Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Miss Lydia]

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That is adorable, congrats to you all too!!!

 

[TexGardenGirl]

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LOL! I'll try - I have a history of very unsuccessful chick pics.

 

[stonykill]

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Congratulations [I think]

check that NINE fuzzy butts! 8 Black Sumatra's, 1 Blue Sumatra. And yes, I'm thrilled about it!

And I JUST missed the BEST photo op. 3 Broodys all standing together with their 21 chicks. Mama and Black Broody brought their chicks over to meet the new mama (well she has to be another repeat) and her little fuzzy butts.

 

[Miss Lydia]

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Congratulations [I think]

check that NINE fuzzy butts! 8 Black Sumatra's, 1 Blue Sumatra. And yes, I'm thrilled about it!

And I JUST missed the BEST photo op. 3 Broodys all standing together with their 21 chicks. Mama and Black Broody brought their chicks over to meet the new mama (well she has to be another repeat) and her little fuzzy butts.

Well darn, maybe next time. That would have been a good un.

 

[perchie.girl]

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Update: Ok, I never found the info, so I just had to wing it. I wound up putting the chicken eggs in 4 days after the guinea eggs. After a few days I decided I shoud have waited one more day and worried the whole next 2 1/2 weeks. I candled them at (I think) guinea day 20/chicken 16, and all but 2 looked like they were coming along fine, I could see moving parts in most of the rest, and a few didn't see movement, but there had clearly been a lot of development. So I threw away the 2. The first chick hatched on chicken 20/guinea 24. Then 2 more chicks and a keet the next day, and then a keet each day! So out of 12 chicken eggs and 4 guinea, I have 3 chicks and 4 keets! And momma didn't even set much the last couple days (but it's been over 100 here and she slept on them at night). So my conclusion based on this small sample is that guineas are way tougher than chicks. And I probably could have waited another day to set the chicken eggs, but it didn't seem to harm anything since all the guineas hatched anyway.

I eggtopsied the remaining eggs. One was totally undeveloped, one had formed a little marble-sized embryo, but of the other 5, 4 looked fully formed but still had an enormous yolk remaining, and the last one had even absorbed its yolk and looked just like a perfectly just-hatched chickie. And it was a cute little black copper Naked Neck, whose mom is our favorite hen.

So since we had such a low hatch and have lost a couple older hens recently, we ordered some chicks, which will arrive tomorrow. I'm hoping she will accept them but am prepared in case she doesn't. I think she will, she's a pretty good broody (especially for a non-broody breed!) This is the one time I'm happy it's so darn hot here, only need supplemental heat at night...

Oh goodie I am so glad you winged it ..... Pardon the pun

I had been worrying about you since you first posted in the guinea area...

congratulations on success

Pix please

 

[BarnGoddess01]

My red sex link broody is on day 10 here. She has moved all of her eggs over to directly in front of the food and water within her private quarters. I watched her eating this afternoon without getting up of her eggs! This poor girl isn't going to have any legs to stand on if she actually stays down on those eggs for another 11 days!!!!

 

[lampshadeee69]

One brood from a Black Rock hen with gender confusion (She grew spurs and a larger comb and wattles, i think from something her previous owners did)

She just gave up the last chick from that brood a few days ago and is sitting now. 18 days to go!

 

[chickencrazymamahen]

I have a question that has probably been asked many times before, I have looked thru this thread till my eyes hurt.....lol. I have a hen who wants to go broody and no place to put her. How long will she sit on fake eggs and still take fertile ones? We have some roo's that are slated for freezer camp in a week or so...would that be too long to leave her on fake eggs and them make the move to their pen with the ones I would want to give her to hatch??? Thank you for any help you can offer!! OM I have a broody!!!!

 

[drdoolittle]

I have 3 broody hens each sitting on about 10-12 eggs! One's a BO, one a New Hampshire Red, and one an EE cross that I hatched from my own eggs last October. There will be quite a mix of chicks from this hatch-------my possible mothers are the ones that are sitting, plus a blue EE, other NH Reds, a black Australorp, and another EE. I don't think any of my black sexlink or NN hens are old enough to lay quite yet.

The father is my EE/BR cross that I also hatched last October.

The Hens:

Edited to add that the eggs are on day 15.

 

[Tiss]

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I had a sex link sit on eggs for 10 days that turned out to be duds. I got her new eggs and she sat another 23 days for them all to hatch (she sat for 2 extra days on 2 eggs that never hatched until I took them away). I think your hen would be just fine sitting an extra week.

Good luck!