Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[SilkiesForEver]

I have 5 eggs in the incubator now due the beginning of July. I candled them and ALL are fertile!!!

Mama was running with A black Jersey Giant cock, a Frizzled Japanese cock, a Silkie/Rhode Island red mixed cock, and a Rhode Island red cockerel, so they are either Silkie/black Jersey Giant, Silkie/Frizzled Japanese, or Silkie/Rhode Island red.
It will be neat to see what they look like.
I'm going to candle the eggs again in complete darkness tonight.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Ah! A place to post.

My 7 month old Buff Orpington started setting on a clutch of eggs on 6-18-2012 (Monday.)

The eggs she was on were a week old out in the 70-90 degree coop so I slipped those out, marked and gave her the next days lay from my other hens.
Turned out the eggs I took away were just fine and all had a single tiny red vein/string running through them.
Oh well, she has 7 fresh ones.

Papa is a Dark Brahma.
The other hens are Dark, Buff, LIght, Brahma's, Buff Orpington, and RIR's.

On day 2 she left the nest for 20 minutes, ate, drank, relieved herself, and took a big ole' dust bath.
She's done the same thing once each day now but stayed out an hour today.

Sometimes the other hens try and slip another egg in her clutch but I remove them when she leaves.

Rooster Roo


Mama

Oh my he's one handsome dude. your going to have some beautiful chicks. and I have 3 hens sitting right now and 2 usually come off the nest for maybe 30 mins at tops but my one which I call the crazy banty comes off and stays off at least 45 min to an hour each day. And her eggs are developing fine, we have to trust they know what their doing. Let us know when hatch day arrives.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Have to post final results. My lost hen that came back now has 8 new babies out of 14 eggs. More tried to hatch but I think they got cold because she had her hands full with the first 8 so they didn't hatch all the way. They are absolutely gorgeous Cochin/Brahma cross babies.



My other three hens hatched out a total of 7 eggs between them and are also doing well. The two Brahma Mamas are working together to keep their babies in line. Nice to see them getting along even if it will only probable last for a bit lol.

Very pretty, congrats..

 

[Miss Lydia]

I caught the tail end of a similar circumstance here. The black Sumatra Roo in the back (the blur in the back) mounted the Jersey Giant/RIR mix on the right running away in the pic. The blue Sumatra roo (less blurry in the front) jumped on both of their backs and in the pic is telling the Black Roo that these girls are his! The black Sumatra roo is easily 1/2 the size of the Jersey Giant/RIR mutt girl.

My roo who is bantam/ game mix my head roo, has some big girls to run with also a light Brahma hen and 4 big EE's he is in the process of wooing them now they just turned 20 weeks so he is getting them ready for the big egg laying event, caught him in the nest box with one yesterday. Course right now they are taller than him so don't know if anything will come of it. He has given up on the Brahma.

Have a question stony, are RIR a nice bird as far as temperment? A friend told me a couple years ago they are mean so I have always staid clear of them.

 

[Johnn]

Well when Melow was off her eggs today Flora (a ex batt hen) got into her nest and when Melow got back she was not having any of it and was prepared to fight! but Flora refused to move so Melow sat on top of her! The reason you can see melows head on the last pic is because shes pulling the eggs out from under flora!

 

[stonykill]

My roo who is bantam/ game mix my head roo, has some big girls to run with also a light Brahma hen and 4 big EE's he is in the process of wooing them now they just turned 20 weeks so he is getting them ready for the big egg laying event, caught him in the nest box with one yesterday. Course right now they are taller than him so don't know if anything will come of it. He has given up on the Brahma.

Have a question stony, are RIR a nice bird as far as temperment? A friend told me a couple years ago they are mean so I have always staid clear of them.

I have had others ask me that same question. Mine are really mellow girls. They hang in the front yard with us all of the time waiting for treats or just to see what we are doing. They get along fine with all of the Sumatra's with many of the reds hanging all day long with Sumatra hens and roo's. I find them to be curious, inquisitive, friendly girls towards humans and other chickens. I've had RIR's longer than any other breed. They are what I started with 7 years ago. I love them and will always have them. They lay really well even as they age as a bonus. My4 year old girls still lay several eggs a week and one is a new mama for the 1st time!

this is my buddy from a pic earlier in this post who was jealous of all of the attention the babies were getting. As you know I don't hold my girls , but she jumped right into my lap to get her own way repeatedly this day.

 

[stonykill]

a few pics of my best broody "Mama". Here she is getting ready to get a drink.

and getting ready to fly away from a rooster

and here she is on the roof of the house about 2 seconds later

 

[bobbieschicks]

What can I say, they are gorgeous.

xs2

 

[Johnn]

The orpington wouldnt get off her nest again today so i gave her some food next to her, i think she knows shes getting weak because she is getting really protective

 

[Miss Lydia]

The orpington wouldnt get off her nest again today so i gave her some food next to her, i think she knows shes getting weak because she is getting really protective

How much longer before she hatches Johnn? she does look a bit spent. maybe some vitamins in her water would help.