Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Miss Lydia]

Day 15 here with broody Naima. She is REALLY hunkered down now. Literally has a wall of shavings built around herself and her precious clutch. She spent most of yesterday and today shovelling and raking all the shavings within her reach. Thankfully, she accepted some tuna from me today. She accepted the gamebird starter and yogurt for a couple of days but went off that as well. Her colour is much improved now so I'm not feeling so worried about her but she goes days without getting off her nest. Crazy girl!

Glad to hear Naima is eating some for you. I usually don't have a problem with mine eating or drinking thank goodness. and they get off the nest 1 time a day to do their thing. But this hot weather has them hatching faster. I counted 21 days to be this Wednesday for my one hen thats sitting and when I didn't see her come out this morning I looked and there is a dry chick under her, and another with an external pip. Then I checked my other girl thats due on Friday nothing yet but with it getting hotter this week I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if she doesn't hatch sooner too. Saw my duck standing over her eggs yesterday, cooling them off I imagine. LOL

 

[Johnn]

Nooo. The stuff should arrive tommorow hopefully just because some one was suggesting another sort of stuff to put in with water and i was saying i could not get anything till sunday. I just want to give her it on the first and second day of treatment untill it kicks in and she starts eating it with out a bother

 

[Wynette]

I cant get my hands on anything untill sunday and her treatment would have come by then, i just dont want the sugar water to give her a boost to make her want to leave the eggs

I'm not familiar with your situation, Johnn, but if she's feeling poorly, she'll leave the eggs anyway, so it's best to get this treated asap - gapeworm is nothing to fool around with. GOOD LUCK!!!

 

[Wynette]

Update on my silver penciled rock broody...hatch date was Saturday for 7 eggs and today for 2. Well, nothing hatched for the Saturday due date...I'm not awfully surprised, because she left the nest more than she should have (first time broody).

I'm hoping the 2 last eggs will hatch, but I am not hopeful.

I put 7 more silver penciled rock eggs under my splash Giant hen who just went broody on Wednesday, along with 3 naked neck eggs. She was VERYhappy to have eggs to set...but this morning, I lifted her up to check on the eggs - 2 were missing and sure enough, there was yolk splatters on her face. She's not a "known" egg eater; has never eaten them before that I know of. Is it at all possible that she could have known these eggs were not fertile after just one day? I DID have trouble with her when she first began laying, stepping on & breaking eggs in the nest box, but that was a year ago and she's been good about not stepping on them since. Thoughts?

Here she is:



Please send happy happy broody vibes to this girl for me!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Update on my silver penciled rock broody...hatch date was Saturday for 7 eggs and today for 2. Well, nothing hatched for the Saturday due date...I'm not awfully surprised, because she left the nest more than she should have (first time broody).

I'm hoping the 2 last eggs will hatch, but I am not hopeful.

I put 7 more silver penciled rock eggs under my splash Giant hen who just went broody on Wednesday, along with 3 naked neck eggs. She was VERYhappy to have eggs to set...but this morning, I lifted her up to check on the eggs - 2 were missing and sure enough, there was yolk splatters on her face. She's not a "known" egg eater; has never eaten them before that I know of. Is it at all possible that she could have known these eggs were not fertile after just one day? I DID have trouble with her when she first began laying, stepping on & breaking eggs in the nest box, but that was a year ago and she's been good about not stepping on them since. Thoughts?

Here she is:



Please send happy happy broody vibes to this girl for me!

Aww she is so pretty, and not 1 dab of chicken poop in that hutch yet.

 

[BarnGoddess01]

Update on my silver penciled rock broody...hatch date was Saturday for 7 eggs and today for 2. Well, nothing hatched for the Saturday due date...I'm not awfully surprised, because she left the nest more than she should have (first time broody).

I'm hoping the 2 last eggs will hatch, but I am not hopeful.

I put 7 more silver penciled rock eggs under my splash Giant hen who just went broody on Wednesday, along with 3 naked neck eggs. She was VERYhappy to have eggs to set...but this morning, I lifted her up to check on the eggs - 2 were missing and sure enough, there was yolk splatters on her face. She's not a "known" egg eater; has never eaten them before that I know of. Is it at all possible that she could have known these eggs were not fertile after just one day? I DID have trouble with her when she first began laying, stepping on & breaking eggs in the nest box, but that was a year ago and she's been good about not stepping on them since. Thoughts?

Here she is:



Please send happy happy broody vibes to this girl for me!

My broody, Naima, broke one egg on day 6 that I discovered because of the egg on her beak. However, she didn't actually eat much of the egg and I could even see the developing embryo when I cleaned things up. It is my feeling now that the egg got broken by accident and things got worse when Naima tried to fix it. Perhaps the egg had cracks that I didn't notice? She actually had most of it shoved right to the front of her box for me to clean up for her. She has stuck tight, too tight, to her clutch ever since. Last count, she still had 8 eggs cooking underneath her. We are at day 15 today.

Sending ALL good hatching vibes for you with this one. And still hoping the other might hatch. LOVE the broody enclosure!!!

 

[Wynette]

Thanks, ML & BG!

Wow, BG - your Naima sure sounds like a good broody momma! BEST of luck on your hatch, too - getting close!

 

[BarnGoddess01]

OMG! Broody Naima came off the nest and out of the coop. Laid down a MASSIVE strip and pile to kill another patch of grass and straight back to her eggs. She is REALLY acting like there is about to be action!!!

 

[Johnn]

My hens wormer better come tomorrow!, i did not pay extra to have it delivered at normal times

 

[Miss Lydia]

My hens wormer better come tomorrow!, i did not pay extra to have it delivered at normal times

if she will drink Johnn, try putting some ACV in her water. 2 tab. to 1 gal. it is a great tonic.