Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Farmin Momma]

Hi everyone, it has been a week or two sense the last time I posted about my broody Cochin Mix so here is an update.
About 3 or 4 days after I set her up with 5 eggs she was letting another hen lay int her box while she went outside, this was also the night I planned on moving her to a safe area, but before I did the other hen laying in her box broke one of the 5 set eggs on her way out. Sadly it got yolk all over the other eggs so I had to discard them

!
So I move my lil broody right then and there, and gave her 6 more eggs to start over on. Today I candled them and one had not developed at all, while another began but had died early and had a detached air cell. As of now Miss broody is sitting on 4 good eggs that have bouncing babies in them (as we have found out that so do I

Just wish it only took me 21 days and not 9 months lol) Also I have just set 30 eggs in my incubator this morning! My first hatch did not go good at all. Every one of my 25 eggs died, the last 6 died on the 20th and 21st day of incubation.

Hopefully this one goes way better!

 

[audrey02026]

Just make sure the chicks are between 1-3 days old. Otherwise you may have a big problem with the chicks not accepting the broody and broody rejecting the chicks. I've never tried it yet but I would recommend close supervision at first.

Yes you can I did it a week ago and all is well. I would do it as she sat that long what a dissapointment for her if she has no babies. Remember to take the eggs when you give her the babies.

 

[Atomic Ranch]

Update / Photo: The wee Cochin/Delaware is doing well. The fuzzy seems to be able to motor around quickly and is becoming curious about the rest of the "chickeniverse", so I'm going to open the brooder today and see how it goes. The WL egg didn't make it, but at least I've got this!

 

[bobbieschicks]

Sorry the hatches didn't go as you hoped - I know that disappoint all too well. At least you have some chicks in your future! Post pics when they hatch!

Hi everyone, it has been a week or two sense the last time I posted about my broody Cochin Mix so here is an update.
About 3 or 4 days after I set her up with 5 eggs she was letting another hen lay int her box while she went outside, this was also the night I planned on moving her to a safe area, but before I did the other hen laying in her box broke one of the 5 set eggs on her way out. Sadly it got yolk all over the other eggs so I had to discard them

!
So I move my lil broody right then and there, and gave her 6 more eggs to start over on. Today I candled them and one had not developed at all, while another began but had died early and had a detached air cell. As of now Miss broody is sitting on 4 good eggs that have bouncing babies in them (as we have found out that so do I

Just wish it only took me 21 days and not 9 months lol) Also I have just set 30 eggs in my incubator this morning! My first hatch did not go good at all. Every one of my 25 eggs died, the last 6 died on the 20th and 21st day of incubation.

Hopefully this one goes way better!

 

[bobbieschicks]

Awwwhhhh - so cute! Love the pretty momma too!

Update / Photo: The wee Cochin/Delaware is doing well. The fuzzy seems to be able to motor around quickly and is becoming curious about the rest of the "chickeniverse", so I'm going to open the brooder today and see how it goes. The WL egg didn't make it, but at least I've got this!

 

[countrygirl911]

The only thing is around here they only have week old chicks or older i hatched some a week ago they are silkies will she take a week old chick also the nest box is a milk crate if i mover her to an empty coop and lay the crate on its side instead of open end up will this hurt her and cause her to move she has been put this whole time i have only seen her out a few times but i am gone most of the day to so no telling if she comes out mid day also what about the second broody can i move her she has been on eggs now for 17 days can i go ahead and give her chicks to

 

[bobbieschicks]

You could try giving her the week old chicks - it may work - it may not. You should be prepared to intervene or at least give the chicks a place to get away if they are scared of the broody or she of them. You may have better success getting some of the almost ready to hatch eggs from the other broody and putting them under the broody with the failed hatch. She's probably getting out - I know Smokey did it very secretively - but she was drinking and eating - and pooping - cause I found those out and about. You can certainly try to move her. Sometimes a move will break a broody. I moved Smokey 2 times during the day and she did just fine with both moves.

Here's what she looked like in her last nesting area.

The only thing is around here they only have week old chicks or older i hatched some a week ago they are silkies will she take a week old chick also the nest box is a milk crate if i mover her to an empty coop and lay the crate on its side instead of open end up will this hurt her and cause her to move she has been put this whole time i have only seen her out a few times but i am gone most of the day to so no telling if she comes out mid day also what about the second broody can i move her she has been on eggs now for 17 days can i go ahead and give her chicks to

 

[countrygirl911]

...

You could try giving her the week old chicks - it may work - it may not. You should be prepared to intervene or at least give the chicks a place to get away if they are scared of the broody or she of them. You may have better success getting some of the almost ready to hatch eggs from the other broody and putting them under the broody with the failed hatch. She's probably getting out - I know Smokey did it very secretively - but she was drinking and eating - and pooping - cause I found those out and about. You can certainly try to move her. Sometimes a move will break a broody. I moved Smokey 2 times during the day and she did just fine with both moves.

Here's what she looked like in her last nesting area.


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[/quote Hi we have picked her up a few times to clean up the eggs that exploded and she went right back to nest the eggs under her I do not think they were fertile we have LF hens and a bantam roo so not sure if he was doing his job correctly if I just lay the milk crate/nest on its side will it hurt they are in a pen with other chickens I just want her to have chicks she has worked so hard to try to hatch

 

[bobbieschicks]

The milk crate in an empty coop sounds fine - I'd pick her up out of the crate first and then turn it on it's side and put her back on. That's what I did with Smokey - she actually rolled her eggs off the milk crate and onto the floor of the coop and made a hole in the shavings for a nest. All that straw she kicked out of the way.

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[hennypenny99]

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Exploded eggs are the worst. I have a silkie hen that is determined to set some eggs. They are for sure not going to hatch and are probably on the verge of exploding. I'm a little afraid to try and remove them... I've smelled how bad an exploder is.

I know my local feedstore sells baby chicks but they will be about a week old if I get them today. So I might try it and see if she will take them, if not I will take her eggs and give her some Muscovy eggs that are due to hatch this weekend. If she is anything like my other hen she will be thrilled to get some babies even if they are a little older.

My other hen was in a pen with other chickens. She is bad to the bone. If they even think about looking at her adopted babies she goes into attack mode. The babies are small enough to fit through the wire in my coop and will slip out of the pen. She is a game hen and can fly really well so she flies out to go free range with them and then takes them back to the coop at night for bed. She's such a good mom. She almost got herself in trouble yesterday though. She decided to whoop a curious guinea and nearly lost the fight. I wasn't home but my husband said she fought with the guinea for 5 minutes and he had her down so he had to go seperate them. He said the guinea was so mad he had to pick the guinea up off of her and then pick her up and carry her to the pen!

All I could think was.... you let this go on for 5 minutes!! Dang!!!