Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[stonykill]

A "buzzard" is slang for vulture. In the states we have 3 kinds, Turkey and Black Vultures and the California Condor. The photo here is of a hawk, not sure which species as the front is not pictured. The link provided has incorrect information on it. As a reminder, the Federal Migratory Bird Act protects many species of birds from shooting. http://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/
Confining chickens to a run is the surest way to protect them from attack.

that may all be true in the good old USA, but Johnn is in the UK. In the Uk what we call a hawk, they call a Buzzard. You know like we sayf lashlight, they say torch, we say hood, they say bonnet, a windsheild here is a windscreen there. etc etc etc. The things one learns watching Monte Python

 

[bobbieschicks]

  that may all be true in the good old USA, but Johnn is in the UK. In the Uk what we call a hawk, they call a Buzzard. You know like we sayf lashlight, they say torch, we say hood, they say bonnet, a windsheild here is a windscreen there. etc etc etc. The things one learns watching Monte Python 

Thank you Stony, and you don't have to make this a Spanish Inquisition

My favorite, "send out your dead" "I'm not dead yet" "you will be soon" clunk

 

[stonykill]

Thank you Stony, and you don't have to make this a Spanish Inquisition

My favorite, "send out your dead" "I'm not dead yet" "you will be soon" clunk

I'm more of a Nights that say nee fan

it's just a flesh wound

 

[naturespace]

  I'm more of a Nights that say nee fan    it's just a flesh wound 

Sure an African swallow...

I could go on. Nice to see other fans!

 

[cluckcluckluke]

You can be as involved with the process as you would like. I prefer to keep hands off and let the hens do all the work - but sometimes I will intervene. For instance if I don't see the mom responding to the chicks cries I will help the chick find the momma. Would the chick have found her without me - of course - so I don't have to help. I also can't keep my hands off the broody waiting for them to hatch - and that's a bad thing. If you mess with the broody a lot you are messing with the temps and humidity and of course could lead to hatching problems.

Your job is to provide some chick or grower feed and water for them all so that momma can teach the little ones how to eat & drink. You won't need to dip their beaks in the water - they will watch momma and do it themselves. I usually put a small dish of water with rocks in it so that the babies would fall in and drown. I also put a small plate of chick feed and scatter some around so that they have to scratch for it.

No heat lamps needed. Also no need to isolate unless you have a particularly agressive flock. Best to keep hands off and let momma teach them everything - she will keep them warm and safe! Post pics when they finish hatching

Thanks, this is great, so no more touching mamma got it i was patting her a bout twice a day because she was being really friendly but i shall stop this. How do i remove any of the other hens eggs though, she usually used to get up for a poop and a stretch in afternoon but has now stopped that for some reason??? That is a great idea putting rocks in the water, shall do that and I'm going to get some chick feed closer to the hatching time so it can last longer. I will defiantly put/post up some pictures when they've hatched!!! I think that i will separate the chicks from the flock until they are bigger just so they dont get attacked when I'm out, but will slowly introduce them into the flock when I'M there to watch/supervise.
Again Thank you for the help

.

 

[bobbieschicks]

Thanks, this is great, so no more touching mamma got it i was patting her a bout twice a day because she was being really friendly but i shall stop this. How do i remove any of the other hens eggs though, she usually used to get up for a poop and a stretch in afternoon but has now stopped that for some reason??? That is a great idea putting rocks in the water, shall do that and I'm going to get some chick feed closer to the hatching time so it can last longer. I will defiantly put/post up some pictures when they've hatched!!! I think that i will separate the chicks from the flock until they are bigger just so they dont get attacked when I'm out, but will slowly introduce them into the flock when I'M there to watch/supervise.
Again Thank you for the help

.

Oh no, you can still pat her - especially if she likes it. I just wouldn't be lifting her off the nest from about Day 17 until hatch. Until Day 17 you can remove her from the nest and put her out to eat & drink if she's not getting up on her own. That would give you an opportunity to remove any additional eggs that are laid in the nest with her. Also if you can't tell her eggs from any of the others you can mark her eggs with a permanent marker or pencil to tell them from the newly laid ones.

As far as separating chicks after they are born - momma does a great job of teaching the kids and integrating them into the flock so I haven't found a need to do that even though I initially thought I would have to. Each time the broodies have stepped up and protected their babies from any curious or aggressive chickens. I have found that brooding them separately is harder to introduce the chicks into the flock and it takes longer too. Letting the broody do it requires little to no intervention on my part and they get moved into the pecking order easier.

For example my Smokey's first clutch was 2 wellies and 1 AM. They were just a day old and I opened their side of the coop to let her take them out when she wanted to. The alpha roo, a White Leghorn, hopped inside the coop and looked like he was just looking around when he suddenly snatched up one of the chicks and flung it by the back of its neck to the ground. Thankfully it wasn't hurt. But my docile tiny Smokey flew into a rage and attacked the roo & all the pullets standing nearby. After that I knew that Smokey would not have a problem defending her babies.

I was worried that my silkie Topsy wouldn't be able to take care of her babies around all the others because the others are large fowl. But, nope, she's raised two clutches and is on her third right now. She's a great defender of them and teaches them how to avoid the pecking order squabbles.

The momma leaves the chicks usually (there are of course exceptions) around their 4th to 5th week and they are on their own after that. But they would have formed bonds with other chicks and will be able to keep themselves warm by then too.

 

[Johnn]

If i get anymore hens killed, i will only let them out from 12 to 4 everyday and they would have to stay in the shed for the rest of the time, but i hope it dosen't come to that, but that will only be through winter because i never have any predetor problems in spring/summer because there is plenty of other food for buzzards, stoats and fox's. Last year my broody miley was killed by a stoat so i hope he dosen't come back!!

 

[bobbieschicks]

I saw the hawk a couple of houses over today - he must have killed either a squirrel or a rabbit because he was fighting it and then he swooped down to eat.

Ugh! I wish he would just leave already. My gang is still penned up although the rush the gate every time I head out that way.

Topsy has hatched 3 silkies and has 1 egg with a pip on the side. I saw what looked like half shells and pulled them out. Sure enough I found 3 sets of shells and caught a glimpse of the egg w/the pip and the huddled babies. I am completely surprized as I didn't think any of those five eggs would hatch. I had them in my kitchen in the egg cartons to eat before I gave them to her to hatch. They were between 5 and 10 days old at that point. So very interesting.

 

[Johnn]

I saw the hawk a couple of houses over today - he must have killed either a squirrel or a rabbit because he was fighting it and then he swooped down to eat.

Ugh! I wish he would just leave already. My gang is still penned up although the rush the gate every time I head out that way.

Topsy has hatched 3 silkies and has 1 egg with a pip on the side. I saw what looked like half shells and pulled them out. Sure enough I found 3 sets of shells and caught a glimpse of the egg w/the pip and the huddled babies. I am completely surprized as I didn't think any of those five eggs would hatch. I had them in my kitchen in the egg cartons to eat before I gave them to her to hatch. They were between 5 and 10 days old at that point. So very interesting.

Thats great!, i bet you and her are pleased!, she will have more than last time!

 

[bobbieschicks]

All 4 chicks are out! There are 3 that are darker colored and one that is light like a chipmunk. I'll have to wait awhile for her to bring them out since they are still very small and one is still not completely fluffed. Can't wait to see them. Hoping they live because that white silkie mix keeps getting up in the nest box with Topsy and I'm worried it will crush those babies.