so how does the broody get the eggs to right humidity?

[Kelly FG]

As a newbie trying my first hatch with a broody I'm reading just about every topic on this board & I see that with incubators the humidity level is critical.
How will my broody get the humidity to where it should be?

 

[Zookeeper9000]

It won't help give ya a anwser to your ? but isn't nature just one big miricale. Someone on the board is experimenting with this but not sure what the post is under maybe they will show up and help ya out.

 

[arlee453]

I asked this question too.

The responses I got pretty much all agreed that the hen is very quiet and still for the last few days. So, she doesn't move the eggs around as much.

They can control humidity by how much skin is exposed on the eggs - how high or low they sit on them, etc.

 

[MissPrissy]

If you notice they will pull alot of feathers from their chest and belly exposing their hot skin (105F body temp). By sitting and holding tight to the eggs the humidity naturally rises underneath her.

 

[Kelly FG]

I usually take my broody off the nest twice a day to make sure she eats, should I stop this now that we are at day 19?

 

[MissPrissy]

She will get off the nest when she wants to. You should not try to intervene with her natural broody behavior. She knows more than we do what is going on in those eggs. You should leave her be. She knows what she is doing instinctivly and will sit tight trying to hatch her eggs. Good luck to you.

 

[ginasmarans]

They sure do know what they are doing. Last year I had a bantam hen go broody in July. Just a few days later we got the heat wave and had temps between 102-106 for 2 weeks straight. I know it was hotter than that in the hen house. I just knew there was no way that hen could hatch chicks. I noticed that she did not sit tight on the eggs like they usually do,but lifted herself up,exposing the eggs. She hatched 2 chicks(both pullets) which I think was pretty good,under the circumstances.

 

[dacjohns]

I recently had two hens hatch batches. Just let her do her thing. Someone said that a broody hen is the perfect incubator. I agree.