Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

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UPDATE:

I haven't been on here in a while. Since we have had such nice weather, I have been spending a lot of time outside. I have been very busy with the new chicks, and finally got a duck house finished. Boy, was it nice to get my ducks outside. I have even started planting some in our our garden. Anyhow, I thought I would update everyone on our rapidly growing chicks. We have some chicks in a brooder in the house, and it amazes me how quickly the ones outside are growing compared to the ones we have inside. This picture is of the chicks when they were seven days old.
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Here they are today at 16 days old. Look how big they are! I posted a few pictures that I took today because I am wondering if you guys think I might have two roosters. The red chick and one of the black chicks have developed tails, and already have very independent personalities. These two were not hatched on the same day. The black one with no tail, and the red one were hatched on the same day. The black one with the tail was hatched two days later. Can you tell by a tail if they are going to be roos?
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Both of these are Barred Rock x EE chicks. The one without the tail sticks to mom like glue.
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They are out in the coop with all the other hens and rooster, and ventured out of the "safety zone" in the coop today. Is it safe for them to be out with the other chickens? I noticed that some of the hens would peck at them if they got too close, and mom really didn't do anything about it. She, herself, is at the bottom of the pecking order. Heck, she goes after me more than the darn hens. Is this all normal behavior or a sign that I need to move the chicks to a brooder box. I would hate to have to do that to them. They love their mom, and being out and about. It makes me nervous because they have a tendency to stray from her, and cross the fence into the neighbors yard. Momma goes crazy because she can't get through the fence to get them. Stinkers!

edited to say...Mom hasn't been out of the coop since May 18th. Obviously, she couldn't wait to give herself a dust bath.
 
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Well, tomorrow I'm off to buy some chicks to put under my Buffy. The hatch went well but we're giving those chicks back to their owner. I'll report how the chickswap went tomorrow afternoon.
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You could try to buy some chicks to put under them...that will make them happy!

I have a friend's eggs in the bator that are due to hatch four days after the ones under the broodies. I may ask her if I could put a few under them for 'lockdown', or put a few chicks under them when they hatch. Which do you guys think would work better?

Everyone's chicks are so adorable!!
 
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I am buying some extras for Iris today. Chick day is at our feed store and all chicks are on sale for $0.90 each. She had 3 that didn't make it so I thought I would replace them.
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and mayne get some extras...
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Love all the pictures, and don't they grow fast? it's amazing to me. AZhenhouse, my hens and chicks are all hanging out together in the coop and yard, some of the hens will peck the chicks if they get to close, but mostly they just ignore them. They really are all doing great together. A couple of the mamas got into a squabble yesterday over who knows what? but it didn't amount to much.
chics in the sun, if these chicks are due to hatch 4 days after the ones under the broody you might better co for chicks because she will probably get off the eggs since she'll want to take her chicks out for food, water etc. just my 2 cents.

misskitty, they are some cute chicks, when mama first brought hers out here thats one of the first things she showed them to do was dust bathe. so cute. and congrats on the new broody, I have 20 hens and don't know how many in the new chicks hopefully more pullets than roos.

forgot to say congratulations to D'Angelo come join the hatching party,
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and congrats to jojo looking forward to hearing more tidbits from seasoned from grandmas.

chics if these eggs aren't viable put some more under her that are, I had to do that with my one hen, she was sitting on 4 eggs that weren't fertile, and i let her go the whole 21 days before checking them out, but I just put 3 bantam fertile eggs under her and she is still at it comes out once a day screams ,dust bathes, eats drinks and POOPS, and goes back in, she is doing great. she is due to hatch on the 19th..
 
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We did it!!! We did it!!!
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She will NOT let me see but there are shells pushed to the edge of the nest and I hear peeping!!! I saw one egg unhatched but it is early on day 21 so there is hope. Pictures will be forthcoming as soon as I get brave enough to wrestle a 20 ounce hen off her nest. Ha ha!!!

p.s. Can you tell I am excited and thrilled?

Update: One hatched, one zipping, 2 pipped. Photos are impossible, I tried, she is vicous!
 
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