When can a hen hatch her own eggs?

[airmom1c05]

If a hen hatches her own eggs, is it possible for her to raise them without a brooder? When or at what temperatures is this advisable or possible?

 

[MonkeyZero]

Well, they have been doing so hundreds-thousands of years before the modern incubator.

 

[airmom1c05]

Are incubators and brooders more efficient and/or successful. A couple of other questions come to mind. For instance, how can one assure if the mother raises the chicks that they just get their food and she gets only hers?

 

[hcammack]

she will do it when she is ready to her hormones will get her ready to. some hens never go broody and others do all the time. Hens can raise chicks without a brooder the chicks get under her and in her feathers and stay warm.

Henry

 

[babbs]

I have a broody hen that just hatched one of 6 eggs today. Still waiting for the other 5 to start. She is an awesome

mamma.

 

[airmom1c05]

That's awesome! What's the temperature there. I don't have electricity in my coop. How will you make sure the chicks eat chick food and she eats hen food?

 

[newbiecaroline]

wow she loves you huh? what an awesome shot!

 

[babbs]

This is the calmest hen I have ever had and I've had a few. She wasn't so calm when she first started sitting on eggs but I handled her a few times a day every day. It is -10 here right now but I have a heat lamp pointed at her nesting box and she is keeping her baby pretty warm. I tried moving the lamp closer today and she lifted up her feathers because it was too hot for her. I am opening up the nesting box next to her tomorrow and the lamp will heat both boxes.

 

[babbs]

Just heading back out to the barn to check on her and the 5 eggs still to hatch: cd

 

[airmom1c05]

I'm figuring out that I will probably have to get electricity to the coop which is a very long distance from a power source. Even though it gets quite hot here in Mississippi, the weather is very irratic until summer when I'm certain it would be warm enough day and night. Spring temps are simply too unpredictable here, however, so I have a power dilema to solve before I let my little silkie Serama bantam go broody. I hope she will be as good a mama as your sweet hen. The baby chick is so precious. Have you done this for a long time? I'm rather new to it all.