Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Miz Mary]

UGH !!! QUESTION !!! How do you get the babies human friendly ?!? Mine are 2 weeks ....Mama dont want me to cach them ( they are all in a smallish pen ) and they just cry murder when I can get one !! I have tried treats, but they wont come near me ! The chicks I get from mail order dont have a mama to hide in !!! They seem friendlier !

 

[stonykill]

Quote:
sounds to me like she is a very good mama!

Keep offering them treats and food, and they will learn to trust you. Also, chickens really aren't meant to be caught and held. It is my personal opinion, the really friendly ones that you can walk up to and pick up, are the ones most likely to get taken by a predetor. A chicken should be naturally skiddish........

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
sounds to me like she is a very good mama!

Keep offering them treats and food, and they will learn to trust you. Also, chickens really aren't meant to be caught and held. It is my personal opinion, the really friendly ones that you can walk up to and pick up, are the ones most likely to get taken by a predetor. A chicken should be naturally skiddish........

X2!

 

[JulieNKC]

Well, I am on day 16 and one of my broodies has gave up being broody. Of course it's the BO who is off the nest, has been all day. That leaves my poor little silkie on 11 eggs. Can she do it or should I bring some of them in to incubate? It's 90 degrees out, she doesn't have to keep them too warm. The BO is still acting half broody, walking around all fluffed up and doing her broody growl, and staying by the coop, just not on the nest. She started doing this yesterday but went back on the nest at night.

 

[farmerChef]

Quote:
Black/Mottled Spanish

 

[farmerChef]

Quote:
sounds to me like she is a very good mama!

Keep offering them treats and food, and they will learn to trust you. Also, chickens really aren't meant to be caught and held. It is my personal opinion, the really friendly ones that you can walk up to and pick up, are the ones most likely to get taken by a predetor. A chicken should be naturally skiddish........

X2!

My chickens don't come running up to me to be picked up, but they know if I pick them up, they need to chill.

 

[NHchicks]

I have a broody in the coop and it was a hot one today - around 90 - and she was panting like crazy. I was afraid maybe I was going to lose her. Hatch date is Sunday and I think she knows it's near, so she isn't leaving the nest. So I put a couple ice packs next to her - but not near the eggs, just on the outside of the nest. I think it helped her. When I checked on her a while later, the sun was getting lower and she wasn't panting.

Tomorrow it's supposed to get to 97 before it cools way down on Friday, so I guess I'll put the ice packs out again tomorrow. I brought them in for the night because I don't want her pecking them - they're the gel kind. I have food and water right next to her. Fortunately after the next day or 2 it's supposed to be highs in the 60s again...

 

[NHchicks]

Oh, and my store-bought chicks from 2 years ago thought we were their mothers and are very attached to us. The chicks they hatched tho are a lot less friendly towards us, and often times are hard to catch.

But the trade off is that mama hen does all the work bringing them up, and not me, so it's well worth it!

 

[CayuseRanch]

So excited candles the eggs again with much better success. I think today is day 12. Found 9 eggs with movement 4 that were too dark to see and 1 I think is a dud, but put back under.

 

[JulieNKC]

Quote:
She's back in the nest sitting. I guess she thinks the silkie can do all the work during the day while she's out galavanting around, then comes home to sleep on her eggs so she can still share the chicks when they come out. Lazy tramp, lol.