Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[AKsmama]

Oh my. It appears I have a broody cuckoo Marans now in addition to my broody black sex-link

Who says hatchery birds don't go broody?!

Don't mama hens fight each other? I thought I read that somewhere. I am so not prepared for that.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I have 2 mama hens sharing a coop with other chickens, they stay out of each others way, some hens my fight but this is our second year with broodys and no fighting yet, Thank goodness.

 

[OrpingtonManor]

Quote:
many times they help each other. my two broodies have been tag-teaming it. when one is off the nest, the other tucks her eggs under. I don't know if this is an effective method, but it's peaceful. I have no babies from these broodies, and am about to graft some chicks. They always got along, though.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I have a question today we were gone for about 5 hrs. when i got ho me of course went in to check on my broodys and couldn't find my bantam broody, well she was in an empty nest box and her eggs were in another nest box which is were she has been for the last 2 weeks, I think someone must have forced her off her nest and she didn't go back to it, well the eggs were cold, I did put her back on her nest but am wondering what chances are of those eggs being any good now? due to hatch on the 28th. She must have been off for a while for them to be cold.

 

[BarefootMom]

First time broody here!

I have one EE that went broody last Sunday- she is sitting on 8 chickens eggs and 1 duck egg (that she stole!)

Yesterday I went and picked up 3 broody silkies-

I made special nest boxes for the silkies but 2 of them are in 1 and the other is just on a pile of straw?? Is that okay? The 2 that are together keeps each others eggs warm...is that normal? I think it is sweet, but I wonder how they will be when babies are hatching?

The silkies are sitting on silkie eggs, mallard duck eggs, and 2 EE eggs... lol

Don't know if I will be able to read all 65 pages or not, but I like this thread so far. (stopped reading on page 5...)

 

[OrpingtonManor]

Quote:
I'd say, give those eggs a chance. They might make it. My broodies rejected the same egg twice, leaving it to get stone cold. I heated it in the bator the first time, and gave it back to them. They rejected it again, so I stuck it in the bator to stay. I didn't think anything would come of it, I had a hatch going at the same time so I figured, why not? Lo and behold, that little egg was still good. It pipped and zipped all by itself, and now is a healthy 3-day old chick.

If the broody will take it back, give it back. If you have a way to warm it to body temp, they might like it better.

eta - I'm realizing you already said she is back on the eggs. I think they have a chance. Don't give up!

 

[chicknmania]

Quote:
Some people discourage the hens from co-mothering. Co-mothering is common. I just leave them alone. Last time that happened, when the chicks started to hatch we divided up the chicks and the hatching eggs between the two mothers and put each in her own pen with her own batch of babies and eggs. Worked out ok.

 

[chicknmania]

And it doesn't matter if the one hen is just on a pile of straw, as long as the
eggs are not going to roll out of the nest. She'll make a deeper nest in the
straw, so they stay in.

 

[BarefootMom]

Quote:
thanks she is tucked between a nest box and a wall, so I think it will be okay.

I have 2 other nest boxes available... but I think the guy that had them before me just had one big communal nesting box...so...they like to be near each other. My EE is in her seperate pen...in the same coop as the silkies. I also have 25 3 week old meaties in there-but they mostly stay under their light.

 

[phasianidae]

Quote:
They should be fine, I had a broody last summer that gave up a week before they were due. It was at least five hours by the time I got another broody to finish the job, still had a great hatch!