𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 2𝐤22 ~ Flo's Hatch-A-Long ~

[All4Eggz]

I got a broody hen the other day. I’ve been trying to decide the past couple days if I want to let her hatch chicks, or not.

Todays weather was sunny and upper 40’s to mid 50’s, but looks like the temperature is going to drop in the next few days. Then it looks like it’s going to start climbing up again. So hopefully, by the time the chicks hatch, the weather will be close to ideal. .

My silkie will be hatching her first batch ever! I put 8 eggs under her this afternoon, so the hatch date is supposed to be March 5th-6th.

In this thread I will be updating on how the momma is doing, asking for help/suggestions, and sharing photos of the chicks (if/when they hatch)!

Momma silkie’s in the dog crate now with some hay. The dog crate is open so she can stand up and take a stretch if she wants.

This will not be my first time hatching with a broody hen. I’ve had dozens of successful hatches in the past (with a broody). I do not have an incubator.

Our current roosters; possible mixes:
-Golden Sebright
-Barred rock
-Silver Duckwing OEGB
-Silver Duckwing OEGB mix
-Buff Cochin
-Cochin X EE

Wish me luck!

 

[All4Eggz]

She currently has 8 eggs under her: one of them is a blue egg from my cochin/easter egger hen, one of them is from my buff cochin mix, one is from my buff orpington hen, and the rest are unknown; a mix of bantam and standard eggs.

 

[Chikyboy]

Following!

 

[WIchickMama]

Do you keep the crate with the rest of the chickens? or do you have her completely separate? I am watching-excited to see what you get

 

[All4Eggz]

Do you keep the crate with the rest of the chickens? or do you have her completely separate? I am watching-excited to see what you get

She is in a closed-off area of the coop which contains an entry-way with a human sized door. That's where we store the chicken feed, and sometimes house our broodies.

Her crate will be open at all times, so she can get out of the crate and walk around in her little area, where the chickens will not be able to bother her, but they will still see her. She has food and water in her little area.
During the day, the human-sized door will be opened and she will be able to free range and dust bathe.

We had issues when we had a broody in a nest box (which the entire flock had access to) last year, when a couple hens sneaked into a nest box with a broody hen, and pecked open ALL the eggs prematurely... we had about a dozen eggs under that broody, and the hens pecked all the eggs open and all the under-developed chicks passed away, literally 3 or 4 days before the hatch date. It was a devastating day. Because of that, we never keep hatching eggs accessible to the rest of the flock.

 

[Gearhead846]

Following!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Hi Ben. How long had she been broody before you decided to set her? How old is she? Has this hen ever hatched eggs for you before? And has she ever been broody before? Sorry for the 20-questions format, but I am like Rudyard Kipling's character The Elephant's Child from The Jungle Book, "most 'nsatiably curious," lol!

You say you do NOT have an incubator? What is Plan B for in case she abandons her post?

 

[cherrynberry]

View attachment 2991914
She currently has 8 eggs under her: one of them is a blue egg from my cochin/easter egger hen, one of them is from my buff cochin mix, one is from my buff orpington hen, and the rest are unknown; a mix of bantam and standard eggs.

Aww! Good luck!

 

[All4Eggz]

Hi Ben. How long had she been broody before you decided to set her? How old is she? Has this hen ever hatched eggs for you before? And has she ever been broody before? Sorry for the 20-questions format, but I am like Rudyard Kipling's character The Elephant's Child from The Jungle Book, "most 'nsatiably curious," lol!

You say you do NOT have an incubator? What is Plan B for in case she abandons her post?

She had been broody for about two days before we decided to set her.
She is one of our 2 white silkie hens who look almost identical. I haven't figured out if she's our younger silkie (8-10 months old) or our older silkie (about 2 years old). I will try to do that in the next few days. She is most likely our older silkie because I doubt a 9 month old silkie would be broody so early.

She's never been broody before. Neither of the silkies have ever been broody.

No problem! I'll need all the help I can get!

Thanks, Blue!

 

[All4Eggz]

You say you do NOT have an incubator? What is Plan B for in case she abandons her post?

She had been broody for about two days before we decided to set her.
She is one of our 2 white silkie hens who look almost identical. I haven't figured out if she's our younger silkie (8-10 months old) or our older silkie (about 2 years old). I will try to do that in the next few days. She is most likely our older silkie because I doubt a 9 month old silkie would be broody so early.

She's never been broody before. Neither of the silkies have ever been broody.

No problem! I'll need all the help I can get!

Thanks, Blue!

Just realized I hadn't answered your question about a "Plan B".

I'm really not sure. I'm hoping she stays strong all the way through, but if it so happens that she decides to quit, I'll be praying I have a back-up broody by then. If not, I will call up all my chicken-owning friends to see if they have a spare incubator or broody .

I've never really had problems with mothers quitting their eggs, so fingers crossed it never happens!