Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Miss Lydia]

I think it will be fine. this goes on all the time and mama knows what to do. the shell will fall off as it dries. when i saw the chick under my hen last Sat. it was still wet and had some blood on it. the next day it was perfect. Congratulations on first chick..

 

[AKsmama]

Two of mine have hatched under mama! One seems really weak, but then again, I haven't messed with it, just lifted mama up to peek under her.

 

[Chicklette 1]

Miss Lydia.........hope all goes well with your hatch tomorrow! Let us hear from you early!

 

[Miss Lydia]

thats the way they are when first hatched. how many eggs left Aksmama?
Chicklett, thanks I am hoping for a great hatch too, a little worried though, these bantams [2] are sitting on Brahma eggs they have 3 each. I was a little concerned that that might not even be fertile, but because my cnadleing stinks, I did the float method, which they say not to do till past hatch date in case of pip or crack but these had neither, so any way did the float test this morning and 1 sunk the other 5 floated with just a small amt. out of the water which means they are viable. so I have my fingers crossed.

will let ya'll know just as soon as I see or hear anything. how are your chicks doing? and how is your sick chicken hopefully not sick any more.

 

[Chicklette 1]

Quote:
So far, so good........they are growin like weeds!

 

[Miss Lydia]

you had a sick chicken at the first of the week how is she doing?

 

[Whimsy]

I am on day 15 or maybe 16 now...tried to candle the eggs today. I had one that glowed and the rest were solid looking. I am assuming the glowing one is not viable and the others are?

I had planned to get a small hutch built this week for momma, however Kentucky has had record rainfall. So as usual I need to punt!!!!!

 

[AKsmama]

Quote:
She was sitting on 8 total. Four had pipped this afternoon- two of those hatched completely. The other two pips haven't done much more, but they are still peeping and moving. At least two other eggs haven't pipped at all, but I heard peeping from them just a few minutes ago.

The two hatched ones are chipmunk- striped. One is an EE for sure because it hatched from a blue egg, and I have four EE roos. We hardly ever see the Lakenvelder roo mating, so I'm pretty sure he's not the daddy of this one. The other hatched out of a brown egg, still could have an EE mom I suppose, but could be a Black Star mama too. Doesn't matter, they're my little mutts

Let me ask a question. (First of many, I am sure.) I pulled out the dry chick a few minutes ago, just to get a good look. Held it for maybe 30 seconds. I showed it to mama and she pecked the heck out of its head, just once, not injuring it. (I had no idea she would do that-I would never have deliberately put that little thing in danger.) But she raised up so I could place it back under her and snuggled right down on it and didn't make any moves to peck it again. What the heck? Was that the first time she had gotten a good look at it? It worries me, but she seemed happy enough to have it put back underneath her.

Oh my, between this and the tornado watch tonight, I am going to get no sleep. I am worried she'll turn on these babies now and we'll wake up to find them dead. I know it happens, but I don't want it to

 

[marymac]

My broody now has company. They are due to hatch on the 28 or 29 and 2 days now my big plymouth rock decided she wanted to help my BO sit on her eggs!! I am not sure if my PLymouth Rock is broody now too or is she just assisting. Tonight I went to let them out for a while and my Rock did not come outside as usual. Also when I checked under both of them I found a egg which was cracked open in half with the chick dead inside. I'm afraid 2 hens sitting in the same box is gona be bad for maybe breaking the eggs open, but at this point I'm afraid to mess too much with the hens. I'm thinking about moving my BO after the hatch with her babies to a large brooder. Would this be ok? What about the Rock should she go too or just wait and see if she is broody. can one hen being broody cause another hen to go broody? This chicken stuff can become very confusing, and just when I thought I was getting good at ir, lol.

 

[Amyable]

Wish me luck, tonight I stocked a broody with eggs, my first time hatching anything.

She's the first broody that I didn't 'break' by moving to a segregated area, a very sweet Columbian Wyandotte (the only broody girl this spring that coos instead of growls, ha ha.) I put 7 Blue Ameraucanas and 1 EE egg under her, May 18 is the big day.

Oh boy oh boy oh boy!

100 pages here, I've got a lot of reading to do