Setting on her eggs

[BiggJohnn]

I think my lil hen is finally going to try and hatch her eggs. She’s so little, I love it!! I went out this morning and she’s a little grumpy. She fluffed up & screamed at us when we got close, she’s usually not like that!!

 

[sourland]

Good luck for a successful incubation.

 

[Crazy for Chickens!]

Congrats! Here are some things you need to do to prepare for the little ones.
1. Set up a secure, warm pen for the mama and babies. Make a good, dry nest for the mom. Put food and water in there, but keep the water away from the next to prevent spilling.
2. Wait until it is completely dark at night, and quietly move her Eggs into the nest. Then come back and move her into the nest. Be quiet, and if you have a flashlight, have somebody else go in front, so you don't wake her up. Gently set her on the nest, and watch quietly in the dark. She should just settle down on them, being nighttime.
3. Get up early and check on her to make sure she is setting on them. If for some reason she isn't, move her back to the original nest, and put the eggs back u der her. But there shouldn't be problems if you are very careful when doing it, and it is completely dark.
4. You can candle the eggs, and such, if you like, but try not to disturb her alot, like picking her up, petting her, etc. You want her to keep focused on setting, and too much disturbance could break her.
5. Be patient. When you check the eggs and they are hatching, don't lift her up a lot! I go out maybe every hour, and just peek under her, to see how they are hatching. But if ou let air in there too much, it can mess up the hatching, and the chicks could die.
6. Once the chicks are hatched, add in chick feed, and water. Make sure there isn't anything the chicks could drown in. Also keep the hens feed in there. But it's a good idea to confine the feed in a feeder, as in my experience, the hens like to scratch it all out, for their chicks.
Good luck!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

She's lovely!

Is this your first broody?

My experience and preference is not the same as the other poster, so I will mention it in case it's helpful for your consideration. I completely recognize that we all have different things that may or may not work for us... My girls brood in the box where they choose as long as it's inside the locked night time coop and raise them among my flock. I don't provide anything extra until chicks come. Then I provide feed and water nearby during the daytime only and only until she exits the coop with them the first time, to avoid rodents or other night time pests. I feed flock raiser crumbles. All chicks, broody's, layers, and cockerels/roosters do well. Oyster shell is on the side for layers and no need to feed everyone separately. All older birds will enjoy the higher protein if they are used to the usual 16% of layer.

The one important thing (or at least one) is to mark your eggs under your broody very clearly and check daily for sneaky depositors new eggs, in order to avoid possible staggered hatch.

What breed is she? How little? She looks content. Are her eggs fertile? Have you counted them yet? Are you planning to let her set?

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Listen to Crazy. Not only are you stressing out your sitting hen but she may turn paranoid on you and come off the nest swinging. Then one or more of your new hatched chicks will likely be killed. It's happened to me. And there was no one or nothing to blame but my own ignorant self.

Besides new chicks imprint post hatching on the first large moving object that they see. It is best that that object is their own mother than it is you that they see first.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

... The one important thing... is to mark your eggs and check daily for... new eggs, in order to avoid [a] possible staggered hatch....

I can't agree more but it is much preferable to provide a small safe nursery pen for your setting hen to incubate in. There are just too many distractions and boo-boos waiting to jump out and bite a sitting hen if the other hens in your flock can get to her nest.

 

[BiggJohnn]

Thanks everybody
She is a black Japanese Bantam. ( I think, she was my free chick). She’s really small. I’m going to let her set & hatch her eggs. I have 9 of her eggs in the incubator and all but 1 was fertile. She has 10 under her, I have the dates written on them.

 

[aart]

Looks like an ayam cemani...she's lovely!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Besides new chicks imprint post hatching on the first large moving object that they see.

First let me say, that I agree a brooding pen will be a best choice for many people.

Imprinting, that's true for some species but not chickens in MY experience, at least in larger broods. Even though chicks see me first when they hatch and every time I feed or check them by day 4 or so they start to predator call when they see me approaching. They imprint much more to each other in that instance. Their flightiness towards my approach varies by breed and individual and usually goes in stages.

I adopt chicks from the feed store up to 6 days old to broody's on a regular basis and have ZERO issues. Also from my incubator. Everybody's flock dynamics and set ups will be different. My broody's will leave a nest instantly if it's just eggs and I moved them so I might as well have put them in the breaker. The ONLY time MY girls stay is if the chicks have hatched. And then they only stay until the chicks can follow them to their original choice nesting site.

Sometimes I do block the front of the nest shortly after hatch, just to stop any chicks from accidentally falling out and chilling, not be able to get back up a step I put for them since it's about 6 inch hop to get back in the nest. However... I am fortunate enough to be able to stay home. So on new chick days, I generally go in and out of the barn/coop every 15 minutes or so to make sure things are going well. Though I am planning to get a baby monitor so I can just hear what is going on. Chicks raise cane when they need something.

I have raised well over 100+ chicks, and only lost 1 (that I can currently remember but like all other conversations I will go over this one several times today and might remember something else)... when I had forgotten there was a fresh hatch and left for the day. But that chick could very well have failed anyways, not all chicks will make it even after they hatch. That was just in the past month. Last year with a flock size of 72 grown chickens and 10 ducks (10 nesting boxes).. I get to hang out with the flock while mama is bringing babies out. I can allow for others to check them out and watch for any determined bully's, usually pullets. A little peck or chase them away isn't an issue, they run back to broody mum who opens up a can of crazy broody on the bully's hiney's. My Silkie mums send full sized ladies packing all the time! Anybody who causes too much issue with chicks... finds another home where they aren't raising chicks all the time. I did have one bully that caused so much confusion the broody was pecking everything she could including her own chicks once. She very quickly found another home. I manage my flock with attitude and personality as main factors. Flock dynamics being high on my priority list.. often dictates who stays or goes. Yes I even keep a stag pen (for eating and breeding) with several grown hormonal boys which includes Silkies and Marans cockerels and roosters, in addition to others! Most chicks are on pasture with mum within a few days of hatch... all year long since my girls don't seem to know they "aren't supposed to go broody" then. Our weather is fairly mild in temp despite 60+ inches of rain in a regular year, but I think it's more about nutrition and space... in addition to genetic predisposition.

Anyways, I totally get that for SOME a safety pen is the way to go. Not for me, so I shared. But I guess there is more detail to HOW it works for me. It definitely isn't a set em and forget em type thing. Also, I don't mean to be argumentative.. so hope this didn't come out that way or ugly sounding! Just informational.

Thanks everybody
She is a black Japanese Bantam. ( I think, she was my free chick). She’s really small. I’m going to let her set & hatch her eggs. I have 9 of her eggs in the incubator and all but 1 was fertile. She has 10 under her, I have the dates written on them.

With just dates... I have accidentally collected the wrong "extra egg" (dark in there) and not realized it until the next day. Especially if written in pencil, it rubs off. Many people will put a marker line around the egg top to bottom, and the sides. I'm sure you will figure out what works best for you. I guess that might be solved by blocking her in... but not my cup of tea.

Hopefully your hatch will go well. I doubt she will be able to raise that many chicks if they all hatch and thrive. But I agree with @aart that a black Japanese bantam would have a red comb and waddles, maybe white earlobes, not sure of leg color. Cemani SEEMS to fit. Which hatchery? How far along are you... to know eggs are fertile?

I adopt incubator chicks during the night because I don't like my gals to sit for 3 weeks and lose condition. So if I can limit that to a week or so is good for me... especially under a year old their bodies are still maturing and filling in, they aren't quite "full" grown. I actually won't let a girl under 1 year old set as I just feel they aren't equipped as well as the older ladies. But it's personal choice and no judgement! Might recommend switching her to an unmedicated chick feed or flock raiser with a little more protein and less calcium than layer if that's what she is currently eating and it's within your means. Or maybe even an occasional vitamin supplement wouldn't hurt and might even help.

She really is pretty and I hope she makes a fantastic mother!

 

[aart]

But I agree with @aart that a black Japanese bantam would have a red comb and waddles, maybe white earlobes, not sure of leg color. Cemani SEEMS to fit.

Could be Svarthona too.