Broody hen vs incubator lockdown

[Muser]

So doing my reasearch into things as normal and I see a lot of people saying on days 18 they go into a lock down period with an incubator, no touching or turning eggs so the chicks can prepare to get into position to pip and the humidity remains within a specific threshold. That's great for an incubator, but how does that work with a broody hen? Will she keep trying to turn them, what if she gets up to have her daily dustbath and visit to the feeding/watering station... will the cooler air and possible drop in humity whilst shes gone shrink wrap them before they hatch. People seem to be very panicky about the humidity and turning in the last few days in an incubator but hens have a higher hatch rate in general and they need breaks right? What really is the difference here? Thanks for your comments

 

[fluffycrow]

The biggest difference is, one is the real deal, while the other one is an attempt to emulate the real thing.

With broodies, you'll notice that for the last few days, they'll stop going out for their daily stretch, dust bath, food and drink. They'll stay put, which naturally increases the humidity.

Turning isn't such a big of a deal. There have been many cases of chicks hatching on the egg turner.

Simply put, people panic more about humidity and temperature when using an incubator because we can't come close to what a broody chicken can go

 

[Muser]

The biggest difference is, one is the real deal, while the other one is an attempt to emulate the real thing.

With broodies, you'll notice that for the last few days, they'll stop going out for their daily stretch, dust bath, food and drink. They'll stay put, which naturally increases the humidity.

Turning isn't such a big of a deal. There have been many cases of chicks hatching on the egg turner.

Simply put, people panic more about humidity and temperature when using an incubator because we can't come close to what a broody chicken can go

Thanks @fluffycrow ! You always seem to drop good advice on my questions so thanks again! Yeah, I do wonder if the interference can sometimes become slightly obsessive (understandable of course, as we aren't chickens) as people try to do their best. There's a whole lot of dos and don'ts on the Internet on the subject so I think it's trail and error of what suits people/birds. On that note, if my broody hen did continue to get off the nest once a day for a stretch, to feed, have a drink and do those almight broody poos were familiar with, would it be a worry for the eggs at the later stages (the last 4 days)? I'm assuming it's just best to let her do her thing and not deny her of her daily break if she wants it

 

[fluffycrow]

Thanks @fluffycrow ! You always seem to drop good advice on my questions so thanks again! Yeah, I do wonder if the interference can sometimes become slightly obsessive (understandable of course, as we aren't chickens) as people try to do their best. There's a whole lot of dos and don'ts on the Internet on the subject so I think it's trail and error of what suits people/birds. On that note, if my broody hen did continue to get off the nest once a day for a stretch, to feed, have a drink and do those almight broody poos were familiar with, would it be a worry for the eggs at the later stages (the last 4 days)? I'm assuming it's just best to let her do her thing and not deny her of her daily break if she wants it

I think you said it perfectly yourself. Letting her do her thing, whether that is getting up daily, or staying put for the last few days, would be what I'd do. It is all trail and error. Especially if she's been a "good" broody so far, I'd trust her completely. Even the most inexperienced birds know more about brooding than we do.

Good luck with your broody!

 

[Muser]

I think you said it perfectly yourself. Letting her do her thing, whether that is getting up daily, or staying put for the last few days, would be what I'd do. It is all trail and error. Especially if she's been a "good" broody so far, I'd trust her completely. Even the most inexperienced birds know more about brooding than we do.

Good luck with your broody!

Thanks fluffycrow, she's been an amazing first timer so far. We have 11 growing/moving eggs under her at the moment on day 14. Hoping for some to successfully hatch next week. I'm just leaving her to it now, I'm not even going to candle them on day 17, just going to wait it out until hatching day and let her do her thing

 

[Yardmom]

I have had many broodies. Yes they get off the nest the last 3 days. Some continue to take breaks even during the hatching. I have not had any shrink wrapping with broody hatches.

 

[Muser]

I have had many broodies. Yes they get off the nest the last 3 days. Some continue to take breaks even during the hatching. I have not had any shrink wrapping with broody hatches.

Perfect, thank you for this, it's good to know nature knows what to do. I won't be worried to let her have a break once a day

 

[Shadrach]

What really is the difference here?

There are many differences but with regard to the last three days, the hen knows what the egg is doing while the incubator hasn't got a clue. Around day 18 the eggs, or rather the developed chicks in the eggs talk to mum and mum talks back to the eggs. The chicks in the eggs talk to the other eggs (i'm using talk in the broadest possible sense). In fact there is communication going on at a level we don't really understand between the unhatched chicks and their mum. It's these communications that help the hen to try to control the hatch timings of her chicks. Ideally the hen wants the chicks to hatch in the tightest time segment she can manage so all the chicks develope at approximately the same rate. A hens natural instinct is to hatch and get the chicks off the nest and mobile as quickly as she can. She's particularly vunerable, as are the chicks during hatching.
No incubator can do this.
I've had hens get off the nest for a drink and a quick bath while chicks in her nest were hatching. I chewed my nails so badly I may have lost a bit of a fingertip on one or two.
It was hot at the nest site and most of the pipping had already taken place and the chicks were struggling to get free of their shells. Mums don't interfere with this in general I've found. They don't do assisted hatching.

Don't worry and let the hen do her thing. Most of all and possible very hard to do even after watching lots of hatchings is if mum leaves a chick part hatched, or even hatched but not mobile don't try and rescue it! After over twenty years of chickens I inadvetently did exactly the above. The chick was removed from the nest and spent two days in intensive care and then unexpectedly returned to me and slipped under mum one night. The chick survived. Mum accepted it. It's coming on for three months old and I've watched it every day and the chick is different. It was very slow to learn things the other three had down. It's still odd and if this had been a free range group I doubt the chick would have survived. It just didn't quite get the importance of keeping up with mum and it's those chicks that any predators are most likely to try for. Taking on mum is a serious risk for any predator; a chick on it's own, easy dinner.

 

[Muser]

There are many differences but with regard to the last three days, the hen knows what the egg is doing while the incubator hasn't got a clue. Around day 18 the eggs, or rather the developed chicks in the eggs talk to mum and mum talks back to the eggs. The chicks in the eggs talk to the other eggs (i'm using talk in the broadest possible sense). In fact there is communication going on at a level we don't really understand between the unhatched chicks and their mum. It's these communications that help the hen to try to control the hatch timings of her chicks. Ideally the hen wants the chicks to hatch in the tightest time segment she can manage so all the chicks develope at approximately the same rate. A hens natural instinct is to hatch and get the chicks off the nest and mobile as quickly as she can. She's particularly vunerable, as are the chicks during hatching.
No incubator can do this.
I've had hens get off the nest for a drink and a quick bath while chicks in her nest were hatching. I chewed my nails so badly I may have lost a bit of a fingertip on one or two.
It was hot at the nest site and most of the pipping had already taken place and the chicks were struggling to get free of their shells. Mums don't interfere with this in general I've found. They don't do assisted hatching.

Don't worry and let the hen do her thing. Most of all and possible very hard to do even after watching lots of hatchings is if mum leaves a chick part hatched, or even hatched but not mobile don't try and rescue it! After over twenty years of chickens I inadvetently did exactly the above. The chick was removed from the nest and spent two days in intensive care and then unexpectedly returned to me and slipped under mum one night. The chick survived. Mum accepted it. It's coming on for three months old and I've watched it every day and the chick is different. It was very slow to learn things the other three had down. It's still odd and if this had been a free range group I doubt the chick would have survived. It just didn't quite get the importance of keeping up with mum and it's those chicks that any predators are most likely to try for. Taking on mum is a serious risk for any predator; a chick on it's own, easy dinner.

Oh wow! Yes, I'm expecting to lose a finger or two in the nail biting experience whilst letting nature do it's thing, can be brutal sometimes but it's the way things are. Hard to watch isn't it! I hope I get a few good little hatchers but as the old saying goes, never count your chickens before they hatch

I am excited to see how my new broody hen manages with the little ones if any hatch successfully!