Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[countrygirl911]

HI everyone here are some pictures of my broodies please over look the mess in coop it has been raining on and off here in the south for several weeks and everything is a mess and not dry enough to get in and clean the silver laced whyndott i know can not spell was on 24 eggs when we found her well today my DH took all but 10 from her and when he chunked them they smelled rotten are the ones left under her bad to?

 

[Miss Lydia]

HI everyone here are some pictures of my broodies please over look the mess in coop it has been raining on and off here in the south for several weeks and everything is a mess and not dry enough to get in and clean the silver laced whyndott i know can not spell was on 24 eggs when we found her well today my DH took all but 10 from her and when he chunked them they smelled rotten are the ones left under her bad to?

I think I'd go out after dark and candle them, that way she'll remain pretty clam and you'll be able to see.

http://shilala.homestead.com/candling.html

 

[New2TheCoop]

I just put 12 Blue Laced Red Wyandotte eggs under Big Momma my Buff Orpington hen. This will be her second clutch. Her last hatch she hatched 6 out of 10, they were just mutt chickens for my first time hatching & her first time too. Here she is, hard at work

 

[Morganwood]

I know there is at least 2! I saw some more broken egg shells but the 4 broodies are all on the nest together and
they aren't giving up their secrets just yet. This little one got hungry enough to come check out the food.

We have Australorp and Black star hens and a barred rock and an Americana roosters...this is some combination there of.

 

[hennypenny99]

I may have done something stupid....

I have a broody hen sitting on 7 or 8 egg inside my coop. I got brave and grabbed a sheet to cover her head so I could lift her off of the nest and put her in a crate while I candled. It worked really well and 3 of the eggs were not any good. They were clear. I sat them to the side and tossed them later. A couple of the eggs looked BLACK? I couldn't even see the air cell? I put them back under her because I wasn't sure. The was only one that looked pretty good and the guinea egg looked good too but it's not due to hatch until next weekend. Not my idea - My father in law put it under her. Anyways I let her out of the crate and she ran right back to her eggs and settled down.

Here is the possible stupid thing I did....

I bought some babies a couple of weeks ago and I put them in my brother in law's camper since he is working off and won't be back for months. Well after 2 weeks they were starting to smell the place up a bit. So today I figured it was time to move them somewhere else and clean his camper back up. I blocked off one end of the coop and hung their lamp from the ceiling, added fresh shavings and got them a much roomier brooder area set up. My broody hen is still on the other side of the coop sitting on her eggs and I just but 11 peepers in there with her. I sat outside for about 10 minutes watching her. She seemed nervous, clucking and checking her eggs then she would crane her neck towards where my babies are and listen to them. It's been an hour and she is still on her eggs for now. Do you think she will abandon her nest? She won't fly over there and hurt them will she?

 

[artsyrobin]

i would seriously have them isolated from her, just to be on the safe side- my broody listens to the ones that hatched in the bator, but has stayed put- but i have a divided area for them...

 

[thailand]

Update - Day 24. This afternoon discovered a small piece of eggshell outside the nestbox and a small glob of egg yolk. Looks like the broody moved this egg out just in time. Can't find the chick though (if there was one) or the rest of the shell. Might she have eaten it??

Out of eight eggs, only 4 left now..... She is sitting really tight, not even coming out to eat/drink now. Pecked my hand when I gently lifted her to check how many eggs left. Thoughts? Is there ANY hope that we might still get some live chicks? Does the broody know if there's any live ones yet to hatch or will she just sit until there simply is nothing left in the nest?

Broody no. 2 is on day 23. Nothing happening with those eggs. No peeps, pips or zipping. She also is sitting very very tight on her eggs. Is coming out still to stretch her legs but is back within a couple of minutes.

 

[Miss Lydia]

She does look like she takes her job serious. Congrats!!

I just put 12 Blue Laced Red Wyandotte eggs under Big Momma my Buff Orpington hen. This will be her second clutch. Her last hatch she hatched 6 out of 10, they were just mutt chickens for my first time hatching & her first time too. Here she is, hard at work

 

[Miss Lydia]

Aww it's a cutie!! Congrats..

I know there is at least 2! I saw some more broken egg shells but the 4 broodies are all on the nest together and
they aren't giving up their secrets just yet. This little one got hungry enough to come check out the food.

We have Australorp and Black star hens and a barred rock and an Americana roosters...this is some combination there of.

 

[Tripp16]

Update - Day 24. This afternoon discovered a small piece of eggshell outside the nestbox and a small glob of egg yolk. Looks like the broody moved this egg out just in time. Can't find the chick though (if there was one) or the rest of the shell. Might she have eaten it??

Out of eight eggs, only 4 left now..... She is sitting really tight, not even coming out to eat/drink now. Pecked my hand when I gently lifted her to check how many eggs left. Thoughts? Is there ANY hope that we might still get some live chicks? Does the broody know if there's any live ones yet to hatch or will she just sit until there simply is nothing left in the nest?

Broody no. 2 is on day 23. Nothing happening with those eggs. No peeps, pips or zipping. She also is sitting very very tight on her eggs. Is coming out still to stretch her legs but is back within a couple of minutes.

My girl say on her last egg that was fully developed but didnt hatch until day 24 then she gave up and went along with the other 3 chicks she hatched. A wise person on here that has alot of experience with broodys his name is Stormy, he told me to leave the eggs under her until she gives up or until day 25. So you still have 1 more day.

If it was me tomorrow if nothing hatches I would get a few day olds and stick them under her at night. That way she knows she didnt sit in that nest for 3 weeks for nothing! Thats just me though.

Good luck. Hopefully someone with a little more experience than me will join in.