Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[perchie.girl]

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OMG Chicken TV.... How cute and what an eggcellent idea for a brooder. Or Broody house. May I share the picture with some friends?

deb

 

[lswatson111304]

perchie.girl :

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OMG Chicken TV.... How cute and what an eggcellent idea for a brooder. Or Broody house. May I share the picture with some friends?

deb

LOL Yeah, we call it our ChickTV. Share away!
OK, so I don't know if we should have done this, but DH stole the egg out from under her. It was just one, the one that was out there on Saturday that I didn't gather. SHe has been sitting since sunday. I hope she doesn't hate us forever. The egg wasn't fertile, our Roosters are mating yet. I need to get some eggs to put under her but I am worried I'll get some here and she will be like "Nope, nevermind" LOL​

 

[Blarneyeggs]

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Love love LOVE the Broody Hen Channel!! Too great!

Do you have a roo and access to your own fertile eggs? If not, I would make certain she is going to set before investing a lot in fertile eggs. Good luck!

 

[lswatson111304]

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Love love LOVE the Broody Hen Channel!! Too great!

Do you have a roo and access to your own fertile eggs? If not, I would make certain she is going to set before investing a lot in fertile eggs. Good luck!

No, our roo isn't active yet. How long do I have after knowing that she is going to set. I mean, I'll need to order eggs to be shipped. I don't know how long I have. KWIM?
And did we do a boo boo by taking her egg away? It was only one egg. Now I feel horrible.

 

[workinnanie]

I think if she is truely broody you could probably put it back. She doesn't know it isn't fertile. If she accepts it there is a good chance she is broody. Broodiness usually doesn't disappear quickly. I wouldn't order eggs until you know for sure that she is broody. Just my thoughts. Maybe someone with more experience will advise as well. Good luck!

 

[Blarneyeggs]

I am no expert. I did read today how someonewino has experience with hatching underl broody hens tested her Islqndic by setting an egg in front of her and leaving it to see if the hen would take the egg on her own. She came back after an hour and saw the egg was gone. Check after dark to see if she's still brooding, or if she's roosting. you don't want your first timer to quit part way through, along with the money lost, it's heartbreaking. Although if you had an incubator as a back up plan in case she quits....

I've only hatched once from a broody and I did separate her into a large dog kennel while she was brooding. We only gave her 4 eggs and she only hatched out one chick she then integrated herself and the chick back into the flock very well on her own, I think it helped that she is fairly high in the pecking order.

Good luck!

 

[HetaChick]

My little girl was dying to go broody too. I only had her, and she too has only been laying for about a month or so. No way for her eggs to be fertile so off to Facebook I went for my chicken buddies.

…I asked for seven eggs… I got 12. Couldn't resist putting them all there, I figured if it was too much I'd remove the eggs that didn't develop, but… she's fitting them all. *shrugs* I have no idea how though, she's not that big.

I'm surprised though, she's dedicated to her eggs. She growls at me but she's my little baby and won't peck me no matter how much I harass her. I can't wait to see how she'll be as a mother. That's that Silkie/Aracauna mix in her I guess.

She went broody on golf balls and her own unfertilized egg, and although I had to take her off the first few times she seems determined to have her own chicks… I feel it was only a little bit ago when I brought her home as a few day-old chick.


So for all of you guys, what chickens do you have the most luck with broodiness with? Silkies seem to be the best from what I've seen, I had one go broody before she could lay herself. That's some dedicated motherhood.

 

[HetaChick]

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I had an old Barred Rock who would take others eggs, but she wouldn't stay and sit on it past a few hours =/

 

[chookhead]

kk emergency 2 facotry breeds one red sexlink and an isa brown want to ahtch some eggs i currently have no house for the second brooody plz helkp i have wood poles and tones of cooragted iron and the pthe rbropopdy is in a dog kennel i have no accomodation help plz i am frekin out

 

[Miss Lydia]

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Just leave them in with the rest ,mark the eggs so you'll know the ones being laid after she starts to sit and remove them. Most of us don't remove our broodys from the flock, it's easier for them to intergrate back in if left with them.