Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[bobbieschicks]

My little silkie, Honey, has been sitting on some eggs & today is day #20.  I just looked under her, and one of her own eggs has hatched, and one of the d'uccle eggs is completely zipped & she's helping it out now.

I LOOOOOOOOOOOOVE hatch day.

Our other broody's babies should hatch on Thursday or Friday.

Yeah! Congrats!

 

[Miss Lydia]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/261876/chicks-are-here-egg-candling-pics-progression-though-incubation
and here's something to help you tell what your seeing. Good luck on the hatch..

 

[bobbieschicks]

Well everyone got along a lot better than I thought they would. Smokey and Topsy both took their babies out of the coop and into the secure run. This was after I put everyone inside the secure run for the night.

I went out to check on the chicks after I had a shower in my ugly red strawberry patterned pj bottoms. I guess the chickens didn't like the pattern because they all scrambled away from me. It was too weird. Went back out in black pants to put everyone up for the night and they were much calmer about being around me.

The automatic door was closed and seveal chickens were still milling about. Topsy was sitting by the fence with her babies under her so I grabbed her and her two babies and put them in the coop. Then I noticed Smokey under the coop with her babies under her. She looked like she was settling in for the night. So I grabbed the rake and shoved her out and the babies followed. I grabbed them up two at a time and Smokey jumped into the coop. When I closed up both sets of broodies had their babies under them and were settling down in a corner for the night.

Hoping to wake up to everyone getting along.

 

[msmechanic58]

We just had our first broody hatch some chicks today. Two are out of the shells and two more are trying. Right now the 2 mamas are in the big coop with all the other hens. We have a smaller coop with a community nesting box. Can I move the two hens together to the smaller coop or will they fight with each other? This smaller coop has a gate that can be closed to keep the chicks from the rest of the flock (7 hens and a rooster besides the two broodies) Not sure what to do with them all. The eggs were set 3 one day and 5 the next and the hens have been stealing them back and forth from each other. How long do I wait before tossing the rest? Should I put food and water in the nesting box where they are hatching?

Lots of questions tonight!

Thanks,
Kathy

 

[ThePendragon]

thats the first one; 2 more have hatched 6 more on the way!

 

[Tripp16]

Well I cant believe it but Henriettas chicks turned a week old tomorrow! Tonight was the first night she got them all in the nest on her own.

I just noticed today her eye is swollen from the second rooster attack.

She can open it but it doesnt look normal. Hopefully it will go down. If it doesnt soon I will have to do some research on how to get the swelling to go down. If its not one thing its another.

Sorry I havent been on all weekend I just realized I have been on since friday! Thats two day!

I just have been SO busy!

Good to be back!

 

[msmechanic58]

Two hens in their nesting boxes in the main coop


First to hatch!


Still waiting. One more newly hatched is under there.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Quote: I'm guessing that this is a hen that you've tried to graft chicks onto, not one who is turning on the chicks she set & hatched? In my experience there are some hens (very few) who are good sports about taking on other chicks, and others (the majority it seems) who reject them. I've even seen hens who refuse to accept chicks they've incubated but who have hatched elsewhere. Even though I set them under the hens at night, well after nightfall, and the hens accept them at that time, by the light of day they'll have those new chicks -- even though they may look identical to the others -- crying in a corner.

 

[hokankai]

I'm guessing that this is a hen that you've tried to graft chicks onto, not one who is turning on the chicks she set & hatched? In my experience there are some hens (very few) who are good sports about taking on other chicks, and others (the majority it seems) who reject them. I've even seen hens who refuse to accept chicks they've incubated but who have hatched elsewhere. Even though I set them under the hens at night, well after nightfall, and the hens accept them at that time, by the light of day they'll have those new chicks -- even though they may look identical to the others -- crying in a corner.

I wish that were true, but she killed one of her own as well. The two survivors were one of her own and one that she adopted. I'm wondering if she squished them or something? They looked like they died where she had been sitting because they were within inches of each other.

And unfortunately my excellent broody from last year was taken by a coyote so I have one broody hen left to work with and I have no idea what kind of mother she would be

 

[ORChick]

For me it depends on the shell color. If its a white egg I can see it by day 5 clearly. If its a brown or green egg I like to wait until day 10 to see growth. If its very dark I usually keep them and then candle after they didn't hatch. But I also like to check how they are progressing. So usually ay 5, 10, 14, 17 and 25 (if they aren't hatching) are my choices for candling.

Thanks for the information. I think there is 1 dark egg from my Welsumer, as well as at least 1 green egg. The rest are light brown. So I'll have a look at about 10 days, and see what I shall see

MissLydia, thanks for the link. Very informative!

I won't be terribly upset if none of them hatch. I have only room to keep 2 or 3 of them anyway. But I'll feel sorry for all her stress. And it was such fun seeing her and her babies last year. Still, if it works, it works. And if not ... no doubt she will go broody again. This is her third time, so it seems to be a habit