Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[artsyrobin]

ok, broodiness strikes again.... lea the EE is broody... licorice is raising her brood of faverolles and a sneaked in cochin.... nilla has gone broody... josie the serama has gone broody and nimi the duccle.... good grief we are going to be over run!!

 

[Chiko]

I want another broody! These stubborn girls aren't falling for the ceramic eggs I spent almost 20$ on! lol

 

[vmdanielsen]

The last of my 3 broody hens hatched no live chicks. She was still sitting very happily up until today - day 30!. I've taken the eggs away, done an eggtopsy and none these were fertile. Out of a total of 15 eggs/3 broodies, 3 died prior to hatching, and all the rest weren't fertile.

As she is still very broody, and she is in excellent health, I've given her one (likely) fertile egg to sit on. I've also moved her and her nestbox to a quiet, and much cooler room on her own. I did this late afternoon, and she took to the move very well and immediately sat on her sole egg. So hoping for a chick this time around....and I'll be watching her very closely to make sure her health stays good. She'll be getting protein-packed snacks every day!

Encouragement needed please

good luck!!!

 

[vmdanielsen]

I need opinions please. My 7 eggs hatched within the last 24 hours. The last about an hour ago. I was going to go out tonight and place them under a broody. My dh thinks that because it will be so cold tonight that we should put a heat lamp in there,which to defeats the purpose of doing it at night. SO....should I wait until tomorrow night when they are just a bit older, tomorrow in the AM so I can watch( would she react immediately? ). She is a 10 month old buckeye and this is a first for both of us. My dh is afraid that she will not cover them up and they will freeze to death.


Edited to say, the chicks were hatched in the incubator and not under her.......sorry for the confusion

 

[Tripp16]

Leave her alone. Mother knows best. Like people told me chickens raised chicks waaaaay before we cared. Lol So she will do what needs to be done. The chicks will be much hardier...

I need opinions please. My 7 eggs hatched within the last 24 hours. The last about an hour ago. I was going to go out tonight and place them under a broody. My dh thinks that because it will be so cold tonight that we should put a heat lamp in there,which to defeats the purpose of doing it at night. SO....should I wait until tomorrow night when they are just a bit older, tomorrow in the AM so I can watch( would she react immediately? ). She is a 10 month old buckeye and this is a first for both of us. My dh is afraid that she will not cover them up and they will freeze to death.

 

[karlamaria]

I want another broody! These stubborn girls aren't falling for the ceramic eggs I spent almost 20$ on! lol

awww I have another that is thinking about it .all fluffy when we go near her, barking at me lol, she is broody and I'm going to give her 2 of the 11 day old eggs from under my broody who is sitting on five now. Then they both can be mama's lol

 

[vmdanielsen]

Leave her alone. Mother knows best. Like people told me chickens raised chicks waaaaay before we cared. Lol So she will do what needs to be done. The chicks will be much hardier...

I guess I forgot to mention that the chicks hatched in a incubator and she is sitting on wooden eggs. Sorry will go back and edit.

 

[Glasshen]

Vm, if you put them under her and she sort of settles on with them they will be nice and warm. But it would be wise to go out and check a number of times, because if the babies fall out they can get too cold and that would be sad. Take a flash light and look down and all around without shining it on the hens directly. It will be good. Get out there early in the morning to make sure they wake up good together...you will love it.

 

[vmdanielsen]

Vm, if you put them under her and she sort of settles on with them they will be nice and warm. But it would be wise to go out and check a number of times, because if the babies fall out they can get too cold and that would be sad. Take a flash light and look down and all around without shining it on the hens directly. It will be good. Get out there early in the morning to make sure they wake up good together...you will love it.

OK glass, after reading your post and stuck all 7 chicks under her. One chick popped it's head out and she pushed it under herself. She also spread her wings a bit to let me stuff more under her. So I guess these are good signs. Went out and checked 3 times and everybody appears safe and sound. Thanks for the encouragement! My husband and I will staying up late and will keep checking them. I have a head lamp with a red light that is great for these things. Enough light for us to see but not so invasive for her.

When I was putting them under her, a bunch of coyotes started singing. The coop is well protected thank goodness!

 

[bobbieschicks]

I have two broody hens right now they both went broody on the 13th I had four eggs under one and was still unsure if the other one was broody for that day but she was on the nest the next day so turns out she was I ended up having some problems with the eggs four of them somehow got moved to a different nest! and some went missing but there is no snake or anything that I have known to get in the coop since i havn't had any eggs go missing except for now. Any way here they are I have moved the black one now and trying to work something else out for the Barred rock since I don't want the chicks to fall! Oh also these are my first two broodys!

Congrats on the broody!