Congratulations! There is nothing like broody-hatched and raised chicks!!!
I saw this thread, read all about it, and finally found a Hen who was broody 24 days later here I got my first set of chicks from a broody hen. Four wonderful little chicks and the best part I have to do nothing else. Thanks for the great thread.
A day or 2 yes, I would try not to if it's been 3 days. They usually sit for at least 48 hours after first hatch. Sometimes less, sometimes more. I have had eggs hatch 2 days apart with no issues.
I've had to incubate eggs that were too staggered in hatch dates. :/ That's my fault for not preventing other hens from laying in with the broody.
We have a incubator running, and if the broody doesn't sit long enough the eggs she has will have hatched then and the eggs in the bator would be in lockdown, so it'd be a perfect timing, thanks!
At least yours are in the coop! Mine hatched in a little caged area under our house, now they sleep ontop of the wood pile... Haha. It's cute, yet when I open the coop, they go and eat etc...
Im not sure if the Orp will ever leave them, i think they might leave her first. If she dosen't leave them they will leave her wont they?! they better have left each other by 15 weeks old because if the Orp chick is a boy it is going to it's new home. I hope they don't miss each other
A day or two is OK but I wouldn't risk much more. My hen that's hatching right now was sitting for at least 5 days before I realized the 3 other hens had been adding eggs to her nest! She is on day 5 from the first chicks and still sitting (not usual), two are hatching as I type! I gave 6 of her 28 eggs to another broody who had just started to sit but was maybe a week and half into her own eggs. I was going to move them back to the other mom once hers started but one hatched on Friday before I could move them, another yesterday and another this morning. Another broody has had no luck so I removed her eggs when she went out for a dirt bath this morning and replaced them with the 2nd broodies eggs......who's on first!<------I feel like this, running between 3 broodies!
I really lucked out with the broodie that didn't have any luck because the newest broodie wouldn't have sat to hatch the eggs she was on once the 6 eggs I gave her. I don't recommend to push it too much or you'll be doing the same thing!
So far I have 15 and one on it's way out right now (don't count your chickens before they hatch)! There's enough eggs left between the three to double that!What the heck?
