I need advice with hatching from a broody hen!

[spartacus_63]

I used to have three awesome Bio-Bators (as I called them). They were Orpington RIR crosses and they would set on a brood of eggs at the drop of a hat. Normally once they had set for three days, there was no getting them off until they hatched. Usually sometime around day 17, they would get off the nest and eat and poop (the most nasty poop ever), then back to the nest until mission complete. It took me a while to figure out how to deal with these broody hens and I too worried about the health of the girls. Eventually it dawned on me that all would be better off working together. There is nothing more fun about raising chickens than watching a mama hen with her babies.
I never encountered any health issues from broody hens, although they did loose a bunch of weight in the process. If you want to break a broody hen, the easiest way I found was to replace the eggs with chicks. It doesn't have to be a one for one exchange, but all of the eggs need to be removed and chicks put in their place. Best done at night.
Good luck & I hope everything works out well.

 

[aart]

Bio-Bators

 

[humblehillsfarm]

I affectionately refer to mine as dinosaurs! I agree. Her broody poop can be smelled within a 15 foot radius!! It is VERY BAD. I had heard of hens not leaving the nest at all for up to five days which is why I thought if hatch day was Saturday I should stop removing her by Thursday night or Friday morning. My primary concern first and foremost is her hydration! But if an incubator has to go into "lockdown" wouldn't mama hen too?

 

[starri33]

I affectionately refer to mine as dinosaurs! I agree. Her broody poop can be smelled within a 15 foot radius!! It is VERY BAD. I had heard of hens not leaving the nest at all for up to five days which is why I thought if hatch day was Saturday I should stop removing her by Thursday night or Friday morning. My primary concern first and foremost is her hydration! But if an incubator has to go into "lockdown" wouldn't mama hen too?

Momma Hen's going into lock down as well.

 

[spartacus_63]

I affectionately refer to mine as dinosaurs! I agree. Her broody poop can be smelled within a 15 foot radius!! It is VERY BAD. I had heard of hens not leaving the nest at all for up to five days which is why I thought if hatch day was Saturday I should stop removing her by Thursday night or Friday morning. My primary concern first and foremost is her hydration! But if an incubator has to go into "lockdown" wouldn't mama hen too?

I have found that Bio-Bators remain in lockdown even after the eggs have hatched, which can take up to 30 hours. The mamas can feel and hear the chicks as they are hatching. They know when they still have babies trying to get out of their shells and then the chicks have to dry out.

In all the years of using Bio-Bators, I never lost a mama. They are built for this activity and they do know when they have had enough. They are working on instinct and not emotion. Have water and food available and have faith. The reward is awesome. My hatch and mortality rate are better with Bio-Bators.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

I have found that Bio-Bators remain in lockdown even after the eggs have hatched, which can take up to 30 hours. The mamas can feel and hear the chicks as they are hatching. They know when they still have babies trying to get out of their shells and then the chicks have to dry out.

In all the years of using Bio-Bators, I never lost a mama. They are built for this activity and they do know when they have had enough. They are working on instinct and not emotion. Have water and food available and have faith. The reward is awesome. My hatch and mortality rate are better with Bio-Bators.

I took her out again this morning which is 24-36 hours before I guestimate they should hatch. However, three days into incubation she was off the nest (on the wrong nest) for anywhere from 2-8 hours. They have still developed but I don't know how much that will throw off my calculation. She actually pecked at me and spent significantly less time off the nest than usual (which has never been more than 8 minutes). It was raining out so that could have something to do with it. She didn't drink, just ate something and back on the nest. I was wondering if it's because she can tell hatch day is nearing! Her broody cycle is way off because she was broody for two months before I gave her eggs.

 

[spartacus_63]

I was wondering if it's because she can tell hatch day is nearing! Her broody cycle is way off because she was broody for two months before I gave her eggs.

I would say that she does know on some level that her presence on those eggs is essential. It is like penguins that stand still with their egg on their feet for weeks without eating or drinking. They know if they drop that egg, they have failed. No one teaches them this, they just know it.
As for the broody cycle; I don't look at it as a cycle. I look at it as a task. At some point she took on the task of brooding eggs. She will not be done until she has a brood of chickens or a bunch of dead eggs. She does know those eggs are still alive and there is something in that chicken brain that makes her get back to the nest.
Keep in mind that the brooding process doesn't stop on day 21. Once those eggs hatch, mama rules kick in. Chickens are very devoted mothers. She will teach her chicks everything they need to know and she will protect them from the other hens, who will not likely take to the new chicks all that well. It is not unusual for new moms to take her chicks away from the flock for 4-6 weeks.
The one thing I found most effective when I had a dedicated Bio-Bator was to let her do her thing. I used a sequestered area of the coop that had food and water on demand and I let mama chick do her thing. Once the chicks hatched (+ a couple of days) I moved the brood with mama to an outside enclosure with a mini coop (think dog house). After a couple of weeks I would open the fence during the day to let mama show her chicks around. They stayed in the separate enclosure until mama introduced the chicks to the flock. Eventually, they will stop going back to the mini coop on their own. It is amazing watching Mama chick raise her babies.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

She's in her own enclosure now but I am expanding it today and the goal is to keep them in there for a week and start letting them out but I'll probably have to take each day as it comes. If they hatch, I predict it'll be later today or into Sunday.

 

[spartacus_63]

She's in her own enclosure now but I am expanding it today and the goal is to keep them in there for a week and start letting them out but I'll probably have to take each day as it comes. If they hatch, I predict it'll be later today or into Sunday.

Personally, I would not worry about expanding the enclosure until after the chicks hatch. You won't see them much if at all for the first couple of days. By the third day mama will want them to drink. I have seen mama chicks express saliva (likely more than just saliva) into chicks beak that were having difficulty getting water.

Also keep in mind that the other hens are not likely going to accept these new members of the flock straight away. Most of my mamas were good at keeping the others away, but chickens can be brutal and the chicks do not have a natural fear of the other hens, although it is learned quickly.

Chicks don't need much space. They spend 90% of the first week under the mama. Mama will be content only leaving them to eat & drink. After the first week (5-7 days), then mama will want a little more room, but they don't get overly exploitative until the chicks are fairly feathered.

Good luck on the hatch. I hope it is successful and you have great enjoyment.

 

[aart]

She's in her own enclosure now but I am expanding it today and the goal is to keep them in there for a week and start letting them out but I'll probably have to take each day as it comes. If they hatch, I predict it'll be later today or into Sunday.

Good to expand so she has room to poop.
A week is a good amount of time.
Broody usually has more problems in flock than chicks, IME,
she has to re-establish her place in the pecking order.
Can be scary, let them work it out.
on your hatch...mine still has 11 days to go.