Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Johnn]

I'm jealous of anybody whose hen lets them peek! Mine would go nuts. So I have to leave them alone for every bodies safety! stoneykill, I noticed some of your chicks have black and yellow feet - is this a characteristics of the breed? I've been given some that have different colorations, sometimes just a few toes are yellow, but they have similar markings, facial especially... just curious.

when i peeked under my orp her chick came out, and she pecked the chick not me! :/

 

[Johnn]

Iv'e decided on hatching eggs for next year, im going to get some "goldtop" hatching eggs!

 

[aoxa]

   I prefer they attack me. I only handle the chicks if they are stuck or need assistance. Otherwise they are left to be chickens who are strong and smart enough to free range.  Nature should tell them EVERYTHING is a threat to their babies. This will mellow  in a few days and she will stop flogging me.. Right now she is on high alert to protect her 9 babies!

Just because a chicken is not afraid of a human, does not mean it can't free range. Never lost a bird to a predator and all of mine were handled. It makes for easier inspections. I don't really handle chicks all that often, but if I wanted to, I'd like for them NOT to die of a heart attack when I go to pick them up.

Saying that, I do like to sit and take pictures of the chicks, so I do not want the hen to flog me lol.

 

[stonykill]

I'm jealous of anybody whose hen lets them peek! Mine would go nuts. So I have to leave them alone for every bodies safety! stoneykill, I noticed some of your chicks have black and yellow feet - is this a characteristics of the breed? I've been given some that have different colorations, sometimes just a few toes are yellow, but they have similar markings, facial especially... just curious.

they start that way. The legs darken up as they age. The bottoms of their feet are yellow from birth to death.

Were you given Sumatra? If they are Sumatra the bottoms of the feet will be yellow.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

They are mixed -game birds is all I know, many times around here people will swap or buy a breed that interests them, but strict regulations on 'purebreds' isn't always maintained. Some show obvious signs of a dominant trait, others not so much. (Mutts you could say) so when I see a particular trait repeated, I wonder, now where did that come from. .?

 

[Chicken Tamer]

Does anyone have broody hens for sale in oregon or washington???

 

[stonykill]

They are mixed -game birds is all I know, many times around here people will swap or buy a breed that interests them, but strict regulations on 'purebreds' isn't always maintained. Some show obvious signs of a dominant trait, others not so much. (Mutts you could say) so when I see a particular trait repeated, I wonder, now where did that come from. .?

Sumatra's are game fowl, so it is possible someone sometime bred some Sumatra in there. I think a lot of the gamefowl share a lot of similar traits. Broodiness being my favorite

 

[aoxa]

So I forgot to mark the calendar for when my hen started to set on some eggs.. anyway.. there is a staggered hatch going on AGAIN. I need to close them off and keep other hens from laying their eggs with the broody.. anyway.. candled tonight (I thought they were due NEXT Monday) and one is fully developed and has internally pipped. The rest look about day 15 or so.. Oh no.. Good thing I have another hen that has eggs right around that developing stage.. Only one is this far along.. Good news is I have chicks due to hatch on Thursday, so I can give her a couple more.. any eggs left from the other hen will go into the incubator since it will be free - don't want to risk her hurting the developing eggs by leaving the chicks.

I'll tell you now, I won't let a staggered hatch happen again!

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

Just because a chicken is not afraid of a human, does not mean it can't free range. Never lost a bird to a predator and all of mine were handled. It makes for easier inspections. I don't really handle chicks all that often, but if I wanted to, I'd like for them NOT to die of a heart attack when I go to pick them up.

Saying that, I do like to sit and take pictures of the chicks, so I do not want the hen to flog me lol.

Of course. My Moe is usually a nice hen. She will easily let me pick her up. When broody she will come when i call for her morning feed, and an increase in friendliness lets me know when she's going broody. Once the chicks hatch she turns into a viper. After she weans her chicks I handle each in turn so there won't be an undue amount of adrenaline flowing. Some remain flighty, others adopt her normal placid attitude and sit relaxed in my hands. I seriously doubt I can change her, so I just leave her alone to enjoy motherhood. It's just my way and I'm sure its different from alot of folks, it seems to reduce the stress she's under, and allows the chicks to, well, just be chicks.

 

[aoxa]

Of course. My Moe is usually a nice hen. She will easily let me pick her up. When broody she will come when i call for her morning feed, and an increase in friendliness lets me know when she's going broody. Once the chicks hatch she turns into a viper. After she weans her chicks I handle each in turn so there won't be an undue amount of adrenaline flowing. Some remain flighty, others adopt her normal placid attitude and sit relaxed in my hands. I seriously doubt I can change her, so I just leave her alone to enjoy motherhood. It's just my way and I'm sure its different from alot of folks, it seems to reduce the stress she's under, and allows the chicks to, well, just be chicks.

That's interesting. My hens that are more timid are usually really easy to touch when broody. My silkies are another story. Two of the three that I've had go broody are really protective As much as they can see to protect anyway. I guess I just don't bother them enough to flog. They don't ever flog when I'm in the vicinity, even if I don't touch them when broody. I have to kick my silkies out of the nest. They will not leave to poop, eat or drink, so they have to be moved. I don't like to put feed and water in their cages, because they have spilled them. They always go broody in pet carriers I normally use for nesting boxes until I can build something more permanent. That's a plus. They are really easy to move! I do not put the front on them, so they are not confined. This is why I have the issue with the staggered hatch.

How cute is this? Uhm.. Marge (the one above) decided that she needed to nest on my lap. I have no idea why. I was sitting in the pen with them - admiring their cuteness, and she hops up on me and hunches down like she would on the ground to keep her chicks warm. Is that weird? She is not normally so affectionate. Now the silkie will puff all out when I enter.