Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[poodlechicks]

Jonhnn, Bella's boy is so big now! He is very handsome.

 

[bobbieschicks]

So, I went to check on my two broodies earlier tonight. (I am a nightowl!) And, most of the eggs they were sitting on are gone! There's yolk on the eggs I was looking at. B1 has two eggs - a home egg and a trader joe's egg and B2 had about 5-6 eggs, an even amount of TJ eggs and home eggs. I figure that the rest were crushed or rolled out and forgotten about and later picked apart by the rest of the flock.

Also, my aunt is insisting that if I touch the eggs, the broodies will abandon them while my mother refuses to believe that a broody will remain broody until a chick appears beneath her.

You may have had an outside invader in your coop. Maybe a mouse or snake? Check for that.

Broodies will often eat eggs that are not developing, but losing a bunch at once isn't usual. Losing one egg at a time I'd attribute to broodies being hungry and eating the duds.

A broody doesn't care if you touch the eggs. But handling them too much can cause damage to the developing chick, so I leave mine alone except to candle occasionally if I'm wondering about how many are developing.

A broody will stay broody until a chick appears or her hormones tell her she's no longer broody. You can break a broody without chicks. It takes time and lots of cool air/separation from the nest. But it can be done. I've had limited success breaking one of my broodies who was so determined to be a momma that she sat for 45 days on fake eggs and after having been five days on wire cage and acting like she was no longer broody. Eventually I gave her chicks and she happily raised them.

 

[bobbieschicks]

Hi Guys,

I have a question: I have a broody sitting on fertile eggs I bought from a local source here in Vegas.  They weren't due to hatch until Thursday but I found two partially hatched and dead yesterday and one today.  One also hatched successfully today, seems fine and is peeping away under Mama.  What would cause the others to hatch early and die?

Thanks!  

It happens sometimes. Sorry. Didolan's suggestion is a possibility. There are several factors that influence viability in eggs. Glad you had one hatch so far, hoping the rest hatch just fine.

 

[bobbieschicks]

Bella's boy

He also decided it would be a good idea to try and mate auntie Daisy when she wasn't looking! She wasn't amused, at all. She screamed, saw it was him, beat him up, chased him and he ran and hid behind Bella which was pointless because Bella is below Daisy!

Awh. Gotta love the cockerels. They get so creative in their teenage years.

 

[suyoder]

Love the pics and stories everyone!! Thanks for sharing. ;-)

 

[poodlechicks]

x2!

 

[lablover]

So my four chicks are now just 3-4 days old. Mama seems to walk around her small pen most of the day, and the chicks have explored every inch of it. I had planned on waiting a week before letting them out, but I'm now wondering if I should let them out sooner... I could let them have access to the whole coop and run, but the chicks could squeeze under the gate. Also, I'm quite paranoid about them being exposed to the dirt/poop floor of the coop and run so young. Of course they're on dirt where they are, but it's "fresh dirt" if you will, and they are on medicated feed.
Does anyone put out stuff to keep mites off the chicks? I treated my flock with flea spray while the broody was on the eggs. I'm sure she has them too, as well as the chicks, because I see them scratching here and there. They have sand and dust to bathe in, but still....

 

[bobbieschicks]

So my four chicks are now just 3-4 days old. Mama seems to walk around her small pen most of the day, and the chicks have explored every inch of it. I had planned on waiting a week before letting them out, but I'm now wondering if I should let them out sooner... I could let them have access to the whole coop and run, but the chicks could squeeze under the gate. Also, I'm quite paranoid about them being exposed to the dirt/poop floor of the coop and run so young. Of course they're on dirt where they are, but it's "fresh dirt" if you will, and they are on medicated feed.
Does anyone put out stuff to keep mites off the chicks? I treated my flock with flea spray while the broody was on the eggs. I'm sure she has them too, as well as the chicks,  because I see them scratching here and there. They have sand and dust to bathe in, but still....

I just let my broodies and chicks go wherever they please. They usually dust bathe in the ash pile or by the tree stumps. I love to watch the bigs and littles in the yard together, and I've noticed that there are stages to their exploring.

For the first week the chicks stick to momma on the nest or under the coop like glue and if they go too far away momma will rush to them and peck them back to her side.

The second week momma will take them out a little further from their nest to teach them how to scrounge up bugs and dust bathe in the dirt and ash pile. She also teaches them how to get back into the coop by going up the ramp, although I end up helping with this sometimes.

By the third week momma will explore a little further away from the nest and coop with the babies, sometimes even taking them outside the fenced area, but always staying close to a covered area for protection.

Week four they are up on the roost trying it out during the day and momma is nearby but not on top of them. She will stay with them at night still but they are getting bigger and typically no longer sleep under her.

The fifth week and sixth week pretty much start the end of momma phase and the beginning of the teen years. Momma transitions away from the chicks by spending evenings on the roost and days with the big girls of the flock. The babies run around with the big girls, but know to stay clear of the oldest or meanest ones. They take a high spot on the nest box at night and hang out together like a pack of teens on Friday night.

By the seventh week there will be no more broody momma time and she has returned to laying for awhile, until she repeats the process.

 

[fisherlady]

I just let my broodies and chicks go wherever they please. They usually dust bathe in the ash pile or by the tree stumps. I love to watch the bigs and littles in the yard together, and I've noticed that there are stages to their exploring.

For the first week the chicks stick to momma on the nest or under the coop like glue and if they go too far away momma will rush to them and peck them back to her side.

The second week momma will take them out a little further from their nest to teach them how to scrounge up bugs and dust bathe in the dirt and ash pile. She also teaches them how to get back into the coop by going up the ramp, although I end up helping with this sometimes.

By the third week momma will explore a little further away from the nest and coop with the babies, sometimes even taking them outside the fenced area, but always staying close to a covered area for protection.

Week four they are up on the roost trying it out during the day and momma is nearby but not on top of them. She will stay with them at night still but they are getting bigger and typically no longer sleep under her.

The fifth week and sixth week pretty much start the end of momma phase and the beginning of the teen years. Momma transitions away from the chicks by spending evenings on the roost and days with the big girls of the flock. The babies run around with the big girls, but know to stay clear of the oldest or meanest ones. They take a high spot on the nest box at night and hang out together like a pack of teens on Friday night.

By the seventh week there will be no more broody momma time and she has returned to laying for awhile, until she repeats the process.

X2
Nearly identical here, babies are out with mama after 3 or 4 days and it is up to mama to decide what they are doing from then on. I agree with the stages described though time frames may vary by a few days depending on the broody.

 

[ochochicas]

I kept my broodies and chicks in a small broody run or in a horse stall for the first week or so. I was mostly worried about predators and the chicks getting in to some kind of trouble. They do stay pretty close to momma, but they also go out in the open and I worried about a crow or raven or hawk picking them off. Now they are 3 weeks and almost a half pound. They are spending a little more time away from the mom. One mom is good about integrating them with the flock. Her chicks are eating with everyone else and they are great. The second broody is not as good of a mom in my opinion. She won't let her chicks integrate with the other birds, and she doesn't take them into the coop at night unless I force her to. I don't think I'll let her hatch out eggs again.