Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[AnneInTheBurbs]

 

[genesis120]

Why is she pooping in the nest?? I have set hundreds in the years and over 150 the last 3 years---never do I recall having one to poop in the nest on the eggs. I can tell you 99% of the time what causes them to poop in the nest is Feed and water being set close to her nest where she can reach it without getting of the nest. I would never do that----food and water in all mine is probably at least 2ft away. The dried poop should not hurt the eggs. I set mine and Leave them alone---I never look under them(only if I catch her off eating, etc) for sure not the last 3 days when she is in Lock-down--not leaving the nest.

Sure, she is yours---this is just my suggestions from my experience!

Thank you for your thoughts on your experience. Her food and water is about two feet away. She is eating and drinking and pooping out of the nest. She only poops in the nest about every other time. I guess I will just keep cleaning up anymore that she puts in the nest and just let her sit and let her be and see what happens.

 

[jenniferlamar70]

It's hatched! It's hatched!
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Congrats!! Soo cute!

 

[chikenscratch]

I'm got 14 speckled sussex and 15 welsummers under broodies.

 

[NysiaAnera]

I have had a couple who have done that, young, first time broodies, and the eggs turned out fine.


My broody started out doing the same, so I started pulling her out of the box once a day and then she seemed to catch on and did it on her own. It was her first time, so I'm assuming it was just an inexperience issue. Still, the eggs were quite dirty. I cleaned out the box a couple times and wiped them with a dry paper towel to remove as much solid as possible. All but one that she cracked early on and two infertile eggs hatched, so it didn't affect anything in my experience.

 

[Violetsfeathers]

Wow, that's crazy!  Hope it hatches for you...


So cute!  If they are dry, a quick peek now and then won't hurt.  It will annoy your broody however!
Is this her first time being broody?  I had my most recent broody hatch out only two eggs, and it was her first time as well.  Could be a learning curve.  If it happens again, maybe some intervention would be helpful. 



Congrats!! They're so ugly they are still wet, but cute too!

Do you guys think it's black or dark blue?

 

[jenniferlamar70]

Do you guys think it's black or dark blue?

Looks black to me

 

[Violetsfeathers]

Looks black to me

Yup, it's SUPER fluffy now and I can tell that it is black. It won't sleep alone without me covering it with a tissue first, lol.

 

[jenniferlamar70]

Yup, it's SUPER fluffy now and I can tell that it is black. It won't sleep alone without me covering it with a tissue first, lol.

If I have one hatch early I put a stuffed animal with legs in the brooder. They will go under it like it's a mama lol. Help keep them from chirping non stop lol

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Olive is flat and happy in her brooding condo.

And...finally...Rosie appears to be settled seriously on eggs in the bantam brooding hutch.

Seriously enough that I connected with a local breeder for some Cream Legbar eggs for pick up Sunday (if all goes well). A coon relieved me of my good Cream Legbars this winter.

Now I'm trying to decide, depending upon how many the breeder collects, to give them to Olive and let Rosie hatch the started eggs (which have 2 weeks to go now...will have 1 week then), or put the Cream Legbar eggs under Rosie, assuming she is sitting good after a week of brooding.

Decisions. Decisions. Both are proven broodies, though Rosie tends to lose some eggs on the fringe of her fluff. (Is it a bantam Cochin thing with all the extra fluff??). However, the bantam hutch is the safest for chick grow out, and these will be more expensive breeder eggs. But then again Olive is bigger for more eggs and especially adept at hatching numbers.

Sunday will let me know...it will depend upon how many eggs I can get from the breeder (who just put her whole stockpile into the incubator, so she has none now but is saving all her eggs for me this week).

But for now, Olive and her gen2 olive eggs and gen2 dark brown eggs are setting fine.

LofMc