Using Broody Hens to Hatch Eggs?

[aupoet]

How many eggs you can put under a hen depends on the size of the hen and the size of the eggs. A large hen like a White Rock or Rhode Island can set 18 medium size eggs easily, but if you are using a banty or larger eggs that will make a difference. When you place her on the nest see that all the eggs are completely covered in a single layer not stacked on top of one another.
I always use a nest off the ground so I can guard against vermin and ants. It must have a good thick layer of clean straw and a solid base to hold in heat. I find it best to leave the chicks with the hen until they are dry and then remove them to a seperate holding box until the hatch is complete. Many times the hatch will take 2 to 3 days to complete. Once the last chick is dry you can give them all back to the hen if you are going to let her raise them or put her back with the flock and raise them yourself. You can find more info on the subject here : http://www.bukisa.com/articles/69719_raising-and-hatching-out-baby-chicks

 

[dancingbear]

Quote:
Good hypothesis. I think my hen-raised birds are more predator savvy, and better suited as mothers when their turn comes, too.

But even my hen raised ones, though not especially friendly, aren't afraid of us, except for the 2 with the 'hysterical gene" as previously noted. You should see them, sneaking in the kitchen door to steal the dog food. And every time we open the back door, they all come running up, in hope that we have chicken treats. Even the guineas come when we call.

 

[greenpocket]

Lot's of great info here, thanks. I have a brooding hen right now. I want to let her raise the chicks up, but am wondering how long to keep them seperate from the rest of the flock? I have heard 3 days and 2 months! I free range the flock, but I have my mama in a seperate nesting area.

 

[Hattie the Hen]

I keep mine away from the rest of the free-rangers for at least 5 weeks, sometimes longer. I really like them to be able to perch before they integrate. That way they have mum teaching them to do this in her own time. I set up a very low perch just a couple of inches above the ground & gradually raise it to the final height I want.

Hope this helps!

My silver grey Dorking is due to hatch on Tuesday so I'm looking forward to

Hattie

 

[FisherMOM]

after my broody was sitting on her eggs for about a week and a half, I noticed the other girls slipping into her nest when she was off it to eat or poo... and one time an egg got broken. That DAY I moved her to a dog crate and the 2 remaining eggs. One hatched yesterday and one hatched today! Cute little things.

 

[The Wolf Queen]

I always hatch under broodies. Wear gloves to handle her and seperate the chicks a little after they are hatched. Also dont worry about anything except her smashing an egg.

 

[Rock Wyandotte]

I just got my first broody hen! I'm really excited. Been wanting this to happen and didn't expect this big Barred Rock to be the one. We call her 'Nana'. Well, Nana has been sitting in her nesting box for 3 days now but she is NOT on fertile eggs! Our hens spent the winter with a rooster down the road, but we brought them home two months ago, so I think it's safe to assume that her eggs are infertile.
I went on Ebay and bought 6 fertile eggs for Nana to hatch. They should be here this week. (Soon I hope!)
How do I pull the switcheroo on her? I think she's on 4 or 5 eggs. She let's me feed her but of course does her 'growl' thing if I try to reach under her. I don't want to take them until I've got the good ones for her. Also, are the eggs she's sitting on bad now? Should I toss them in the compost heap when I get them away from her?
All of you experienced 'broody keepers' please help! Thanks!

 

[aupoet]

If she has been setting for several days you should be able to take her off the nest for awhile to switch the eggs easily. Any hen that is a good brooder won't give up setting just because she is taken off the nest for a few minutes everyday. In fact after they have been on the eggs for 4 or 5 days you should take them off everyday to eat and poop and check on the eggs. The eggs won't get too cold for at least 10 to 15 minutes. The infertile eggs are probably bad and should be disposed of.

 

[Barbs Organic Garden]

I have read this whole 4-page thread and learned a lot. But what I'm trying to find out is how long does a chicken egg take to hatch under a hen? Also, regarding cuddlesomeness, keep in mind chickens aren't mammals. We mammals are all cuddly. Have to be for our system to work. Birds and other egg layers are not cuddly by nature, however protective they may be as setters/mothers. I see from all these entries I read that some individuals can be induced to cuddle. Wonderful when it happens. I bought Buff Orpingtons because they are reputed to be such good mothers. However now all my nesting boxes are filled with setting hens (I have nine nests for 31 hens) and my daily egg count is way down. I take out the eggs from all but Ms. Top-Row-2nd-From-The-Left, but I'm only getting 11 to 16 eggs a day, and especially as I'm feeding organic mash, they are not paying for themselves! She has been setting continuously for weeks and weeks. I finally gave her 6 to hatch, and found under her an increasing number up to 16. After some three weeks there was nothing to show for it but a bad smell, but how to know which are which? Finally I found three had been broken and eaten, and the number reduced back down to 8. Strange are the ways of birds. Now she has 8 new, marked ones to work on, but how long will it take her? The other hens that set all have one or two eggs under them every day, but I just take them out. Some of them peck when I remove them, but I don't mind. How can I induce them to stop setting and start laying?
By the way, I have two cocks for them. I had three but that was a story for another thread.

 

[IggiMom]

Quote:
Yeah. My really dominant hen is a wonderful mother, to her babies, BUT she is a pain in the coop. She won't let anyone near the babies, doesn't want to let anyone but them eat.

I will never let her brood another clutch. I couldn't leave her in with the other chicks, she wouldn't let anybody eat.

I always keep broodies separate so other hens won't lay in her nest and so the nest is available to everybody, and so the eggs won't get mixed up.

I disagree with the idea that chickens have a natural way of doing things, or that chickens would do fine in the wild. They wouldn't. At least not here! They would get eaten by raccoons or foxes right away. Of course they still have some good instincts to function with, at least some do, but they are not wild birds, like, for instance, Guineas, which pretty much are.

They have been domesticated for centuries, and I believe they depend upon us to manage our flocks in the way that is best for us and for them. Then they will do well. They do depend upon us.

Catherine