Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Miss Lydia]

I don't blame you...that coons is prob after them, hearing the peeps. I am glad you got lucky there!

Me too BG, I have seen evidence of them around at night but not any during the day time hrs. But maybe my 4 dogs keep preds away during the day.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Bit of a stupid question but do the mothers show the chicks how to drink?

Yep they will show them how to drink and eat.

 

[Johnn]

Melow and the orpington have like swapped chicks, melows was under the orpington when i went up and the orpingtons was under Melow, but they both accept either chick so they are just bringing them up together really if i take one to stroke and it starts peeping they both get up and come looking for it. Hope they teach them how to drink

 

[Miss Lydia]

We now have 2 little chicks and another one makeing its way out!
The first one born (yellow with stripes) was from one of my blue eggs..

My whole thing originaly was I wanted a chick from my blue egg girl and our old EE rooster we borrowed back
More pics as they make their debut..

Very pretty, I am so excited my EE's just started to lay first of the week all Blue eggs!! Congrats!!!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Melow and the orpington have like swapped chicks, melows was under the orpington when i went up and the orpingtons was under Melow, but they both accept either chick so they are just bringing them up together really if i take one to stroke and it starts peeping they both get up and come looking for it. Hope they teach them how to drink

They will show them how to do it all Johnn, by following what mama does, she'll also find them tasty tidbits in the dirt and call them to supper.

 

[Johnn]

 

[miss blue]

hello all iv got a silky cross sitting on eggs due to hatch in 1 week and 5 days got a few Qs for u she is a very young hen not even a year old yet how well did ur first time young broody hens do ? and how long should she be off the nest to eat and drink for ? for the last 4 days she has come out first thing in the morning after half hour i go and place her in the coop then she wil jump back up in the nest box to sit on the eggs for the rest of the day/night .just wondered how long i could leave her off the nest without risking the eggs ( to see if she if she will go back in on her own )

 

[heatherscreations1969]

hello all iv got a silky cross sitting on eggs due to hatch in 1 week and 5 days got a few Qs for u she is a very young hen not even a year old yet how well did ur first time young broody hens do ? and how long should she be off the nest to eat and drink for ? for the last 4 days she has come out first thing in the morning after half hour i go and place her in the coop then she wil jump back up in the nest box to sit on the eggs for the rest of the day/night .just wondered how long i could leave her off the nest without risking the eggs ( to see if she if she will go back in on her own )

My silkies when brooding get off the nest every 2-3 days to eat and poop and dust bathe....some are off the nest for 10-15 mins and others have been off for 30 mins or so....but they always go back to sitting on the eggs on their own

*hugs* Heather x

 

[EELOVER217]

When my hen first went broody we did not giver her any eggs. She did not come out and would immediatly go back in if we did not lock her out. So we gave her eggs and left her for a day, she still did not come out so we just took her out and set her in the run. She would Poo, eat, dust bath for about 20 min. and then go back in on her own. She never seemed to just get up and go out, so we picked her up and set her in the run once a day, we never blocked her from the eggs though.
Mine is a one year old EE on her first brood, this is also my first time haveing a broody chicken or hatching chicks and they seem to be hatching fine. I worried alot, but other than that she pretty much did it all.

 

[Chick_In_The_Burbs]

EElover, Johnn- Ahhhhhh!! Love the fuzzybutts with their momma's!! I can't wait til mine get here.

I am also glad to here the stories of all the successful first time broodies. It is my girls first time too and I keep worrying that she will get up early or take too long breaks or something. I am probably going to be a wreck until these eggs hatch!