Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Tripp16]

This is the part I don't like about broodies, when they let the babies be on their own. But I guess if they think the babies are ready I have to trust they know what they are doing. After all, that's the purpose for which God created them.

Well she is still sleeping with them in the nest so I dont know hopefully she will teach them to roost.

 

[Tripp16]

Well guess what!!! Gracie (BB Red Bantam) is ( I think) broody!!! She was completely normal this afternoon but tonight I went out and she was on the nest. I guess we will have to see if shes serious tomorrow morning.

BUT the problem is... I just counted and if I put eggs under her on wednesday (if shes serious) then hatch day will be on July 4th.... the problem with that is I will be at the beach. If I make her sit one solid week with fake eggs hatch day will be the day I come back. I dont know what to do....

They ALWAYS do this in an inconvienent time....

 

[BarnGoddess01]

Quote:
I'm kidding about the 14 days. It won't stay this warm. I don't think any of us would survive if it stayed this warm!! We'll FRY as said above! I left everyone outside an extra hour tonight and even still, they are panting in the coop - with open windows on two sides! But forecast calls for reasonable temps for the next week. Cool at night at least. (I did get a load of very funny pictures of about 30 or so chickens looking broody this afternoon - running around with wings wide open and on the ground! Especially the young cockerels!!!!

)

Marans have a reputation for being late hatchers so all things being equal - we may still have chicks on day 21 - assuming we get there!!

(Might be interestig because 3 of the eggs I set were HUGE and the other 6 are smaller pullet eggs so I am curious to see if the cooking rate varies.) By the way, I ended up setting 9.

Have I mentioned that???

 

[Katiesduckies]

Yeah chickens are never a dull moment. The kids and I love to watch the little social dramas that go on between them. We've lost a few to unexplained deaths - it made me leery of opening the coop for awhile. lol. Now I take it a little less hard - but I still hate to loose them suddenly like that. I've got one now that's 45 weeks old and hasn't laid an egg. Her days are numbered, if she wasn't so darn sweet she would have been gone by now. I have cockerels that won't sleep on the roost - choosing the safety of the nest boxes because they know their days are numbered. And a pullet who is trying to make a habit of being broody!

No they arent lol one of our hens laid eggs in this bowl i left outside on accident!! My chickens are strange they lay eggs under the trailer, inside bushes, bowls, under the steps and in the coop (where no one can get to them to pick them up!) and finally they decided to lay in both of our nesting boxes! Silly chickens. The roosters get really mean if you forget to feed them on time! they will chase you into the house! they decided to come into the house via our bedroom window!! we have an airconditioner and only had a piece of cardboard covering the gap and the chicken pushed the cardboard inside and decided to come join me in bed - BOY was that a surprise to wake up to!!

 

[Katiesduckies]

What is the easiest way to keep track of your eggs by letting them naturally hatch? I have NO IDEA when mine will hatch I'm guessing really soon but I can't keep track of all these eggs Course I haven't candled any eggs so theres more than likely good and bad eggs and the fat hen broke one under her butt somehow lol but she ate the remains of the squashed egg so I had little to no mess to worry about

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

Here's a good one. So I've been leaving some eggs in the nests to encourage broodies...one little neurotic hen I caught eating eggs , so i locked her in her own flat..after a week, she had her own little nest with five eggs, no shells, and seemed calmer, so I let her out. Tonight I went in to close up the coop and check on my broody Pepper directly below her, in another box was a huge snake! It was coiled in the box, gulping down eggs..wow,yuck! A two person job I got my husband to haul it out and then I went all broody on it. No remorse whatsoever...I could just imagine it gobbling up my chicks! So, moral of the story, the problem may not be what you think it is. I leave the coop open all day,and at night I'd say it's impossible to get in, so that snake slithered in broad daylight, and we (grandkids and me) have been in and out all week long....never saw it before today...I guess there will be no more eggs left out from now on.
The op with parasite problem - I had a close call with fleas that came in on new puppies, and didn't see them right away, I dipped the dogs and out sevin dust in the floor of the coop, and liberally in the dust bath spot and didn't have a problem. At the feed store I noticed it says on the label do not directly apply etc etc and I asked if people use it they said it's not made for it but people use it that way-wink nudge, it's a disclaimer. I posted on another site and immediately someone posted it's poison and never to use it....gotta say, I don't want pests on my animals, or me, and having lived in Florida, mention fleas to me and I'm squirming. It sometimes takes big guns to completely get rid of parasites, otherwise you battle every other month with them. Now, after a one time use I haven't had any infestation and all is well.
My broody heads for the dust bowl first thing on her break. If I had one confined I'd give her a big bowl of dirt as I do once the chicks are hatched and she's off the nest. Now I have a protective pen the broody can take her chicks out immediately if she wants, some just really like that dust.

 

[artsyrobin]

i usually date the eggs, that way if someone sneaks another egg in there, its not a big issue- my current problem is hens being clumsy and smashing eggs! i've lost 2 in the last week that were close to hatch...



meanwhile-

and look at Jewel, the once was paralyzed pullet is an awsome mama- when the babies couldn't figure out how to go up the ramp she had them on her back!

 

[Katiesduckies]

i usually date the eggs, that way if someone sneaks another egg in there, its not a big issue- my current problem is hens being clumsy and smashing eggs! i've lost 2 in the last week that were close to hatch...



meanwhile-

and look at Jewel, the once was paralyzed pullet is an awsome mama- when the babies couldn't figure out how to go up the ramp she had them on her back!

Awww how sweet!! I don't have any ramps lol they sure do like our steps into the house!!

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

wow that's a pretty hen- what breed is she?

 

[artsyrobin]

wow that's a pretty hen- what breed is she?

she is a golden laced wynodotte, and i am really impressed by how she is caring for these chicks, the other mama is an easter egger, and she is always losing track of where they are, and took her days with my intervention to teach the chicks to go up the ramp- would go in and she'd have one chick, and the other 2 were yelling down in the run for mama....