Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Tanichca]

Three babies out- a turken

an EE, and a weird cross breed rosecomb-phoenix. The last two eggs are pipped- both turkens!

 

[Tanichca]

Three babies out- a turken

an EE, and a weird cross breed rosecomb-phoenix. The last two eggs are pipped- both turkens!

And here's the baby turken-
-

 

[Chicken Frenzie]

I wouldn't worry about wiring them in. The chicks usually stay right under the momma for the first few days. Rarely venturing more then a foot away by day two after hatch. Also, if it's been warm where you are the mommas may hatch early. Then again the 21 days is an average - they may hatch later.

My Smokey hatched one of her chicks on a Weds (Day 20) & the other on Thurs (Day 21) and Topsy hatched her two chicks on Friday (Day 22) - late in the day.

Alright, she is the head hen anyhow, she isn't even letting the girls lay their eggs next to her! It has been hot- hopefully I'll get an early surprise .

 

[Johnn]

well the chicks are 7 weeks old today, i wanted mostly them to eat the growers pellets so i put corn in the other hens favouraite feeders so the chicks couldn't get to it and they were so upset about having to eat the pellets so i give in and threw them a handful of corn. One of the other hens went over to the feeder and started pecking them so i grabbed the orp and put her over there and she chased that hen away. The chicks are going to have to learn to eat them because when this bag of corn runs out tomorrow that's all they are going to get!

 

[Chicken Frenzie]

( the egg below is the egg HOPEFULLY to hatch in 16 days!)

 

[Kagu]

So I came home to my broodies egs FILTHY. Covered in poo, straw, and I think yolk. Looked like another hen used the broodies box (I don't have a sepereate area, shes just in a nestbox) and pooped in it, and I think crakced one of the eggs or one layed that day. I cleaned out the box and put her back, but since all the eggs were dry they still have bits of poo, straw, and some yolk on them. What should I do???

Anyone or did I miss a respones?

 

[Kagu]

And here's the baby turken-
-

That is ADORABLE!!! GIMME!!

 

[ll]

Maybe I should ask on this thread:

I have just two happy hens. I know all hens have their own personalities, but as a rule should my buff hen be okay when my blue's babies hatch?
Or should I definitely be separating the broody/eggs/babies with an enclosure in the coop?

Also do you think this nest box is too small? I do.
I had the eggs in the blue tray but one was rolled out from under her on the 1st day, as if the tray was too big.
Should I wait until the chicks hatch and then immediately take out the green box?
Should I move the green box now so the chicks don't become pancakes?

 

[bobbieschicks]

Kagu - I answered you yesterday. Here's the response.

Make sure to remove any cracked eggs as they will rot and stink up the place. Then just leave them alone. My Topsy hatched out a blue egg this time that had become covered with poo from Smokey and possibly egg yolk from the cracked egg. I just wiped what I could off of it and put it under Topsy. It is now 2 weeks old and running around in the yard as I type this. Do not wash the egg off - it's not necessary.

Anyone or did I miss a respones?

 

[bobbieschicks]

If the hens got along before going broody - chances are good they'll get along after the hatch. I haven't had a problem with other hens messing with my broody/chicks - the broodies (especially Smokey) will rip their lungs out if they even look twice at the babies. She's mellowed some with this her 3rd hatch in 2012 - but she still will attack anyone clucking nearby. I wouldn't worry about separating them unless they were mortal enemies to begin with like my Topsy and Smokey whom I had to separate with landscape fabric in the broody area so that they could sit without Smokey killing poor Topsy. Edited to add that Topsy and Smokey often walk near each other without issue even with the babies underfoot. Also Smokey, with her babies under her, has been sleeping on the floor near Topsyand her clutch at night (within 12 inches).

As far as the nest box - the green one is fine - seems a little small, but you can just as easily use the bigger blue one or better yet just let them lay on the ground in a big pile of straw/pine shavings. My Topsy & Smokey both moved their eggs out of the nice little straw nest areas I created - they preferred to nest on the ground of the coop in the pine shavings during the winter/spring and then they pushed it all away and sat on the floor of the coop over the summer. They only moved the pine shavings near when they were hatching.

The egg that was pushed out might have been a quitter or unfertilized or could have been put there by the momma to cool off a bit. I wouldn't assume the egg needed to be tucked back under (an assumption I've made wrongly in the past). If you give her room to manage her eggs you will have a better chance of hatching without messes. If she's not removed daily she will eventually poop in there and that will be an issue and could cover the other eggs. Smokey moved away from her "pile" and I could clean that up before she got it all over the eggs.

Maybe I should ask on this thread:

I have just two happy hens. I know all hens have their own personalities, but as a rule should my buff hen be okay when my blue's babies hatch?
Or should I definitely be separating the broody/eggs/babies with an enclosure in the coop?

Also do you think this nest box is too small? I do.
I had the eggs in the blue tray but one was rolled out from under her on the 1st day, as if the tray was too big.
Should I wait until the chicks hatch and then immediately take out the green box?
Should I move the green box now so the chicks don't become pancakes?