Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Kaylish]

hi everyone little here.it's been awhile.my broody silkie is on 5 white leghorn eggs due to hatch day b4 easter.it's still real cold here blow freezing.18 this morning in the coop.should i set up the heat lamp day b4 the hatch day?the chicks are going to b big ones.and shes so small im worried she wont be able to keep them all worm.also should i put the chick starter food in the feeder now or wait for the chicks to b born?thanks in advance for the advice .i rely on you folks to educate me.

Chick starter will be good now; mama could use the extra protien. The heat lamp I'm not sure; my first instinct would be no but the temps here are usually in the low 40s during the winter with only a few nights near freezing.

 

[little]

i'm in wisconsin the northern part.it's still gonna be in the teens and twenty at nite for a while.chime in everyone.i have a few days to be educated.i don't use heat in my coop ordinarily.

 

[bumpercarr]

i'm in wisconsin the northern part.it's still gonna be in the teens and twenty at nite for a while.chime in everyone.i have a few days to be educated.i don't use heat in my coop ordinarily.

I probably would forego the heat lamp, but someone from a colder climate should chime in. It gets into the 20s and 30s here at night and generally my broody has been able to handle it. Is there a chance that maybe you can move the broody & chicks into the house if it gets really cold? I don't know, but I worry about having a heat lamp in a coop...if it gets knocked over it could be a disaster. Hopefully someone from the northern climes will add their ideas.

 

[ochochicas]

My broody hatched 7 chicks in December. It was in the teens and low 20s during the day for the first month after the chicks hatched. The broody had them out on the frozen ground free ranging and they were fine. They do not need a heat lamp! When the chicks get cold, they tell their mom. She lays down and they all crawl under her to warm up. Just make sure they have a place that is free from drafts and rain.

 

[vpatt]

I had two small hatches this past winter. We had lots of snow and it was much colder than usual. I was amazed how hardy those tiny chicks were with mom caring for them. They were on the ground by day two and thrived with only mom for heat. I did watch them when they left and returned to the coop morning and evening. They left the co-op and stayed under the porch most of the snowy days. I had to rescue a few that floundered in the snow. But that included some hens not just chicks. A chick did try to ride on mom's back once to avoid the snow.

 

[little]

that all sounds reassuring. thanks for the insight. lady of mc camley said the same as you all.she said if she can hatch em she can keep em warm.she also said to put sone stones or marbles in the water container so they don't drown.has any one ever heard of a chicken swallowing a stone ?how big do they need to be?

 

[vpatt]

Marbles work well...they are too big to swallow.

 

[hmbrown05]

Okay riddle me this-I have a broodie who I set on 6 eggs 3 weeks ago. I candled them at 7 days and only had one starter so I pulled the other 5. Candled again at 14 days and had good development. I bought 6 day old chicks Thursday to graft to the hen Friday night after the lone chick hatched which went beautifully. This morning I went to go check on everyone and there are not 7 chicks like I expected but 9!! There was only one shell in the nest and 5 yellow chicks, 3 with feathered feet (my rooster is a conchin x leghorn) while the chicks I bought were EE and CornishX. How is this possible?!? Three yolked egg? But wouldn't it have failed due to too little space?!? The three are obviously from my rooster as the feet feathering seems to be a very dominate trait, but I can't comprehend triplet chicks!!
Anyon else experience this phenomenon?

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Okay riddle me this-I have a broodie who I set on 6 eggs 3 weeks ago. I candled them at 7 days and only had one starter so I pulled the other 5. Candled again at 14 days and had good development. I bought 6 day old chicks Thursday to graft to the hen Friday night after the lone chick hatched which went beautifully. This morning I went to go check on everyone and there are not 7 chicks like I expected but 9!! There was only one shell in the nest and 5 yellow chicks, 3 with feathered feet (my rooster is a conchin x leghorn) while the chicks I bought were EE and CornishX. How is this possible?!? Three yolked egg? But wouldn't it have failed due to too little space?!? The three are obviously from my rooster as the feet feathering seems to be a very dominate trait, but I can't comprehend triplet chicks!!
Anyon else experience this phenomenon?

Momma had a couple of eggs tucked up in her wings to brood...you were taking her eggs....sly old girl.

LofMc

 

[fisherlady]

Momma had a couple of eggs tucked up in her wings to brood...you were taking her eggs....sly old girl.

LofMc

x2..... broodies are very good at hiding eggs, wing tucking is a favorite.