Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Miss Lydia]

I wonder if someone is trying to go broody. They moved the pingpong balls into the same nestbox. At first I was excited thinking AC laid an egg. Then I noticed the company logo on the side.

Maybe let one sit on it may hatch out a future president. LOL

 

[Miss Lydia]

Hello, I just found this forum. This is my first year of hatching my own eggs. I have put 46 in and incubator for hire that is on a webcam http://cmfarm.us/cam_4.html on Mar 3rd. I also had a hen go broody that weekend and put 14 eggs under her on Mar 5th. Some of the other hens where picking on her and making her get off her nest. So, I put her and her eggs in the chicken tractor. A nice dry safe house for her. This is about as much as I have found out so far about broodies. She gets off the nest about 1 time a day. She keeps her nest very clean. I was surprised. I was wondering how I was going to clean it out with her on it. She comes out drinks, eats a little and 1 big poop then back on the eggs. It is amazing how the system changes so fast. Since she eats very little now I have been given her the high fat bird seed I put out for the birds in winter and spring, nut and fruit mix as well has the layer pellets. She also gets the left over fully cooked eggs. I know she will be hatching these lil chicks real soon. I'm guessing mar 26th-27th. What I need to know is what next? Do I take the chicks away and put them with my incubator chicks and stick more eggs under her? Or, do I let her raise her little family? The last one has it's own set of questions. Do I keep the family away from the flock? Keep them in the tractor for a couple weeks? How about food do I feed them the same as my indoor brood? Or do I let the family out and mix and forge with the flock? Setting chick feed out with the flock will make a huge mess and the adults will eat it and not let the babies in. If I keep the tractor open and put feed in it the adults will crowd into the tractor. I seen them do it when I used it as a half way house for chicks later year. See I said I have a lot of questions! Should I move the family into the main coop? Maybe put them in an empty corner?

Buffy my broody BO in the chicken tractor.


The main coop before we where finished. Well we still need to finish the closet on the end.

The tractor we built a couple years ago. It was built to house our 2 fat EE's. While we lived in the city. No chickens in our city
so we had to keep a low profile. Then we bought a place in the country and expanded. Then it was used a a halfway house for chicks.
Too big for brooder too small to forge. Last year we had around 50 chickens.
We got rid of all the rooster except 1 and all the breeds I didn't want to breed RIR,golden comets and cali whites.
Now just 2 Marans, 7EE's ,1BO and 1giant silverlaced cochin the kids pet. The only reason I still have the BO is she went broody LOL
The day I sold all the other hens she went broody she knew how to stay! By the end of the season I hope to have 14 EE's and 14 BCM
Keep it under 30 maybe. Too much coffee this morning I rambled sorry.

bobbieschicks gave you very good info, I just want to add, please don't take her chicks away not only will they miss out on having a mother to show them how to live in their world but you and your children will miss out on the enjoyment of watching mama and her chicks. Hoping for a great hatch and love your set up, My broody was in a small coop while she brooded and for 3 days after hatch at which time she brought them out and promply moved into the big coop in a corner and all is going great. She is a small cochin bantam but a force to be reckoned with.

 

[Tripp16]

bobbieschicks gave you very good info, I just want to add, please don't take her chicks away not only will they miss out on having a mother to show them how to live in their world but you and your children will miss out on the enjoyment of watching mama and her chicks. Hoping for a great hatch and love your set up, My broody was in a small coop while she brooded and for 3 days after hatch at which time she brought them out and promply moved into the big coop in a corner and all is going great. She is a small cochin bantam but a force to be reckoned with.

I agree with Miss Lydia. I had always hatched chicks in an incubator until recently my little bantam went broody and hatched out 3 chicks! They seem so much happier than being in a brooder and Momma takes great care of them! So let momma do the job!

 

[Peach2u]

Oh that's kind of what I was wanting to know. So just leave the babies with her in the tractor and about day 4-5 open the tractor door so mom and babies can come out? That way she can have a choice to go back into the tractor or in the main coop. I wish I had made the main coop door wider so I could put the tractor in the run! I already bought all the chick supplies for this weekend hatch. I just love the new chicks. The sad thing is she has everyone else's babies but her own. I didn't want BO x maran. Good idea of making different feeding stations. I have plans to add a new coop that looks almost the same and connected to this one. I'm splitting my flock. Maybe I'll plan on putting in a broody pen in the middle.

At least hubby is a good sport about this whole thing.

 

[perchie.girl]

just a side note that tractor has chicken wire on it those chicks when they hatch will be able to walk right through it at first. You might want to invest on some plastic hardware cloth to cover the sides. Its inexpensive and you can cut it with scissors and put it on with zip ties. Just to keep the little ones from going through the wire and scaring the begeez out of momma hen.

deb

Oh that's kind of what I was wanting to know. So just leave the babies with her in the tractor and about day 4-5 open the tractor door so mom and babies can come out? That way she can have a choice to go back into the tractor or in the main coop. I wish I had made the main coop door wider so I could put the tractor in the run! I already bought all the chick supplies for this weekend hatch. I just love the new chicks. The sad thing is she has everyone else's babies but her own. I didn't want BO x maran. Good idea of making different feeding stations. I have plans to add a new coop that looks almost the same and connected to this one. I'm splitting my flock. Maybe I'll plan on putting in a broody pen in the middle.

At least hubby is a good sport about this whole thing.

 

[Peach2u]

Thanks I have used it before as a 1week and up pen. I just didn't open the hatch till they could take the temp change. All my chickens are of the large heavy breed but a day or 2 old chick could escape. I have some hardware cloth on hand as well as zip ties. I'll fix that this weekend.

 

[Tripp16]

just a side note that tractor has chicken wire on it those chicks when they hatch will be able to walk right through it at first. You might want to invest on some plastic hardware cloth to cover the sides. Its inexpensive and you can cut it with scissors and put it on with zip ties. Just to keep the little ones from going through the wire and scaring the begeez out of momma hen.

deb

Speaking of chicks going through the wire. One of my friends hens hatched one chick and it would leave momma behind and walk through the chicken wire but as soon as he saw you he would race back in with momma! It stressed momma out big time!

It was quite funny to watch the little chick tease the other hens!

 

[hennypenny99]

Here's my little game hen gone broody. Let me tell you it's contagious! I have chickens goign broody all over. I just love this look in her eye. All the broody hens have it. It's like they are in a trance with a touch of the "evil eye" LOL

 

[Miss Lydia]

Here's my little game hen gone broody. Let me tell you it's contagious! I have chickens goign broody all over. I just love this look in her eye. All the broody hens have it. It's like they are in a trance with a touch of the "evil eye" LOL

She looks just like my 2 game hens, only one of them has ever gone broody and she is an awesome mama so you'll enjoy the show, I know I think that they really aren't too aware of their surrounding until you pick them up, then they wake up. LOL

 

[Tripp16]

She looks like my little BB Red Bantam that just hatched out 3 chicks!! She is a great momma! How long has she been on the nest? Good luck!!

Here's my little game hen gone broody. Let me tell you it's contagious! I have chickens goign broody all over. I just love this look in her eye. All the broody hens have it. It's like they are in a trance with a touch of the "evil eye" LOL