Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[JakRat]

SO to update we lost one of our chicks. I went out last week and saw the older one puffed up and not really moving. Within a few hours he was gone. I have NO IDEA what happened. We still have our little frizzle and wow is he ugly! But of course super cute. I have been trying to get a picture of him but he is a fast little guy.

My speckled sussex started laying, so maybe we will have some more babies in the future!

I gotta keep my chin up.

 

[stone_family3]

Yay I have another broody Sunshine is an 18 month old New Hampshire. Now I just need to find her some eggs to sit on

Do you think she could handle a dozen eggs? I'm having trouble finding someone to sell me half a dozen and I don't want to fire up the incubator.

 

[bobbieschicks]

SO to update we lost one of our chicks. I went out last week and saw the older one puffed up and not really moving. Within a few hours he was gone. I have NO IDEA what happened. We still have our little frizzle and wow is he ugly! But of course super cute. I have been trying to get a picture of him but he is a fast little guy.

My speckled sussex started laying, so maybe we will have some more babies in the future!

I gotta keep my chin up.

So sorry to hear about your chick.

 

[awalters0815]

Yay I have another broody Sunshine is an 18 month old New Hampshire. Now I just need to find her some eggs to sit on

Do you think she could handle a dozen eggs? I'm having trouble finding someone to sell me half a dozen and I don't want to fire up the incubator.

12 is fine. you can up to about 16 if its a big hen.

 

[bobbieschicks]

Yay I have another broody Sunshine is an 18 month old New Hampshire. Now I just need to find her some eggs to sit on

Do you think she could handle a dozen eggs? I'm having trouble finding someone to sell me half a dozen and I don't want to fire up the incubator.

Sounds like a good plan.

 

[bobbieschicks]

I'd like some thoughts about an especially lethargic chick. I have one (hatched from her mother) that never seems to have any energy. She was hatched on the 22nd. She eats a little but just doesn't have any get up and go; always seems to be half asleep. Should I expect that she'll die?

You could try giving it some polysol no iron infant vitamins or chick vitamins. But most likely it has some condition that it needs to work thru or pass on. Keep an eye on it.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I let Topsy out to TCB and she went back to the nestbox when she finished. So I moved her & the eggs into the secure area and put her on the eggs. She settled down and I was hoping she would take to staying there. Then I heard her rubbing on the hardware cloth repeatedly. So I opened the door and she darted out, ran to the coop and got back up in the nestbox. I'm not going to fight it. I'll let her stay there. When it's time I'll figure something out for her and any chicks. My guess is she will abandon the notion long before a hatch happens. Although right now she's happily sitting in the nestbox and I think she's smiling.

 

[Miss Lydia]

You could try giving it some polysol no iron infant vitamins or chick vitamins. But most likely it has some condition that it needs to work thru or pass on. Keep an eye on it.

also Poultry Nutri Drench is something I like to keep on hand and put it in their water for the first week after hatch, then during molt or any other stressful time. great stuff.
http://barnyardsandbackyards.org/2010/09/18/review-nutri-drench/ you have to scroll a little to read about for poultry.

 

[perchie.girl]

Wow has he got Sturdy leggs..... Going to be a cute one....

deb

picture I promised Miss L of one of my EE/Sumatra crosses. Definately a Roo. ATTITUDE! He should end up handsome enough to stay as breeding stock for my egg laying flock.





about 3 weeks old. A little awkward, but great coloring!

 

[123ChickieLou]

Quote: I fixed them some wet mash that I added avian vitamins to. The chick is eating some when food is offered. She's been spotted outside the nest a couple of times too, so I know she's moving around some with mama. they've been as far as 10 ft away from the nest. Of course, I ended up putting her back because she just sat there when mama went back to the nest and called her.

Quote:
Thanks. That's what I was thinking. Mama is still sitting on her. When I checked her a little while ago, she seemed extra listless. Also, she's keeping her feet up close to her body, almost like she's still in the egg, her head keeps going back to egg position too. I thought by now she'd be all over the place or at least standing up and moving about. She seemed fine when she hatched.