Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Miss Lydia]

Well after a few days of bad stuff happining, I came home from the depressing hospital and my momma cochin mix that was sitting on 4 eggs has at least 3 lil fluff balls that look like peguins with feathered feet! They are so cute. when I am feeling better I will post some pictures.

Congrats on lil fluff ball penquins and hope you feel better real soon>

 

[Miss Lydia]

Well I placed six duck eggs and six chicken eggs under Sunshine today. She's a very proud mama and doing a great job of protecting them.

 

[Miss Lydia]

What a beautiful chicken!! I wanted to get some millie's this year, but the hatchery was all out when I went. :-( Gonna have to go earlier next year for sure!!!

country, how are your baby ducks doing?

 

[Miss Lydia]

I'm thrilled, today we got our first chick! 4 more to go. We were heading to take her out to poo and eat when we heard chirp chirp. Our first every chickens, and now our first ever chick!

CONGRATS~!!!! hope you have great hatch! and we'll be waiting for pics.

 

[Noymira]

Glad I found this thread!

I have a Rhode Island White hen who seems to have gone broody. The last three nights when I closed up the coop she was sitting in a nesting box on some eggs. This morning she was still where I left her last night, doing her best growling pancake impression (even with no eggs under her). The past two mornings she ran out with all the others when I opened the door, but was not moving this morning. I'll be looking to build/modify a broody apartment for her this weekend, I can't leave her in the coop with the other 18 birds without worrying too much.

She's a LF bird, but only a year old, so not as big as some of my older hens, how many eggs can I safely let her set on? She had 8 under her last night with no problem covering them all. I'd love to set a dozen under her, would that be too many? I'd love her to set on some BCM eggs for me, as well as a few barnyard mixes.

 

[bobbieschicks]

Found Topsy in a different nest box sitting on a WL egg and the LO egg she was sitting on was smashed in the old nest box. So tonight I will move her again with the ping pong balls to the broody area. I'll leave her there no matter what. She will settle down eventually right? The shipped eggs will be here Mon or Tues. She may not like the move but I think it has to happen or the LO will keep smoothing her in the nest and possibly breaking eggs.

 

[bobbieschicks]

Glad I found this thread!

I have a Rhode Island White hen who seems to have gone broody. The last three nights when I closed up the coop she was sitting in a nesting box on some eggs. This morning she was still where I left her last night, doing her best growling pancake impression (even with no eggs under her). The past two mornings she ran out with all the others when I opened the door, but was not moving this morning. I'll be looking to build/modify a broody apartment for her this weekend, I can't leave her in the coop with the other 18 birds without worrying too much.

She's a LF bird, but only a year old, so not as big as some of my older hens, how many eggs can I safely let her set on? She had 8 under her last night with no problem covering them all. I'd love to set a dozen under her, would that be too many? I'd love her to set on some BCM eggs for me, as well as a few barnyard mixes.

Congrats on your broody! I'm a little jealous. My silkie is broody but so tiny. You can definitely fit a dozen under a LF girl.

 

[AnnieBLix]

Hi All!

I found this thread yesterday! Been stuck on it since!

My Pekin, Florence, went broody very quickly over the Easter holidays, so because we have no cock I sourced 6 fertile eggs and put them under her and she's been a great little sitter ever since!

Today is day 20! I'm so nervous/apprehensive/excited! It's funny the impact these little creature can have on you!

So, when we put chick can on this morning (my husband being a gadget freak rigged up a video camera feed that allows our daughters to have a peek at Florence in her nest box! It's brill!) I thought I could hear cheeping - but I quickly came to the conclusion that it was the wild birds and wishful thinking.

When I went to check on Florence later on this morning, I was chatting to her and she was cluck, clucking back and low and behold the cheep, cheep again! I'm 95% positive the hatch has started but she won't let me see and chick cam isn't detecting any little chicks, either, as I'm sure they're safely tucked up under Mummy!

I'm just hoping she get's 'something' for all her hard work and a few friends for her something would be brilliant too

 

[stonykill]

Hi All!

I found this thread yesterday! Been stuck on it since!

My Pekin, Florence, went broody very quickly over the Easter holidays, so because we have no cock I sourced 6 fertile eggs and put them under her and she's been a great little sitter ever since!

Today is day 20! I'm so nervous/apprehensive/excited! It's funny the impact these little creature can have on you!

So, when we put chick can on this morning (my husband being a gadget freak rigged up a video camera feed that allows our daughters to have a peek at Florence in her nest box! It's brill!) I thought I could hear cheeping - but I quickly came to the conclusion that it was the wild birds and wishful thinking.

When I went to check on Florence later on this morning, I was chatting to her and she was cluck, clucking back and low and behold the cheep, cheep again! I'm 95% positive the hatch has started but she won't let me see and chick cam isn't detecting any little chicks, either, as I'm sure they're safely tucked up under Mummy!

I'm just hoping she get's 'something' for all her hard work and a few friends for her something would be brilliant too

so you put chicken eggs under your Pekin? If so the hatch could be started. If you put duck eggs under her you have one more week. And congrats!

 

[newlyweds]

I am so happy this thread is still going. I haven't posted here in a long time. But I have my favorite broody Pumpkin Aka Big Mama is broody. Last year she went broody 3 times and the last time I had a batch in the incubator too she hatched out 3 of her own and I hatched about 20 chicks, I sneakily put them all under her, and she raised them all.
I wrote about it and there are pictures on my blog: http://www.newlyweds-blog.com/2011/08/03/big-mama/

I am doing the same thing as we speak, though I set about 40 eggs. We will see how she does, she is a great broody so my hopes are high.