Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Sphinx]

Awesome, congratulations!!! love those little chicks.



My broody is coming along ok. I feel bad for her because she's in the favored nesting box, so the other hens keep coming in and squishing up against her to lay their eggs too. My neighbor "chickensat" for me for a couple days when I went camping, and found TWELVE extra eggs under the broody the day I was to come home (she'd been trying to give the broody her space and not disturb her).

Well, after candling a couple eggs and thinking that just *maybe* I have a chick or two developing, I decided to put some netting up to separate the broody and her box from everyone else. One hen wanted to sneak in the favorite box and lay, so it was like having a two year old "helping" because she kept climbing over me, trying to get to the box.

Hopefully, if chicks come, the spot I cordoned off will give the chicks a place to be for a few days. Broody has about 1/4 of the henhouse, and the other birds have the rest. Broody has all of the favorite spots though, so we'll see how that goes.

 

[ParadiseFoundFarm]

I've got 2 broodies going right now and I am losing eggs.
Every other day, "Babe" has a broken egg under her.
She has stolen eggs from my other broody 3 boxes down from her ( I know this because they are labled differently)
Yesterday, I found another broken egg under Babe. She had egg yolk on her beak.

 

[dkcrumly]

I have 9 Black Copper Marans eggs under my bantam Cochins...I had given them to one hen and another hen decided she wanted to be broody also, so they are sitting together in the same box. It's really kind of sweet, so I'm hoping it will all work out and they will raise the babies together. Our hatch date is August 4 (21 days). Is anyone else due around that time?

Here's a photo of the BC Marans eggs:

 

[stonykill]

Quote:
My son just said "We need one of those". Beautiful birds!

thanks! All of my Sumatra girls are beautiful, but the blues...well they are special.

 

[Chiko]

Is it possible for my Cochin Bantam to go broody before she starts laying? Or soon after?

 

[stonykill]

Quote:
They are georgeous stony, Congrats on the chicks too. I love the blue, maybe one day

thanks! Yeah, you need another hen to go broody....

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
About the only thing you can do is lock Babe out of the hen house or put her in a safe place where she can have food and water but not be able to get any other eggs but her own. Is she breaking her own eggs or just the other hens?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
They are georgeous stony, Congrats on the chicks too. I love the blue, maybe one day

thanks! Yeah, you need another hen to go broody....

I have a broody hen right now, she is sitting on nothing and about to hatch it

I take her off the nest every night and lock her up with her flock mates, next morn when i let them out she goes right back to the nest box. So she'll have to break herself.

 

[stonykill]

Quote:
thanks! Yeah, you need another hen to go broody....

I have a broody hen right now, she is sitting on nothing and about to hatch it

I take her off the nest every night and lock her up with her flock mates, next morn when i let them out she goes right back to the nest box. So she'll have to break herself.

crazy broody's

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
I have a broody hen right now, she is sitting on nothing and about to hatch it

I take her off the nest every night and lock her up with her flock mates, next morn when i let them out she goes right back to the nest box. So she'll have to break herself.

crazy broody's

Yep!!!