Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Fuffy]

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Just finished touring your ranch, very beautiful place and an awesome web.site!!

Thank you!

I'm with Miss L! Had a great time on the other side of the world at your farm!

Wish I could offer you some advice on your broody problem! I could send you a Baby Buffy Boy all the way accross the pond.....NOT

 

[stonykill]

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Thank you!

I'm with Miss L! Had a great time on the other side of the world at your farm!

Wish I could offer you some advice on your broody problem! I could send you a Baby Buffy Boy all the way accross the pond.....NOT

I had one mama this year cut hers loose at just under 4 weeks old, and they have become wonderful little chickens.

 

[Miss Lydia]

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Yes she will be 3 weeks old on Friday. And we think she will be brown, one of our hens hatched a brown duckling years ago, but none since.

Thanks!

 

[Lyssa]

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Your hen is a beauty!

 

[Cindilou]

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very cute little chicks. Congrats!!!!

Thanks! 2 more hatched while I was out running errands and there is one more egg she is sitting on. 5 chicks so far!
We moved them all over to the mini coop tonight because I am paranoid the other 5 big girls are going to attack the babies.

 

[chickendot]

I have a hen that is in her last week until hatch due date...she is still in the coop with everyone else and until this last week was regularly pushed off her nest by other hens wanting to lay their eggs in her box.. but she would always get back on. We did try to move her, but she would have none of it...threw a fit. Our plan is to wait to see if we even get any chicks and then move her and the chicks to a separate pen that we have made. The nest is about 3.5 ft off the ground, hubby is not concerned with the chance the chicks might fall out, i'm worried the other hens might try to kill them. How soon after the hatch is it safe to move her to the other pen?

 

[they'reHISchickens]

How many of you have your broodies repeat year after year? We have had broodies for the past 4 years and NEVER had a repeat. Each has been broody in its first year only. All have been successful and we even kept one hoping she'd repeat but none of them do.
What's your experiences with ages of broodies and repetition the next year?

Edited to add.. they have been 4 different breeds so it is not breed related.

 

[deeps]

I have a flock of RIRs and only one of them goes broody each spring. Idk if its the same one but each year its just one girl

 

[Mrs. Feathers]

Hatch day Saturday and we are down one egg from 7 to 6

My hubby went to let the girls in and to check our broody. She had pushed an egg out of the nest and the shell was cracked open with a dead developed chick inside. I am hoping that the egg cracked in her nest and not that this is the start of something. She is still sitting constantly on the eggs. Would it be typical for her to push one out if it was damaged?
Newbie at this broodie thing.
Thanks

 

[hokankai]

Welp, it's been awhile since my broody hatched her eggs. The chicks are 5 weeks tomorrow! She hasn't abandoned them yet, but they were all sleeping on the roost with mom tonight! Very cute

. Still working on feathering out, and one (who I'm thinking is a rooster) has only baby fuzz and flight feathers, haha, looks pretty ridiculous.

Turns out I have ANOTHER broody that just started yesterday, but we're breaking her again...it's her 3rd time going broody and she's only 10 months old, poor girl really wants to be a mama but we can't let her