Wanting to hatch chicks with a broody

[Diveks]

Picking up hatching eggs is definitely much better. You'll get much higher hatch rates. I've done two clutches that way - the first 4 and the second 7 - only one from the first didn't make it to hatch, but did get to day 19.

I'm giving up on bringing in eggs though as we are now rural with a 'very' rutted windy gravel road along the way. I can't expect any fertile
eggs to survive, so only chicks for me from now on or hatch onsite.

today she is still detirmined to sit on the fake eggs i have under her! unfortunately local breeders all ran out of eggs. only older chicks are available, there are some day old chicks but i think ill go with them in case the shipped eggs don't hatch. seems like pretty good weather here this week. I tried looking for the closest seller and they are around a 2 hour drive if everything in shipping goes well.

 

[Lizzy733]

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today she is still detirmined to sit on the fake eggs i have under her! unfortunately local breeders all ran out of eggs. only older chicks are available, there are some day old chicks but i think ill go with them in case the shipped eggs don't hatch. seems like pretty good weather here this week. I tried looking for the closest seller and they are around a 2 hour drive if everything in shipping goes well.

Ideally, you want her setting a nest for a few weeks so her hormones are in the right place because a broody can reject chicks - you just don't know what type of mom she'll be till you try.

I've always stuck to hatching eggs, personally, so good luck! On that one, I can only parrot what I've read on it

 

[Diveks]

I

Ideally, you want her setting a nest for a few weeks so her hormones are in the right place because a broody can reject chicks - you just don't know what type of mom she'll be till you try.

I've always stuck to hatching eggs, personally, so good luck! On that one, I can only parrot what I've read on it

Ill her her try the fertilized eggs first then. What concerned my is one of the unfertilized eggs broke under her. I did clean the nest up and none seemed to touch the broken egg. She had a 30-60 min break (it was around 86f so i was not too concerned).

She is now back on the eggs. The eggs will be arriving in 3 days, will she abandon the eggs because she has incubated for more than 21 days because to her today is already day 3/4? Sorry for so many questions. Its my first time using a broody and i want everything to go well.

 

[Lizzy733]

Ill her her try the fertilized eggs first then. What concerned my is one of the unfertilized eggs broke under her. I did clean the nest up and none seemed to touch the broken egg. She had a 30-60 min break (it was around 86f so i was not too concerned).

She is now back on the eggs. The eggs will be arriving in 3 days, will she abandon the eggs because she has incubated for more than 21 days because to her today is already day 3/4? Sorry for so many questions. Its my first time using a broody and i want everything to go well.

It really depends on her. My broody can go up to 6 weeks straight, but she also goes broody multiple times a year and is really clockwork with her cycle.

It's just a bit of a wildcard, unfortunately and you won't know how she'll respond until you try.

 

[Diveks]

It really depends on her. My broody can go up to 6 weeks straight, but she also goes broody multiple times a year and is really clockwork with her cycle.

It's just a bit of a wildcard, unfortunately and you won't know how she'll respond until you try.

ah i see, well here goes. hoping she will watch and raise them all they way. I'm not looking forward to brood more chicks as i am still raising some older chicks at the moment.

 

[Diveks]

update:
I have moved her inside the house as she keeps switching nestboxes everytime she takes breaks. She did not seem bothered by me moving her and just went back to sitting down on the new nest and fake eggs. All i can do now is hope that she will stay broody. I will be updating tomorrow if she stays broody.

The shipped eggs also have arrived, ordered 10 1 was cracked unfortunately, took the opportunity to check for fertility and it was fertile! Only one detached aircell so im hoping i will get at least 5 chicks this time. They were collected yesterday so I'm hoping that will add to the hatch rate.

 

[Diveks]

She is still sitting this morning! Although i think she moved the eggs to the ground so i just made her a little nest on the ground. She seemed like so much in a trance that when i picked her up to move her to the new ‘nest’ she just clucked but stayed in the same position.

I took the fake eggs and slid 4 real eggs under her. She shifted around for a bit before settling down. Hopefully she can take care of 4 eggs. Im thinking of installing a camera so i can watch her as I'm doing something else.

 

[TheFatBlueCat]

Fingers crossed she keeps sitting. Seems likely she will if she is still sitting now after the move in location. Broodies are in sort of a hypnosis. I biff mine off their nests every morning and evening to eat breakfast and dinner with everyone else, and they sit on the ground doing nothing for about 20 seconds then leap up screaming and pushing everyone else off the food. It's pretty hilarious.

 

[Diveks]

Fingers crossed she keeps sitting. Seems likely she will if she is still sitting now after the move in location. Broodies are in sort of a hypnosis. I biff mine off their nests every morning and evening to eat breakfast and dinner with everyone else, and they sit on the ground doing nothing for about 20 seconds then leap up screaming and pushing everyone else off the food. It's pretty hilarious.

would taking her off of the nest stop her broodyness? she is going off each morning and evening though so she should be okay. it looks like she is always asleep, not that i could tell if she isnt though because of her head poof .

i have the rest of the eggs in the bator. If none hatch i could always try some day old chicks. Any tips on how to get her back in the flock later on? she was top chicken but im guessing this might change that.

 

[TheFatBlueCat]

No it won't stop her broodiness if she has settled for the long haul and it sounds as if she has. But you probably don't need to get her off as she is getting off herself. I just remove mine because I feed twice a day not all day and want to make sure they get their share.

When I have a mama hen with babies I have them in a separate coop with a plastic mesh run that the flock can see them in but not get to them. If the hen is doing a good job of looking after them I begin letting them out to range with the flock at 3 weeks after hatch. They still sleep in the separate coop with their mama. I have had no issues with integration or reintegration this way, and my hens keep their places in the order, probably because mama hens are very savage beasties. And I mean savage. Be careful messing with the chicks. I had to treat a sick chick once and the mama hen came at my face with a running leap.