Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Wynette]

Thanks for the reassurance, CarolJ - oh my word - I would be BESIDE myself! What a joy to come home to some newly hatched chicks!

Aris, none of my coops are the "Taj Mahal" either, but mine, like yours, gets the job done. In my opinion, so long as they are safe/secure, it matters not what they look like! The chickens surely do not care!

 

[prairie]

Aris,
Our chicken house too is not very pretty -- it is an old shed that has been used for a sheep shed in the past and then a garden tool shed and now a chicken house. I bet it is about 80 years old!! We kinda remodeled it this spring so the chickens and guineas and ducks could have a larger house. It works well!

Sounds heavenly to be able to pick oranges and tangerines!! We have apples, pears and peaches -- or we might have if the weather ever cools off -- we have been sitting at about 40C for a couple of weeks here in the middle of the U.S.A. and are in a terrible drought!
I have always wanted to go to Crete!! and to Greece too! Welcome to BYC!

@ pairie
There is no floor at my coop so what you see is soil mixed with chicken poop and hay, their nests are boxes that my grant father uses when he collects oranges and tangerines.
My coop is probably one of the most ugly at the BYC but it get the job done, with the assistance of a big Bougainvillea tree above it provide the valuable shade needed since I live at Creta the northeast island of Greece and temperature right now are 30-35 Celsius at an average summer day ,that's 86-95 Fahrenheit ,and it won't be better until September .

 

[Kagu]

Anyone have any help with my prob? So, I sold a dozen eggs to 2 friends. One, i forced (LOL) and the other wanted 2 dozen. Well, the male of the friends cracked open an egg and there was a baby chick

So, any help on how to tell how long the chick had been incubated, and WHO IS THE OFFENDER/AWESOME CHICKEN SETTING? I have been waiting FOREVER for a hen to set, and NOW i dont even know who it is!!

So, is it possible for a hen to set w/o a brood patch? I have a few hens im sucpisious of....


Our brahma hen- One day she would NOT sit still and investigated EACH nest. And i found her sitting on 2 eggs, i took them away, and she left.

Our orp hen- we have 2 but one if you go by her (well scare her) she'll puff up like a broody hen, and I dont think shes laying.

 

[bobbieschicks]

Anyone have any help with my prob? So, I sold a dozen eggs to 2 friends. One, i forced (LOL) and the other wanted 2 dozen. Well, the male of the friends cracked open an egg and there was a baby chick So, any help on how to tell how long the chick had been incubated, and WHO IS THE OFFENDER/AWESOME CHICKEN SETTING? I have been waiting FOREVER for a hen to set, and NOW  i dont even know who it is!!

So, is it possible for a hen to set w/o a brood patch? I have a few hens im sucpisious of....


Our brahma hen- One day she would NOT sit still and investigated EACH nest. And i found her sitting on 2 eggs, i took them away, and she left.

Our orp hen- we have 2 but one if you go by her (well scare her) she'll puff up like a broody hen, and I dont think shes laying.


 

The one not laying could be the culprit. Broodies stop laying while they sit. If you are collecting eggs daily or at least by the second day you shouldn't have any chicks being incubated in there.

 

[Kagu]

The one not laying could be the culprit. Broodies stop laying while they sit. If you are collecting eggs daily or at least by the second day you shouldn't have any chicks being incubated in there.

That was my thought.

Ill have to ask Billy (the friend) how devolped it is, cause, if it was say a lump from not collecting a few days, fine, but if its an actual chick

Sometimes they wont lay in the nesr box but in the dog box, but I dunno how often we collect from there.

Ill see how the non-laying hen does if i set in the nest box w/ 2 of todays eggs. How long is an egg good in the fridge?I collected 2 like an hour ago, would they be good?

If theres any orp eggs we'll have orp chicks, (we have 3 hens who have OEGB fertile eggs, the other - new - hens have orp )

 

[Fire]

My broody hen hatched a chick this morning that I found dead. It was still wet and there was quite a bit of sticky yolk I think. I have one more that has a small hole in the shell and is trying to get out. Any ideas why the chick is dead? Does the hen not know what she is doing? I sure dont! She is in a small nest in my tractor it may be too hot? Sorry if Im rambling but I dont know what to do. Besides the egg with the hole in it the others are about 2-3 days from hatching. The first two were a few days older. Should I move her so she has more room and it isnt as hot? I have a large dog kennel with a little run I used to raise my last chicks.

 

[Kagu]

Ill see how the non-laying hen does if i set in the nest box w/ 2 of todays eggs. How long is an egg good in the fridge?I collected 2 like an hour ago, would they be good?

Lettme rephrase- She doesnt have a brood patch, but shes sitting on eggs.

Do they have to have a brood patch? The only one w/ a brood patch just has her feathers plucked off

 

[Johnn]

I forgot the answer last time but... today when i was getting the chick water i didn't want to put apple cide vinegar in because i wasn't sure if there was a age for it?

 

[Miss Lydia]

OMG!OMG!OMG!, went to my hens today and i got to my orps nest and i didn't hear anything so i thaught when i open this, nothing will be there, well i opened it and there was a chick!!!,i listened to another egg and i could hear the chick peeping and moving around so i gave it to smelly!, (melows nick name!) arghhh!!!!!!! im so happy! after 4 years of trying eventually!!!!

Oh Johnn I am so happy for you and for melow too now she will be a mommie. keep us updated and pics when you can..

oops just went back and saw pics. lovely!!

 

[Miss Lydia]

I think they have the idea to snuggle now without 'broody hand' thankfully....being a broody is hard work, these will be the tamest games around I think...next week, will be teaching how to catch a bug, scratch the dirt, and take a dust bath 101.

They are precious mama