Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[BarnGoddess01]

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[perchie.girl]

Mine also love the chicken poo too and duck poo and probably any other kind of poo. I know

Wooo Hoo I just figured out how to use the multiple quoats....

And wanted to add the Almond Rocha in the litter box.....

I so love dogs and their sense of humor.......

 

[AlienChick]

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No, she's no longer broody. That same day that she got off the nest, she returned to her empty nest and walked back/forth confused for a while, but she never got back on the empty nest.

My shipped eggs were . . . well, just okay. I received 60 eggs and after throwing out the infertile ones and the broken air sacs, I ended up with 25 that went into lockdown. Of those, only 16 hatched and two of those I had to help out of the shell.
I hate buying shipped eggs; but there's not much you can do when you want specific breeds or colors.

One thing is sure; the dogs won't be eating any more eggs out of the coop. They get their fill from the eggs laid around the barn in the hay, I'm sure.

 

[artsyrobin]

well, the blue eggs never did hatch, so cindylou is running around with this little one, EE/orp -




and if she had her way she would steal flo's baby too...





and candled the serama eggs, 4 out of 5 are close to hatching- the fifth one seems a bit behind those- they are getting to the point i can't see anything but the airsac

 

[lswatson111304]

OK, so I don't know what I need to do now. I ended up taking my broody out of her outside brooder and putting her in the house the day the chicks were hatching because she was getting a little active with the babies that had already hatched and left the freshly hatched, and last egg exposed. It was cold, so I brought everything in the house so at least it wouldn't be cold for the chicks. well of course now they are doing wonderfully but they are still in the house. What do I do? When do you introduce them back into the flock?

 

[Haloclimb]

Has anyone else had problems of broodies fighting over nesting boxes? We have a whole row of nesting boxes, but our four broodies fight over the samenesting box! Everytime I walk into the chicken shed I end up having to pull out another hen that's squished herself into a nesting box with another hen! It'sthe worst when it's one of the big hens practically sitting on one of the silkie crosses-they pant like crazy after being sat on!
I've moved one of the broodies into a seperate nest with her eggs and I'm going to try and keep her in for a day before letting her go walkabout-will this be long enough to keep her from going back up to the main shed and sitting on nothing?

 

[Miss Lydia]

OK, so I don't know what I need to do now. I ended up taking my broody out of her outside brooder and putting her in the house the day the chicks were hatching because she was getting a little active with the babies that had already hatched and left the freshly hatched, and last egg exposed. It was cold, so I brought everything in the house so at least it wouldn't be cold for the chicks. well of course now they are doing wonderfully but they are still in the house. What do I do? When do you introduce them back into the flock?

Just put them back inside the coop in the crate for a few days with the door closed, then start to open the door and keep watch, more than likely their might be a few altercations because of courious hens or even a few pecks if chicks get to close to one but it should be minor and mama will take care of everything. Most likely they will be fine.

 

[Miss Lydia]

well, the blue eggs never did hatch, so cindylou is running around with this little one, EE/orp -




and if she had her way she would steal flo's baby too...





and candled the serama eggs, 4 out of 5 are close to hatching- the fifth one seems a bit behind those- they are getting to the point i can't see anything but the airsac

I love those pics. Robyn, sorry the blue ones didn't hatch but you sure got 2 cuties. I had 1 mama that hatched only 1 egg out of 4 and they were so cute together.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Has anyone else had problems of broodies fighting over nesting boxes? We have a whole row of nesting boxes, but our four broodies fight over the samenesting box! Everytime I walk into the chicken shed I end up having to pull out another hen that's squished herself into a nesting box with another hen! It'sthe worst when it's one of the big hens practically sitting on one of the silkie crosses-they pant like crazy after being sat on!
I've moved one of the broodies into a seperate nest with her eggs and I'm going to try and keep her in for a day before letting her go walkabout-will this be long enough to keep her from going back up to the main shed and sitting on nothing?

I had a Big Brahma hen actually sufficate one of my bantams in a lidded cat box, evidently the bantam got in to lay and the brahma climbed in on top, when I found my bantam she was squished flat as a pan cake. I was heartbreaking. So watch carefully. I had no idea that would happen. And those broodies are hard to figure out as far as nest boxes, last year I had a few new broodies that would get pushed out of the nest by another hen and go wait in another nest box while this hen was laying her egg and then not go back to her eggs when said hen got through. I don't think they think very well when brooding. Might want to keep her locked up a little longer than a few days. I have a 3x4 coop that I use for broodies that have problems staying on the right nest, and I usually keep them locked up about 4 days before letting them out, and even then they get confused and I have to get them out of the main coop and put them back but usually only once. It's amazing how eggs can hatch but I have found them stone cold and put mama back on them and they all hatch.

 

[gg706]

I LOVE THIS POST! How hilarious! I have never really thought about trying to hatch eggs....giving it thought now! Yall make it sound SO FUN! What do yall do with all the roosters that hatch?

I love this description, it does look like a backhoe when the hen reaches out with her beak and pulls the eggs under her with her chin. Now the boys & I will have a new phrase to say when we're setting a hen with eggs. We love to watch the hen once she gets all the eggs tucked beneath her and then rocks from side to side to settle them in place. We call it "The Chickie Cha-cha" and will chant "Chickie, chickie, cha-CHA!" as the hen seems to dance. They just give us the dirty look that broody hens are so famous for.

Once I gave a bantam hen a big goose egg to incubate. I had scooped out the little banty eggs she had begun with and placed the goose egg against her breast. At first she just stared at it with wide-open eyes -- "What in the world is THAT!?" Then her gaze softened "Awww, it's a dear baby egg that needs my love" and she bravely backhoed it beneath her. Then she awkwardly did the dance "Chickie -- ugh! Chickie -- ooh!! Cha -- aah CHA!!!"