Setting eggs in incubator VS broody

[gimmie birdies]

Hi, I have been raising chickens for 40 years, and this spring I have had my fair share of hatches from an incubator and I have also let the hens hatch theirs, I thought I would start this site for people to ask questions, and to give each other tips.

I first tip is is not to set eggs that are too porous, cracked or thin shelled, but if you must hatch a thin shelled egg I would use an incubator (I hand turn mine so they would not clunk each other) My broody discovered a thin shelled dark maran egg I just gave her, she ate that one and another that got yoke on it they were on day 4.

Also If I have my broody hatching a bunch of eggs, I remove the chicks as hatched to brood so the mom hen finishes her clutch. Then add the babies back in at night.

What are your tips.

 

[GitaBooks]

These are my experiences:

Incubators are hard to work and nee precision, broodies are sweet and a lot of fun. However, Broodies are far, far more stressful and complicated to work with. I prefer to use broodies, I just like seeing the momma do what she is meant to do, but I've lost tons of clutches, chicks, and eggs to trying to hatch them under a broody, mainly because of predators or other hens.
So my suggestion: Don't let other hens near that nest or it just won't work. Even if you mark the other eggs, even if you try too block part of it off. And predators can reach through bars of cages and pull eggs out.

This is definitely a good thread, and I hope a lot of people use it, because brooding chicks is one of those things that the books can't always help you with.

Ginger with her mix-breed chicks. She did great, even around other chickens and cats. However, one of her chicks got stepped on by a goat and another drowned in a water bucket


Beauty with her single chick, out of 5 eggs. I named him Buddy


Pip with her four chicks. She is an awesome mom, but lost this years clutch to an opossum/skunk (we caught both with-in a few days


Princess, who is do to hatch in just a few days


Sandy, a leghorn, who did well with her three chicks but we helped one hatch too early (learned not to do that again) and apparently she ate it whole.


Banshee on her nest


Susie with her chicks. She "weaned" them a little early, at only three weeks. Usually the mommas wait until they are fully feathered and have learned how to perch to stop associating with them

 

[gimmie birdies]

Mostly I have hatched with my incubator, below are some chicks that were mom raised though... I have even bought chicks and given them to a mom.

These chicks were eggs she hatched, I took them and gave them back until her whole clutch hatched, I may have tossed in a store chick.

The mom below is a neighbor's hen, she hatched out eggs I gave her. Blue chicks, they will lay Grey eggs.



below is a mom bantam, she is sitting on eggs that are not hers.



these chicks were incubator babies, the momma belly in upper part of pic is a hen who adopted them at 3 weeks of age.


these were incubator chicks that became raised by a mom. all bantam.


This is a good broody.



This is the momma hen with the above eggs, she hatched out 2 baby ducks and raised them. The ducks would always acknowledge her.

 

[GitaBooks]

Nice pictures!

One incredible broody story is how my OEGB hen was on a nest of eight eggs inside of a box we had used for the cats during the winter. It was full of cloth. Something knocked it over (it was sitting upright and she jumped in the top). She was laying on her side, the eggs tucked under her still, until I could set it upright. What a good momma!

 

[FridayYet]

I have a first-time broody sitting on three OE eggs. One egg looks good, the other two I don't have much hope for.

Having a single chick hatch worries me a little. If she's successful, should I try and find a couple of chicks around the same age to slip underneath her so the baby won't be alone? Or since the chick has a flock, will it be OK?

This is a first for me, too. I think I like using the incubator better.

 

[GitaBooks]

I have a first-time broody sitting on three OE eggs. One egg looks good, the other two I don't have much hope for.

Having a single chick hatch worries me a little. If she's successful, should I try and find a couple of chicks around the same age to slip underneath her so the baby won't be alone? Or since the chick has a flock, will it be OK?

This is a first for me, too. I think I like using the incubator better.

Congrats on the egg!

It would be best to get more then one chick, but sometimes that just isn't possible. I have a single chick with my broody and the two are good friends, but the poor chick is always running around and cheeping because his mother is so energetic and putting so much energy towards him she exhausts the poor guy!

 

[FridayYet]

Thanks! I'll start putting feelers out to see who might be hatching next week. I really don't need anymore chickens, but I don't want the little one to be lonely, especially if Betty sucks as a mom.