Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[BarnGoddess01]

Quote:
will do! All the girls are laying eggs like it is spring time. Lots of chicken craziness around here!

Today the girls had a boycott, I only got 2 eggs, most days I usually get 6. I guess they need a break too. It's cold outside. Are your chickens still mating? mine are I guess they don't stop like the ducks do.

My birds must be NUTS! They are laying up a storm and the cockerels are still UBER busy. We've had a spectacularly unseasonably warm winter so far. I was still using the hose to fill water buckets until yesterday!!! Although today we are getting a proper blast of winter so I wonder if the eggs will keep coming. I'm not providing light. (I must say, I know Stony isn't THAT far from me so I wondered about his girls continuing to brood eggs. It is still winter in the north even if it's mild. As much as I love broodies, thankfully, my girls are just laying eggs and then stupid me brings them in the house and puts them in the incubator!! Now I have nearly as many birds IN the house as out.

)

 

[BooneChicks]

I have a broody Buff Brahma that has been sitting for 7 days. I gave her 3 of our eggs to sit on. We have 22 chickens, 2 of which are roosters (one Silkie roo that I don't count as a real chicken). I have been reading up on BYC about hatching chicks the old fashioned way, particularly in winter. I have read that a hen can successfully hatch out babies in cold weather. It is going to be really cold here the next two days (lows of 13 and 14 degrees, sub zero with wind chill). Miss broody hen is in our second coop all by herself with food and water. We turned on a heat lamp for her that is about 3ft above her nest area. Do you think she will be okay? Any advice is appreciated, this is my first time with a broody. Thanks, Jen

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
Today the girls had a boycott, I only got 2 eggs, most days I usually get 6. I guess they need a break too. It's cold outside. Are your chickens still mating? mine are I guess they don't stop like the ducks do.

yup, still mating. I saw the ducks mating the other day too. That was a 1st in a while however. I have a pen with a few Sumatra hens and a few boys that I incubated last spring. The girls have bald necks. Lots of mating going on there....

Poor things, my frizzle usually has a bald head but she is growing out her feathers so she must be avoiding them boys. My youngest drake Opie has chased a few girls but don't know if he is just chasing or actually doing anything, mostly they just lay around this time of year. It has been pretty mild here compared to the last few years, hardly any snow and the weather temps haven't been too bad, we're actually getting the coldest temps we've had tonight and the next few, lows into the teens. so can't complain about the weather. Guess ya'll get alot of snow up your way. Had any more problems with preds? We set up the game camera and caught a fox on it but it was at night and everyone was locked up tight. My dogs bark alot too so they probably keep alot of things away, if only the preds could see they are little dachshunds,

 

[Blarneyeggs]

I am getting between 1-3 eggs/day, that's down from 12/day this summer.

 

[stonykill]

Quote:
yup, still mating. I saw the ducks mating the other day too. That was a 1st in a while however. I have a pen with a few Sumatra hens and a few boys that I incubated last spring. The girls have bald necks. Lots of mating going on there....

Poor things, my frizzle usually has a bald head but she is growing out her feathers so she must be avoiding them boys. My youngest drake Opie has chased a few girls but don't know if he is just chasing or actually doing anything, mostly they just lay around this time of year. It has been pretty mild here compared to the last few years, hardly any snow and the weather temps haven't been too bad, we're actually getting the coldest temps we've had tonight and the next few, lows into the teens. so can't complain about the weather. Guess ya'll get alot of snow up your way. Had any more problems with preds? We set up the game camera and caught a fox on it but it was at night and everyone was locked up tight. My dogs bark alot too so they probably keep alot of things away, if only the preds could see they are little dachshunds,

We had 1 ssnowstorm so far this year. 10 inches in October. It was 57 on saturday, and around 50 yesterday. 40's today. Been a nice mild winter so far. But the egg laying is good dispite the short days. I don't use lights in the coop. So I'm pretty happy!

Now last year this time we had 26 inches of snow on the ground. And a non stop at least 18 inches through March. So I'm NOT complaining!

No more predetor problems. I think I chased one hawk away so many times he just gave up. It's been at least 2 months since my trap caught anything besides a chicken

. But this year I did kill an awful lot of predetors. Maybe they all had a town hall meting and decided to stay away

 

[BarnGoddess01]

Quote:
Poor things, my frizzle usually has a bald head but she is growing out her feathers so she must be avoiding them boys. My youngest drake Opie has chased a few girls but don't know if he is just chasing or actually doing anything, mostly they just lay around this time of year. It has been pretty mild here compared to the last few years, hardly any snow and the weather temps haven't been too bad, we're actually getting the coldest temps we've had tonight and the next few, lows into the teens. so can't complain about the weather. Guess ya'll get alot of snow up your way. Had any more problems with preds? We set up the game camera and caught a fox on it but it was at night and everyone was locked up tight. My dogs bark alot too so they probably keep alot of things away, if only the preds could see they are little dachshunds,

We had 1 ssnowstorm so far this year. 10 inches in October. It was 57 on saturday, and around 50 yesterday. 40's today. Been a nice mild winter so far. But the egg laying is good dispite the short days. I don't use lights in the coop. So I'm pretty happy!

Now last year this time we had 26 inches of snow on the ground. And a non stop at least 18 inches through March. So I'm NOT complaining!

No more predetor problems. I think I chased one hawk away so many times he just gave up. It's been at least 2 months since my trap caught anything besides a chicken

. But this year I did kill an awful lot of predetors. Maybe they all had a town hall meting and decided to stay away

That snow you got in October was when I was at Crossroads. We haven't had ANY snow to speak of yet this year in my part of Canada. Today is the first. The ground is covered. And my Black Copper Marans 9 month old cockerel believes the world has all but come to an end. Talk about a softie!!!

(I actually had to carry him to a relatively clear patch in the grass and encourage him to TRY walking on the snow. He made it as far as the coop and didn't re-emerge.

)

I've had a determined hawk here too. We had words today, in fact. But otherwise, my flock is enjoying a VERY nice winter so far.

Can't believe I still have the hose hooked up in the barn. Never before in my life have I made it through December still using the hose!

 

[stonykill]

Quote:
We had 1 ssnowstorm so far this year. 10 inches in October. It was 57 on saturday, and around 50 yesterday. 40's today. Been a nice mild winter so far. But the egg laying is good dispite the short days. I don't use lights in the coop. So I'm pretty happy!

Now last year this time we had 26 inches of snow on the ground. And a non stop at least 18 inches through March. So I'm NOT complaining!

No more predetor problems. I think I chased one hawk away so many times he just gave up. It's been at least 2 months since my trap caught anything besides a chicken

. But this year I did kill an awful lot of predetors. Maybe they all had a town hall meting and decided to stay away

That snow you got in October was when I was at Crossroads. We haven't had ANY snow to speak of yet this year in my part of Canada. Today is the first. The ground is covered. And my Black Copper Marans 9 month old cockerel believes the world has all but come to an end. Talk about a softie!!!

(I actually had to carry him to a relatively clear patch in the grass and encourage him to TRY walking on the snow. He made it as far as the coop and didn't re-emerge.

)

I've had a determined hawk here too. We had words today, in fact. But otherwise, my flock is enjoying a VERY nice winter so far.

Can't believe I still have the hose hooked up in the barn. Never before in my life have I made it through December still using the hose!

during that snowstorm, which started at 3 in the afternoon, I had to 1 by 1 carry my 2 plus year old RIR's and Black Austrolop to their coop. They HATE the snow, and were hunkered down under a bush.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
That snow you got in October was when I was at Crossroads. We haven't had ANY snow to speak of yet this year in my part of Canada. Today is the first. The ground is covered. And my Black Copper Marans 9 month old cockerel believes the world has all but come to an end. Talk about a softie!!!

(I actually had to carry him to a relatively clear patch in the grass and encourage him to TRY walking on the snow. He made it as far as the coop and didn't re-emerge.

)

I've had a determined hawk here too. We had words today, in fact. But otherwise, my flock is enjoying a VERY nice winter so far.

Can't believe I still have the hose hooked up in the barn. Never before in my life have I made it through December still using the hose!

during that snowstorm, which started at 3 in the afternoon, I had to 1 by 1 carry my 2 plus year old RIR's and Black Austrolop to their coop. They HATE the snow, and were hunkered down under a bush.

I love it when they see snow for the first time, some of my bantams probably won't even come outside tomorrow, I'll have to put food and water in their coop. I don't like to though because of the ducks going in and making a mess of it.

 

[BarnGoddess01]

Quote:
during that snowstorm, which started at 3 in the afternoon, I had to 1 by 1 carry my 2 plus year old RIR's and Black Austrolop to their coop. They HATE the snow, and were hunkered down under a bush.

I love it when they see snow for the first time, some of my bantams probably won't even come outside tomorrow, I'll have to put food and water in their coop. I don't like to though because of the ducks going in and making a mess of it.

My one and only bantam, Freddie the Frizzle, is absolutely unconcerned about snow. He is off and running - shivering all the way!! Goofy bird. But he's good for the ladies because they tend to follow his lead.

 

[LaurenV]

Boonechicks, I share a coop with my neighbors. 1 of their hens is broody she has been sitting for about 5-7 days. We have bad conditions during the winter, a couple days ago the low was 15 degrees! They have a heat lamp over her about 4 feet, and she is holding up just fine. She got up the other day for food and water, then went straight back to her nest. I hope your hen is doing well in your rough conditions... and good luck!