Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Miss Lydia]

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My cochin batams were hatched in Sep. and started laying the following spring and were broody right off. they are the best broodys and mothers. so they were about 6 months but I'm sure winter keep them back a bit.

 

[Miss Lydia]

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Fuffy I have never delt with Mareks, but there is alot of info on BYC about it. heres one link https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=514226&p=2
maybe put some extra vitamins in your little ones drinking water for a while to help boost their immune systems. Maybe she ate something when she got out into the pasture, you may never know, but lets hope and pray it's not M.

Thanks Miss L

No extreme heat...In fact it has bee really pleasant. And the new bit they are in has shade and sunny bits.

The pasture is regularly grazed so there is nothing dodgy in it!

Both the others are still fine. Growing like mad on their grower's pellets. Can't wait for them to be big enough so they can't get through the fence!

Am wondering if it could be something picked up from the wild birds?!

Fuffy I am thinking there was probably just something wrong with the little one and they are so good at hiding it you just couldn't pick up on it. I have wild birds all over the place, how can you not? if I don't put food out for them then they get into the feeders so I feed them separately, Could have been something genetic, hopefully the others will continue to grow and this will not happen again.

 

[cubalaya]

how many do i have? i try to keep it under 50. we have bb reds, whites , blacks, brown reds. and gold duckwings. we also raise delawares and black australorps. this is the broody cubalaya hen that i hope will hatch these eggs:

 

[newlyweds]

I just have to brag a moment, I have the best broody ever. Why you ask, well, as a b-day gift to myself I ordered about 40 hatching eggs, on the same day I set the eggs in my bator, my Pumpkin (black Aussie) went broody (her 2nd time), so I put 10 of those eggs under her.

As incubation went on she lost a few, I candled and threw some out, but as of this morning we have over 20 chicks! She hatched 3 herself, the rest hatched in the bator, and guess where they ALL are, you got it. Under her! All 20 chicks!!! I put them under her yesterday evening.

She is happily peeping at them and doing her motherly best to cover them all, but no worries it's only 90 degrees here at 8am. I still have a few more in the bator that will hopefully hatch. I will take pictures later of the happy momma.

Just had to say how very happy and proud I am of my good momma! And as a added bonus, no brooder duties for me, YEA!!!

I am going to get some pictures of the crew later today!

 

[Miss Lydia]

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Wow that is some broody too, can't wait to see the pics. and Happy belated Birthday. what a nice present!

 

[Miss Lydia]

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She is beautiful, how much do they weigh when full adult> roos and hens?

 

[Fuffy]

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Congratulations!

I thought I was mad putting 12 eggs under a brody silkie cross, but that just takes the biscuit, as it were! PLEASE do pics!!!!

I LOVE you avatar, too. Could you tell us what eggs they are? Especially the very white one?

 

[Fuffy]

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Thanks Miss L

No extreme heat...In fact it has bee really pleasant. And the new bit they are in has shade and sunny bits.

The pasture is regularly grazed so there is nothing dodgy in it!

Both the others are still fine. Growing like mad on their grower's pellets. Can't wait for them to be big enough so they can't get through the fence!

Am wondering if it could be something picked up from the wild birds?!

Fuffy I am thinking there was probably just something wrong with the little one and they are so good at hiding it you just couldn't pick up on it. I have wild birds all over the place, how can you not? if I don't put food out for them then they get into the feeders so I feed them separately, Could have been something genetic, hopefully the others will continue to grow and this will not happen again.

Again ... Thank you for your support, Miss L!

I guess I'll just have to say it was just one of those things.

Maybe there was something going on, and in the little nursery run, I couldn't see it. But when they got more space she just couldn't keep up.... ARGH! Who knows!!!

 

[BooBear]

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Congratulations!

I thought I was mad putting 12 eggs under a brody silkie cross, but that just takes the biscuit, as it were! PLEASE do pics!!!!

I LOVE you avatar, too. Could you tell us what eggs they are? Especially the very white one?

Cool. It is nice to have a really good momma hen handy.

 

[BooBear]

Fuffy, sorry about your one chick. Hopefully the others will stay healthy for you.