Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Miss Lydia]

How precious... Congrats!!

My broody Buffy hatched 9 as of 13 so far. Still 4 eggs sitting under her. I give her 2 more days then Ill take them away. BCM,and EE olive eggers.
None of the babies are hers but she was the broody ;-)

 

[Miss Lydia]

Is that how you are finding them or have you removed the shell? If that's how they are under her I would guess they had a defect in the shell and it could not sustain the weight of the broody. If you've removed them from their shells after they did not hatch I would say that they probably had a defect in the chick that caused it not to hatch.

I agree with bobbieschicks on this one Thai, you have done nothing wrong. Nature sometimes takes care of these things for us.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Wow, I've been sick for a week and finally catching up. Congrats to all the new chicks and broodies!
Jakrat, my chicks managed to figure out the ramp by the end of the first week. I helped them by moving a 4x4 to the front of the coop so they could hop up. A couple of days before both Wellies figured it out and the AM had it figured out the first try.

Aww sorry you have been sick, i know we missed seeing you post. i have 11 more days till broody #2 hatches out hers...

 

[stuckinthecity]

LOVE the second pic of her and her biddies. Ugh I miss having my broody... I loved hearing those little cheeps and mama's reassuring clucks as they foraged through the yard.

My broody Buffy hatched 9 as of 13 so far. Still 4 eggs sitting under her. I give her 2 more days then Ill take them away. BCM,and EE olive eggers.
None of the babies are hers but she was the broody ;-)

 

[perchie.girl]

Thailand I am approaching this from a different point of view. Perhaps there is something going on with the egg shell themselves.

Do they seem thin and brittle?
Do your hens have access to oystershell?
Is the bedding in the nest soft?
What kinds of pesticides are allowed in your country. If DDT is still being used there it causes egg shells to be brittle.

deb

WARNING: Graphic Photos! Here's the photos. Sorry for the poor quality of the first one. Can anyone offer any insights please?

What am I doing wrong??

 

[bobbieschicks]

Yeah! That's great! I think some of my LOs are wanting to go broody - they hang out in the nest box for hours before leaving. Their eggs are finally getting to a decent size. Today I got my 1st Silkie egg - she had it hidden pretty good in the straw. She had whipped the straw into a perfect circle and it was tucked inside the circle. I always move the straw around to make sure there isn't anything hidden. And that's when I found it in there. I guess it could have been there for a couple of days for that matter since I was relying on my DH and DD to check while I was laid up with this crud.

Aww sorry you have been sick, i know we missed seeing you post. i have 11 more days till broody #2 hatches out hers...

 

[Miss Lydia]

Yeah! That's great! I think some of my LOs are wanting to go broody - they hang out in the nest box for hours before leaving. Their eggs are finally getting to a decent size. Today I got my 1st Silkie egg - she had it hidden pretty good in the straw. She had whipped the straw into a perfect circle and it was tucked inside the circle. I always move the straw around to make sure there isn't anything hidden. And that's when I found it in there. I guess it could have been there for a couple of days for that matter since I was relying on my DH and DD to check while I was laid up with this crud.

Well i hope you get a broody or 2 out of these girls. the crud seems to be going around.

isn't it cool how they can make a circle out of straw, shaving what have ya. my lil bantam has her eggs in a little circle of shavings.

 

[Niss]

Yesterday picked up 3 americanas and 1 silverlaced wynendotte. I gave them to Laura as soon as we got home (I know I should have waited until dark, but I was too excited). She started fussing and kicking, oh it was crazy. but she settled down and took each and every one under her. Everyone passed a good night and when I came home I let them all out of the cage. Laura fluffed her wings out and made a run at the dog, but otherwise it was very smooth. She even took them out of the coop. When I went to tuck them in a few hours ago they were all hiding under her neer the coop door. I snapped a few pics, on the off chance some of you might have voyeristic tendancies, haha!

This is how I found them, she's hiding all 5:

 

[cielo]

Hi there! I'm new to hatching with broodys. I have 5 booted bantam crosses 4 of which went broody and between them hatched 5 chicks out of 5 eggs I gave them. Great job! The chicks hatched out yesterday and the day before.

My question is as follows. I have 2 turkey eggs that are due Monday. I set them under one of the hens, is this a good idea? Is she likely to quit sitting and abandon the eggs? All 4 hens seem to be sharing mothering. I'll find one with all of the chicks under her and the others just sitting, the chicks go from mom to mom. She is in a nest with 2 of the other moms. I'm hoping they will all just share the eggs like they share the chicks long enough for them to hatch. I would leave the eggs in my incubator but it's full of other turkey eggs due much later so it's not a good place to lockdown and hatch. The turkey poults are alive and kicking in the eggs. Can my broodys be counted on to stay in the broody mood a few more days even with chicks running around?

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Hi there! I'm new to hatching with broodys. I have 5 booted bantam crosses 4 of which went broody and between them hatched 5 chicks out of 5 eggs I gave them. Great job! The chicks hatched out yesterday and the day before.

My question is as follows. I have 2 turkey eggs that are due Monday. I set them under one of the hens, is this a good idea? Is she likely to quit sitting and abandon the eggs? All 4 hens seem to be sharing mothering. I'll find one with all of the chicks under her and the others just sitting, the chicks go from mom to mom. She is in a nest with 2 of the other moms. I'm hoping they will all just share the eggs like they share the chicks long enough for them to hatch. I would leave the eggs in my incubator but it's full of other turkey eggs due much later so it's not a good place to lockdown and hatch. The turkey poults are alive and kicking in the eggs. Can my broodys be counted on to stay in the broody mood a few more days even with chicks running around?

Any help would be appreciated.

It's hard to say but with that many being broody together and now mamas I'd say you have a good chance. I wouldn;'t let them out with the general public[flock] yet or they may just walk away. Let us know and the turkeys will be treated just as if they were chickens. Keep us updated on what happens. with pics of course..