Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[MamaManda]

Hello Everyone! This is my first experience with a broody hen; my 7 month old Buff Orp decided to sit a few weeks ago and I got her 5 eggs from a friend to see if she would hold out for a hatch. She is on Day 10 today, and although I've had several concerns with her eating and drinking, and the recent heat, she is doing very well.

I decided to try candeling on Day 6, and didn't see anything real identifiable in the eggs. (My light may not have been bright enough?) In a couple of the eggs, I saw light "specks" throughout the entire egg, which I had read was the result of bacteria. My understanding was that these eggs needed to be removed, as they may break or burst and contaminate the other eggs. I decided to give it a few days and candled again today and saw the same thing, so I removed the egg that looked the most infected, set it on my counter to deal with later, and went outside for about an hour. When I came back in, the egg had cracked and blood and yolk had seeped out. When I cracked the egg open, I was surprised to see a developing embryo!
I am disappointed now that I removed the egg, and would like some clarification on what the specks in the eggs were...Is it true that it most likely was bacteria I was seeing and that it would have killed the chick eventually, before hatching? Was I right to remove it?

I really want to see my 'Butter' hatch a chick or two. She's been taking such good care of them.

I'm sure you can guess what sound she was making at me as I took this photo. Haha.

 

[Johnn]

I hope you get some chicks!, i have a broody BO whos on ten eggs, i hope i adleast get one hatch, she'll make such a good mother, i also have a cream legbar on 9 and i really am worried about her with chicks, she will not be the best of all mothers

 

[bobbieschicks]

I'm so sorry you had to go through that - I hope the rest of your experience with a broody goes smoother. Don't beat yourself up over it - you did the best you could and you are learning from your experience. That's the best anyone can do.

Some shells are naturally more porous and will appear as light speckles when you do your candling - is that what you saw or was it dark blood speckles? I have heard that porousness will let bacteria in and that bacteria is what will cause an exploding egg - bad for the rest of the hatch. What type of eggs is she sitting on? I wouldn't assume that speckles equals bad egg if they were say Welsummer eggs, but I would in a White Leghorn egg.

I would keep the porous eggs in the clutch and candle them again closer to day 14 - and if they are developing properly - leave them to hatch. You will know when they are bad if you candle them often - you will see rings of blood or smell them before they explode. Usually a momma will kick out the bad ones or occassionally she will eat them.

Keep us posted on what happens and post pics when you get your fuzzybutts!

Hello Everyone! This is my first experience with a broody hen; my 7 month old Buff Orp decided to sit a few weeks ago and I got her 5 eggs from a friend to see if she would hold out for a hatch. She is on Day 10 today, and although I've had several concerns with her eating and drinking, and the recent heat, she is doing very well.

I decided to try candeling on Day 6, and didn't see anything real identifiable in the eggs. (My light may not have been bright enough?) In a couple of the eggs, I saw light "specks" throughout the entire egg, which I had read was the result of bacteria. My understanding was that these eggs needed to be removed, as they may break or burst and contaminate the other eggs. I decided to give it a few days and candled again today and saw the same thing, so I removed the egg that looked the most infected, set it on my counter to deal with later, and went outside for about an hour. When I came back in, the egg had cracked and blood and yolk had seeped out. When I cracked the egg open, I was surprised to see a developing embryo!
I am disappointed now that I removed the egg, and would like some clarification on what the specks in the eggs were...Is it true that it most likely was bacteria I was seeing and that it would have killed the chick eventually, before hatching? Was I right to remove it?

I really want to see my 'Butter' hatch a chick or two. She's been taking such good care of them.

I'm sure you can guess what sound she was making at me as I took this photo. Haha.

 

[Johnn]

Hello Everyone! This is my first experience with a broody hen; my 7 month old Buff Orp decided to sit a few weeks ago and I got her 5 eggs from a friend to see if she would hold out for a hatch. She is on Day 10 today, and although I've had several concerns with her eating and drinking, and the recent heat, she is doing very well.

I decided to try candeling on Day 6, and didn't see anything real identifiable in the eggs. (My light may not have been bright enough?) In a couple of the eggs, I saw light "specks" throughout the entire egg, which I had read was the result of bacteria. My understanding was that these eggs needed to be removed, as they may break or burst and contaminate the other eggs. I decided to give it a few days and candled again today and saw the same thing, so I removed the egg that looked the most infected, set it on my counter to deal with later, and went outside for about an hour. When I came back in, the egg had cracked and blood and yolk had seeped out. When I cracked the egg open, I was surprised to see a developing embryo!
I am disappointed now that I removed the egg, and would like some clarification on what the specks in the eggs were...Is it true that it most likely was bacteria I was seeing and that it would have killed the chick eventually, before hatching? Was I right to remove it?

I really want to see my 'Butter' hatch a chick or two. She's been taking such good care of them.

I'm sure you can guess what sound she was making at me as I took this photo. Haha.

I have just realised ive done something similar to you. Last year my Black Orpington was broody and i give her 3 eggs to sit on for a week untill i found her ones i wanted to keep and after i got some, i cracked the 3 open and 1 had like a patch of blood in it so it must have been developing! and then after shed finished sitting on her other eggs non hatched -_-

 

[prairie]

I love the pic of your Butter BO -- she is really pretty and what a stink eye she is giving you!!

 

[Katiesduckies]

Hello Everyone! This is my first experience with a broody hen; my 7 month old Buff Orp decided to sit a few weeks ago and I got her 5 eggs from a friend to see if she would hold out for a hatch. She is on Day 10 today, and although I've had several concerns with her eating and drinking, and the recent heat, she is doing very well.

I decided to try candeling on Day 6, and didn't see anything real identifiable in the eggs. (My light may not have been bright enough?) In a couple of the eggs, I saw light "specks" throughout the entire egg, which I had read was the result of bacteria. My understanding was that these eggs needed to be removed, as they may break or burst and contaminate the other eggs. I decided to give it a few days and candled again today and saw the same thing, so I removed the egg that looked the most infected, set it on my counter to deal with later, and went outside for about an hour. When I came back in, the egg had cracked and blood and yolk had seeped out. When I cracked the egg open, I was surprised to see a developing embryo!
I am disappointed now that I removed the egg, and would like some clarification on what the specks in the eggs were...Is it true that it most likely was bacteria I was seeing and that it would have killed the chick eventually, before hatching? Was I right to remove it?

I really want to see my 'Butter' hatch a chick or two. She's been taking such good care of them.

I'm sure you can guess what sound she was making at me as I took this photo. Haha.

That momma has a stink eye!

 

[Katiesduckies]

I have an update!! I have more Broodies!! Well some of them are like part-time broodies hehe they don't sit on their eggs 24/7 I brought a couple chickens home the other day (Jewel and Pretty Girl) and Jewel isn't with my other chickens because she is very laid back and I'm scared she will get picked on by my RIRs

But Pretty Girl has taken over another hen's nest!! I seen one of my RIRs sitting on the nest this one day and then the next day I went and checked on all my eggs and Pretty Girl was sitting on that nest for that day and the next few days!! This morning before work I went and checked and Pretty Girl took over one of the nesting boxes for one of my other part time broodies lol i think I might only have 2 RIRs that are broody and the one broody RIR switches between 2/3 nests with Pretty Girl lol they like rotate It's really hard for me to tell my RIR hens apart lol most of them look the same!! I can tell the one under the steps is the same one though because she has the most tail feathers. my roosters are very loving on the hens

you can definantly tell which ones get LOTS of lovins'!!

 

[Johnn]

I have an update!! I have more Broodies!! Well some of them are like part-time broodies hehe they don't sit on their eggs 24/7 I brought a couple chickens home the other day (Jewel and Pretty Girl) and Jewel isn't with my other chickens because she is very laid back and I'm scared she will get picked on by my RIRs

But Pretty Girl has taken over another hen's nest!! I seen one of my RIRs sitting on the nest this one day and then the next day I went and checked on all my eggs and Pretty Girl was sitting on that nest for that day and the next few days!! This morning before work I went and checked and Pretty Girl took over one of the nesting boxes for one of my other part time broodies lol i think I might only have 2 RIRs that are broody and the one broody RIR switches between 2/3 nests with Pretty Girl lol they like rotate It's really hard for me to tell my RIR hens apart lol most of them look the same!! I can tell the one under the steps is the same one though because she has the most tail feathers. my roosters are very loving on the hens

you can definantly tell which ones get LOTS of lovins'!!

My melow was a part time broody she didn't seem to get into her head that she can't just go away for half the day then come back to her eggs!, but after a week of getting use to it, she is happily sitting on 9 eggs with a 5-10 minute break through the day

 

[echip]

Katie's duckies, that is an adorable broody and what a stink eye. There was once a contest on BYC about stink eye photos. Love the name Butter!

A Tale of Two Broodies' Mothering Patterns

8 weeks ago my Buff Orpington Goldie hatched out two bantam chicks. When those babies hatched she continued to give stink eye and taught her babies to cower in fear of anything (me) who dared approach them with food and treats. Now I get stink eye in triplicate from Goldie and her two big chicks.



Stink eye times three. And yes, Speckles appears to me a little roo, maybe Chipmunk too. Stony might say that this shows Goldie is a good mama, and if they all free ranged anywhere but our backyard they would have good instincts.

Then there is Henrietta, who hatched out 8 babies about 16 days ago. Henrietta and her chicks come running TOWARDS me, cheeping with joy, every time I come near them. Both Goldie's chicks and Henrietta's chicks hatched from the same gene pool of eggs from a friend's farm, so it is only the mothering style that makes the difference. It is a lot more fun for me to play with Henrietta's chicks, of course. Here they are settling down for the night last night.


Notice the amost smiling sweet look Henrietta and all her babies have? The opposite of a stink eye. That is Lucky in front, the black chick with orange toes. Miss Lydia is the chick on Henrietta's right, under her wing. Blackberry and June are underneath her somewhere. Pippi (first to pip) is way out front showing off her beautiful wing feathers.

 

[Katiesduckies]

My melow was a part time broody she didn't seem to get into her head that she can't just go away for half the day then come back to her eggs!, but after a week of getting use to it, she is happily sitting on 9 eggs with a 5-10 minute break through the day

That's how most of them are LOL they decide to go for a stroll to the neighbors and the field across the street on the search for bugs and other goodies!
I think they forget about their eggs until they go

to roost at night and go "HEEEEEEY Thaaaaat's what I was doing before I needed a snack!!"

I do have one Mamma that is a full-time she just decided to put her nest under our steps into the house!! (Bad location) And Pretty Girl is pretty good, she took over two nests from RIR hens that are my part-timers and is trying to take care of the two nests at once! She rotates from one nest to the other!