found this thread. I am first time hatching eggs and am using a silkie incubator. She is soooo cute. Due to hatch on Sat 23rd. Hope she does a good job taking care of them. We have her is a very large dog crate that I have used for my purchased day old chicks before so I know they cannnot wander off. I currently have pine shavings in there. Any ideas what I shoudl put in there for bedding instead? Her next is made of shavings but I could clean out the rest of the cloor space and replace with newspaper. What do you think?