Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[2overeasy]

Thanks, Miss Lydia! Poor girl has now been sitting for 42 days with 10 more to go until hatch. I don't know what I'll do if none of these hatch. I guess I'll have to buy some day old chicks and stick them under her...

Probably what I should have done after the first batch didn't hatch, but I couldn't find any locally and didn't want to order a bunch in case she didn't accept them. I'd really love for these to hatch - a white silkie rooster and an ameracuana hen and a black australorp hen. Interesting!

 

[BarnGoddess01]

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Good luck!! I am still basking in the glow of the freshly hatched.

Three little ones hatched yesterday and a very happy broody mama. One thing I would like to add - reduce the number of eggs. I don't believe you have said how many she is sitting on this time. I had a disasterous experience with a broody last year with 10 eggs. Most got broken. In the end, only 1 hatched. This year, I only gave my broody 5 eggs and it went MUCH better. Nothing got broken and she was easily able to cover all of them. 3 have hatched and she hasn't yet abandoned the other 2 - although I'm pretty sure 1 of them has been clear all the way along so I'm not expecting that one to hatch.

 

[Miss Lydia]

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sounds very interesting, be sure to post pics. I had a hen that sat for 21 days on duds, and when I took the eggs away she was still determined so I gave her 3 more, she sat another 21 days and hatched 3 adorable chicks, as long as she has acsess to food and water and ventalation she should be fine. come on eggs!!

 

[BarnGoddess01]

Miss Lizzie's little family .... doing well (and allowed to make friends with me!!!)

 

[2overeasy]

Same thing happened with my white cochin. She sat for 25 days and nothing hatched so I gave her 8 more and she has 3 babies. What's incredible is that they are 8 wks this weekend and she is still mothering them! I wish my BO was going to be that dedicated. She mothered her last hatch for exactly 4 wks then she was finished. I had an EE hatch out 4 and she abandoned at 3 wks! I'll never ever let her sit again. She was a mean mamma (to us) and then those chicks were completely wild and being alone at such a young age really freaked them out. I would love it if the broody I'm working so hard for was the cochin...

 

[BarnGoddess01]

The cuteness factor (and an exhausted mom!)

 

[drdoolittle]

Well I have some cute pics. of my new chicks! Like I posted before, one of the four broody hens got off her eggs after 2 chicks hatched, and one has 5 chicks now and done sitting.

I agree with an earlier poster that you should minimize the number of eggs under your broody-----these hens each had at least 10 eggs, and once they were done hatching, saw the remaining eggs as a food source. I found 2 hatched chicks dead this morning----one still warm. They should not have been out of the eggs completely yet----what I believe happened is that when they pipped, one of the hens thought, "Oh, food!" and pecked the remaining shell away. There was one chick still half-encased in the shell, but still had membrane around the exposed part and some evidence of blood. He is still alive, and I moved him indoors to a cooler-incubator with some of the abandoned eggs----some are peeping! I will slip them under my remaining broody as soon as they hatch.

I also have a silkie sitting eggs, and I didn't think they were any good, but I checked them this morning, and they are also peeping!

Here are the pics:

My New Hampshire Red and one of her 2 chicks:

My Buff Orpington, Nephertiti, and her chicks:

My BBS silkie sitting on her eggs:

And here's the one I'm trying to save---I have a damp washclothe around him to keep him from being "shrink-wrapped":

 

[Miss Lydia]

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I sure hope it makes it, and sweet pics. love to see mama and chicks.

 

[Fuffy]

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It's a hard life, being a mama!!!

 

[Fuffy]

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Mommas and babies!!! Gotta love 'em!!!

Hope 'washcloth baby' makes it and is a girly one!!!!