Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Achickenwrangler#1]

They are both really pretty., but both have different styles eh? One does all the work and the other lets you do all the work. Hey! Wait a minute! I thought broodies were supposed to do it all. Mine are similar, one taught me, the other was content to lounge in her brooder, if the chicks didn't want to go down the ladder OK, she won't either. OK, maybe twelve are alot to look after.I cut her the slack.

 

[JoshU]

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!!

That is Funny!

 

[artsyrobin]

here is a fun one from a friend::


Quote:

 

[perchie.girl]

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.

I have had snakes get into my aviary and gulp down a stommach full of Cockatiel eggs then be soo big they couldnt get back out the 1/2 inch aviary wire. Just recently my Guineas and one pullet started laying eggs I was delighted and was able to gather enough to put in the incubator..... Only the guinea eggs hatched. But after that I stopped getting eggs from my little flock. I had been getting one Araucana egg per day give or take for days off and about three guinea eggs a week. suddenly No eggs. for two weeks.

Last time I went up there were I found two Araucana eggs.... But I couldnt find the Ceramic egg I had put in the Guinea enclosure.... Me thinks someone sucked up a falsie.... Hee hee.

deb

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

Sweet. Poetic justice. This reptile was lapping it up, broke the eggs open...just yolk drained out when I cut the head off. Time to break open the moth balls.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Here are my babies. I have seen all 5 and there were 5 eggs under these guys. There is one red one, one all black with black legs, and 3 fuzzy footed ones. It is my dual sitting hens. I got these eggs of Craig's list locally. Met the guy in Walmart parking lot, I cannot believe this worked. I feel like I hatched those babies. How do you guys do this without going crazy!? I am so excited, my husband and boys are cracking up at me.

There are 3 more eggs under a bantum OEG, and 2 more under D'uccle. But I can't believe all 5/5 under the two girls hatched.


The first pic is hard to see the little black fuzzy there is a chick, and the second is obvious the white one!

It is very exciting and I am always happy to see those little fuzzies under mama. Congrats!! sweet pic.

 

[Miss Lydia]

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!

So sweet and such a precious story.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I have had snakes get into my aviary and gulp down a stommach full of Cockatiel eggs then be soo big they couldnt get back out the 1/2 inch aviary wire. Just recently my Guineas and one pullet started laying eggs I was delighted and was able to gather enough to put in the incubator..... Only the guinea eggs hatched. But after that I stopped getting eggs from my little flock. I had been getting one Araucana egg per day give or take for days off and about three guinea eggs a week. suddenly No eggs. for two weeks.

Last time I went up there were I found two Araucana eggs.... But I couldnt find the Ceramic egg I had put in the Guinea enclosure.... Me thinks someone sucked up a falsie.... Hee hee.

deb

I bet it has a tummy ache. We have huge Blk snakes here, they do keep the copper heads number down though so we don't want to kill them but I have carried 6 footers out of my coop and down the drive way to toss over the bank. sat. I escorted 2 3' ones out of the yard, even 3' can eat a tiny bantam chick. So I spend alot of time outside when we have chicks running around.

 

[wildriverswolf90]

candled the eggs under my broody silkie and all 5 are devolping!

I've got a bad rat problem in my main barn, and yet last week I found 2 large rat snakes helping themselves to my eggs! I gave them a chance and put them back in the wood pile but no, next day they were back in the coop, got my uncle to take them.(he loves snakes) my cats do a better job at mouse control and they aren't a threat to my eggs, chicks or chickens.

 

[Johnn]

Also we use fire lighters to light our fire along with col and wood so will that affect the she's for her dust bath or will it still not matter?