sitting broody question?

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[URL]http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-shocked016.gif[/URL]It's Okay to let them off for up to an hour...really? I was worried the eggs would chill and die after 15-30mins... You've had good hatches with your hens even when they leave the nest that long? I see your in NC...what about in during cooler weather?

This is our first time ever hatching so I don't know how successful it will be. I candled last week and there was a ton of movement so I know they were ok. I'm going to candle tonight for the last time. I'll let you know if I still see movement.

We had some really warm days last week so I wasn't too worried about the cold. Last night got back into the upper 30's but it's supposed to warm back up to near 80 this coming week.

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Thanks.... Good Luck with your hatch! Definately let me know how it turns out....what kind of success rate you have.
 
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Thanks for the response....It sounds like a great deal of experience talking above Its hard to know which info on this site to follow because some sounds as if it comes from show/pet owners and other info sounds like it comes from farmers. I'm trying to not to get to worried or anxious and let nature take its course, but thats harder than it sounds, especially for a newbie with his first hatch.
 
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Nice to have, even good to have but not necessary. I would agree that it is the best way to go.

I have had successful hatches without the hens being in their own pen. Two were hens sharing the same part of the coop although they were separated from the main coop and the rest of the birds. The other was a hen that disappeared into the woods and reappeared after the eggs hatched with a bunch of chicks following behind. The latest was a hen that shared the coop with a rooster and hatched out while we were gone for a few weeks.
 
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Nice to have, even good to have but not necessary. I would agree that it is the best way to go.

I have had successful hatches without the hens being in their own pen. Two were hens sharing the same part of the coop although they were separated from the main coop and the rest of the birds. The other was a hen that disappeared into the woods and reappeared after the eggs hatched with a bunch of chicks following behind. The latest was a hen that shared the coop with a rooster and hatched out while we were gone for a few weeks.

The two hens both sharing the same part of the coop...were they aggressive towards each other after the hatch or did everyone just get along?
 
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They both hatched about the same time, if I remember correctly within a couple of weeks of each other. They were not aggressive towards each other but they did let chicks that wandered into the wrong nest that it wasn't their home.

I wouldn't recommend doing it that way. Keeping everyone segregated is really a better way to go but sometimes you gotta make do with what you have.

It's been a couple of years ago and a lot has happened since then so I don't remember all the details. It was the year of lots of chickens.
 
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I certainly agree that it can be done. It`s done all the time, but a whole lot depends on the temperment of the other hens. Some are easily warned off by mom and some that I`ve had wanna fight the broody and kill the chicks. An immature rooster can be a threat to them also, but a mature cock does well with chicks. Just depends on circumstances. If you can`t pen them alone, be sure to watch carefully for a few days.........Pop
 

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