Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[stonykill]

Quote:
well that just stinks! None of the feed stores have any chicks? Or do you just have to buy too many of them?

 

[CrestedGirl]

Just found this thread here is a pic of my broody with her chick

 

[Miss Lydia]

we have 1 feed store and they don't do chicks. the TSC thats about 25 miles from us has none. will check the Iwanna and see if theres any listed there. So do ya'll think its not a good idea to let her continue on some bantam eggs I know are fertile? ccc63 cute pic. congratulations!!

 

[featherz]

Well, I stuck five eggs under my broody today. Plus she still has two fake ones under there that I can't get out. She's making all the growly noises now, so I guess she's bonafide. I'm putting food and water under her nose, but she will get up at some point, right?

 

[stonykill]

Quote:
If she is up to it, I don't see the harm in it.

 

[Miss Lydia]

you need to put the food far enough away from her that she has to get up or she'll more than likely poop where she lays which isn't good. she will get up to eat.

 

[stonykill]

Quote:
My 3 broodys all exibited the same behavior. They got up at least every other day, and ate, screamed, ran around, drank, screamed, dust bathed, screamed, drank some more, screamed, ate a little more, then puffed up and screamed all the way back to their nest. Ohh, I forgot, broody poop as well. They need to get up and stretch once in a while.
I gave my 1st broody food right in her nest. She paid no attention to it, and got up and did the above every other day at least for 19 days. Then her hatch started.

 

[stonykill]

well I seem to have broken little blues broodyness for now. For 2 days she didn't lay an egg. Something that hasn't happened since she started laying. She has never missed more than 1 day a week. So this morning I found her on her golfballs.... in her unsafe nest, and I chased her out, took the golf balls. She has been hanging with the rest of the crew all day long. She doesn't know it, but I saved her life.

 

[Miss Lydia]

She'll thank you for it one day stony, So I think I'll see how she does for a couple of days, if she gets up and never comes back when I open her door, then it will be over. I am just not sure how she will act towards the other hens and chicks, she is the one I moved to the small coop and locked up because she was trying to take another hens chicks, she wanted to trade her eggs for chicks. Do you think the one lone chick will be okay with out sibblings? Her mama is a really good mama.

 

[BittyBanty]

Nine days to go and all seems well. My broody gets off the nest like a streak of lightning when I open the pen to let everybody out in the mornings and runs under my feet begging for food. Five minutes later she is back on the nest. Rinse and repeat two or maybe three times through the day. I've not candled any eggs to keep from upsetting her although she seems pretty stoic about it all. We'll see what I get when the time comes.