Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Miss Lydia]

May I ask a "dumb" question? What is the matter w/your one hens neck? It looks like you have a turkey head on a chickens body.

Is that how she's supposed to look or is she just molting? Thanks.

 

[Tripp16]

I think it's a Naked Neck?

Either a Naked Neck or a Turken.

 

[jtbrown]

I am picking up 12 large fowl fertile eggs today to put under my broodies. I have a mille fleur d'uccle that is broody and an EE that is broody, thinking of 4 under bantum and the remainder under my EE. Any thoughts. I am also going to leave them on the nests they are in and then deal with protecting the babies once (if) they hatch. I put a fan in the coop as it felt hot yesterday, just to keep air moving although I have good ventilation, the thought of those girls hanging out in those boxes makes me roast just thinking of it.

We don't currently have a rooster in with our layers (that will change in a month), but I found a person locally selling fertile eggs mix of white brahma, rhode island red, new hampshire red, and barred rock. So, am going to give this a try. Wish me luck, I will be checking this thread often, so please pitch in, I have made it through the first few dozen pages of this thread, but have many more to go.

Jennie

 

[3 NH reds]

I bet she would accept those chicks if she has been sitting so long she'll think she hatched them if you go in at night fall with chick in your hand with hand ontop of chick and slip them under and remove fake eggs. Are the chicks day olds?

Really my big fear is that she will abandon the eggs to go and raise the new chicks. She should be moving out of the egg house early this week and moving into the new coop. I will just make sure to leave her some food water and some eggs she can lay on. Plan on ordering eggs so they get here 5 days before I go to the co-op to get the ranger chicks.

 

[stonykill]

Well I can't wait to see pics of your Splash Sumatras never heard of that color in that breed. and please keep us up to date on Penelopes hatch.

here is a pic of Miss Splash. Not the greatest pic, but it's a pic

and one of our RIR's is officially broody. She moved her eggs yesterday about 1 foot from where they were and set up nest. This morning she ran out of the coop puffed up and screaming

. Now we are used to seeing 3 to 4 lb mama's. So the sight of an 8 lb hen all puffed up and angry is quite a funny sight!

 

[Tripp16]

Just thought I would let everyone know, Henrietta left a egg in the nest yesterday. It was cool by the time I got to it. I candled it and its beak was in the air sac. So I stuck it in the bator. It pipped 2 hours later and is now in the bator drying.

I have 4 chicks so far and 3 more are pipped! Lets hope the darn humidity will last and wont drop like it was doing...

Does anyone think when the chick is stable if I could put it back with momma? She already has them out roaming so Im worried since this one is about 2 days late she wont accept it / it wont be able to keep up. What do you guys think? Put it under her tonight?

 

[bobbieschicks]

Welcome! Hope everything goes well - keep us posted!

I am picking up 12 large fowl fertile eggs today to put under my broodies. I have a mille fleur d'uccle that is broody and an EE that is broody, thinking of 4 under bantum and the remainder under my EE. Any thoughts. I am also going to leave them on the nests they are in and then deal with protecting the babies once (if) they hatch. I put a fan in the coop as it felt hot yesterday, just to keep air moving although I have good ventilation, the thought of those girls hanging out in those boxes makes me roast just thinking of it.

We don't currently have a rooster in with our layers (that will change in a month), but I found a person locally selling fertile eggs mix of white brahma, rhode island red, new hampshire red, and barred rock. So, am going to give this a try. Wish me luck, I will be checking this thread often, so please pitch in, I have made it through the first few dozen pages of this thread, but have many more to go.

Jennie

 

[bobbieschicks]

Yes - put it under her with the others and watch in the morning - she'll probably accept it and it will be fine.

Just thought I would let everyone know, Henrietta left a egg in the nest yesterday. It was cool by the time I got to it. I candled it and its beak was in the air sac. So I stuck it in the bator. It pipped 2 hours later and is now in the bator drying.

I have 4 chicks so far and 3 more are pipped! Lets hope the darn humidity will last and wont drop like it was doing...

Does anyone think when the chick is stable if I could put it back with momma? She already has them out roaming so Im worried since this one is about 2 days late she wont accept it / it wont be able to keep up. What do you guys think? Put it under her tonight?

 

[bobbieschicks]

If you are wanting her to hatch out new eggs - then keep the chicks away from her. She will either take care of the chicks or the eggs. And she will abandon the one for the other - usually the eggs are abandoned for the chicks -but it could go the other way around. She's not going to do both the chicks and the eggs. If the eggs were about to hatch you could put the eggs and new chicks under her. But not if they have 21 days to incubate. She won't sit on the nest that long with chicks to raise.

Hope this makes sense.

Really my big fear is that she will abandon the eggs to go and raise the new chicks. She should be moving out of the egg house early this week and moving into the new coop. I will just make sure to leave her some food water and some eggs she can lay on. Plan on ordering eggs so they get here 5 days before I go to the co-op to get the ranger chicks.

 

[bobbieschicks]

What a beauty - and how many bantam eggs can you squeeze under that RIR!

here is a pic of Miss Splash. Not the greatest pic, but it's a pic

and one of our RIR's is officially broody. She moved her eggs yesterday about 1 foot from where they were and set up nest. This morning she ran out of the coop puffed up and screaming

. Now we are used to seeing 3 to 4 lb mama's. So the sight of an 8 lb hen all puffed up and angry is quite a funny sight!