If you watch too many you will end up as a chicken keeper!

@@EnglishCountryLife We have one before but my mom cooked it 😭.

@@l0remipsum991 B R U H CHICKEN MURDERER

It's very rewarding watching them. I wish you luck

No arguments here!

@@EnglishCountryLife thx 4 sharing.

They are wonderful birds. Taffy has just hatched a big brood (pictures over on Instagram)

I think so too

Good luck!

That's really kind of you to say 😀

Fantastic! I hope it goes well

Glad you enjoyed it Mary 🙂

Fingers crossed!

Did she have babies?

Exactly that!

PLS💀🤚🏻

Thank you

Congratulations 👏👏👏

It's a very interesting process 🙂

So nice of you

Good luck! I hope she's successful for you

I think some creatures are just natural mothers. We had a broody hen sadly die with young chicks. Another broody just adopted all her chicks the same day and raised them with ger own.

@Mila 1228 We were proud of her

Thank you

Thank you

No problem 👍

Thank you. Please watch Hen House turf wars! That will entertain you!

Yeah I already seen this... Actually this is first video I saw from channel.. I really dnt kW how two hen maintaining these chicks without any fight.. Strange

@@mariraja6488 They were hatched together and have grown up in the same age group within the flock 😀 Hatching chicks makes such z difference to the dynamics

Wow.. Amazing.. I did some analysis on hen hatching process..each hen identified their chicks by specific smell.. If you combine other chicks you supposed to put facial powder before mingled them.so that mother would not identify other chicks

I'm so glad that the information has helped and you are making great decision not to breed if the cockerels hatched are a problem. Well done. Orpingtons don't always brood. It's normally 2 out of 3 hens and you might get lucky with the 3rd! Brooding is natural for them so if you don't mind them staying in the coop for around 3 weeks, they're doing what comes naturally. They can sit on nothing or dummy eggs if you don't want to breed 👍

(Hugh here). If you like Orpingtons, do consider Australorps. They were developed from Orpingtons and look just like a black Orpington, however they are prolific egg layers and almost never go broody! They might be the right bird for you Terrie.

Thanks

You are so kind

You will enjoy it!

Thank you 🙂

We think so 🙂

I'm not experienced with that breed, but looking at photographs it would seem that the males have a drooping.longer tail and more pronounced mantle whereas the hens have a more upright tail.

@@EnglishCountryLife Apparently, young Deathlayers are difficult to sex. It's like a crazy game show! By now, I hope they're reaching a pivotal age where their gender will reveal itself. They look like hens but engage in rambunctious rooster play with their hackles standing out and talons raised. They have teardrop-shaped gamebird bodies with upright tailfeathers with rounded ends, but that could change. One of them dropped the gold-&-black barred tailfeathers to reveal black tailfeathers beneath like a rooster has--but then the little booger fledged out more barred feathers to replace the lost ones, so I'm not sure! They've baffled friends with lifetime experience with chickens. My Guatemalan neighbor says they're both hens, but my Mexican neighbor is sure they're both roosters. I wanted hens, but I dearly love these odd birds with their heavy-metal name, and I plan to try to find a way to keep them, even if fate gives me two roosters.

They sound fascinating. Do let us know what you have when you are sure?

@@EnglishCountryLife Don't worry, I certainly shall! I searched forums for information, but others beset by this quandary never post the outcome. Also, I forgot to mention their legs and feet are slate blue! I chased down one who got out of the yard, and the increased bloodflow turned its legs and feet a gorgeous shade of violet. With their metallic gold talons, it was a remarkable sight.

@@Susie_Floozie Don't worry too much about the play "jousting" and chest bumping with hackles raised. Our young hens do this too as they learn how to place themselves in the hierarchy. They still might be hens....👍

Thank you 🙂

Yes, Cinnamon built the next bowl and raised ring herself. They do this so that the eggs and chicks have the best chance of having skin contact underneath her. That way they are more likely to remain at the optimum temperature.

Thank you - they are lovely birds aren't they?

Thank you

We wish you luck

We agree, Cinnamon is a beautiful hen

Thank you

Hi Cindy! Before the chicks hatch, change the food in your chicken area for chick crumb & make sure there is no deep water . You can see in the video that we have chick food (we use tiny pellets) and water in the coop. Chicks don't need to eat or drink for 48hrs to give them time to recover but the hen will teach them when its time.

Yes for the rooster. We buy in some fertilised eggs when our hens have an autumn brood and we select one male from that batch for breeding the next year. With the chicks, we keep either 3 or 4 to replace any older breeding hens, we sell any excess hens to pay for the annual food costs and infrastructure repairs. With the male chicks they are either sold as although cockerels are not popular we do have reputation for good quality stock so make more sales than most. Any additional cockerels that are not sold become table birds. We do try to advise anyone going into breeding chickens to be clear on their plans for the 50% of chicks that will be male. Sales of cockerels are very difficult to get and in most cases it's very hard to even give them away so it's really important to have a plan. Are you already breeding chickens or hoping to?

@@EnglishCountryLife thank you! I am hoping to breed in the future. I have been researching different breeding programs. I'd like to do clan/spiral breeding (a type of line breeding) eventually, but I may start with bringing in a new rooster yearly. I'm also interested in the Buff Orpingtons. We would like to raise some for meat as well so I like the dual purpose, plus broody moms. So do you keep some of the hens from the brought-in hatching eggs for part of your flock as well?

If we are keeping a cockerel from a bought in set of eggs we will always sell the hens from the same clutch. This is so that we maintain the strongest gene pool. Excess cockerels for us are table birds. The Orpingtons do make incredibly good meat birds. As a dual purpose where they will incubate and raise the next generation for you, you just can't go wrong!

Yes indeed

That's really difficult. The best time to move hens is when they first fall broody. If they are moved 2 weeks in the danger is that the brood is broken and you lose the clutch completely. Having said that, the ideal is a broody area all to herself. If this is possible, I would move her and take the risk. Mainly because there is a danger that chicks will be crushed when they are hatching or newly hatched with other curious hens looking to see what's going on or wanting to push her out of the way to lay. This is their most vulnerable point. If you can't provide a separate area, there is also a big danger that the 2 broodies will be defensive. You could test this by tentatively lifting out Mama Rose (her eggs will be OK for a short time) and while holding her place her near the other broody to see what their reactions are. Any problems during this process you need to be aware that Mama Rose might not want to return to her original nest. She might, but she might not. If you have concerns about doing any of this, I would leave things as they are. The broodies are set in place and comfortable. Good luck.

Fabulous aren't they?

Glad you liked it 🙂

She's just foraging.

Unfortunately it happens. It's likely the cockerel wasn't fertile so the eggs were not fertilised.

Hi Dawn, we generally find that providing a broody with her own coop and run helps. If with the main flock eggs get mixed up so its not clear which are being incubated. Squabbles over the nest site can cause problems. When the chicks hatch having a refuge away from the main flock prevents territorialism

Every hen is different in how they behave. I can only speak from experience with our Orpingtons but we have only had 1 hen that failed to hatch the majority of her clutch and we had problems with her in the 21 days before in covering her eggs so the signs were there. The likelihood is that if she has covered the eggs for 21 days, there is no reason to believe that she won't hatch and care for the chicks until she weans them at 6-8 weeks. Try not to worry and good luck.

Honestly we've never experimented, we try to keep quality nutrition all the time - I think we would need a scientist and control groups - interesting idea though!

It's not absolutely necessary but if you can let her hatch in peace it is helpful. As soon as the hatch is over we then let the broody and her chicks mingle with the rest of the flock (making sure that all feed is changed to chick crumb and any treadle feeders are propped open).

It depends upon the degree of staggering. After 36 to 48 hours, the hen has to take the chicks to feed & drink. Any remaining eggs are likely to chill and incubation stops when the hen is off the nest. Any chicks that hatch will not have the hen to dry them out & warm them which can lead to hypothermia as they are unable to regulate their body temperature. Sadly widely staggered clutches generally don't do well.

@@EnglishCountryLife Thanks for that... I was considering getting an incubator and hatching the rest out that way, but I don't know how far along each egg is... I'll hope for the best I guess. Either way, this is a great learning experience. Thanks for all the great content/education!

@@daviddettra4929 Eggs remain viable but undeveloped for 14 days at room temperature. Next time, if you collect a clutch, keep them (unwashed) until you have enough (don't refrigerate). Then nark them before putting them under the broody. Remove any unmarked eggs because they were added later. All the chicks will then hatch at roughly the same time.

We've been breeding Orpingtons for some time & breed for both size and temperament. I'm glad you like how they look 🙂

When the eggs are under a hen they will be fine. The broody hen will have plucked feathers from their breasts keeping enough feathers either side that they fold over to cover the skin when they are stood up. When they sit down the feathers envelope the eggs giving insulation and the eggs have direct access to the warm skin of the hen keeping the eggs at the right temperature. At this time of year the problem comes when your hen needs to leave the nest to eat, drink and evacuate her bowels. The eggs will cool very quickly which means she can't come off the eggs for long which in turn means she may not eat or drink enough. If you can check how long she is off the eggs for and what happens to those eggs when she's not there this will help inform if you need to do anything. If the other hens roll the eggs under them, they will stay warm so you don't need to worry. If not and the eggs are no longer tepid to the touch by the time she returns to the next you might need to consider giving her dummy eggs and transferring the eggs to an incubator until 36 hours before hatch is due to give them the best chance of hatching. If your hen is out of the nest for less than 30 minutes a day in total it's possible she's not getting enough food and water and potentially may be compromising her health. Check her body condition score using this chart: www.poultrydvm.com/featured-infographic/chicken-body-condition-score-chart If you are concerned in any way put food and water close by her in the coop and if she doesn't eat it add some warm water to her pellets food to make a warm mash. The aroma normally entices them to eat. Then she only needs to come away from the nest to poop. I hope that helps. The likelihood is that with 3 of then side by side they're sharing responsibility and it will be fine but best to check what she is doing and her body condition score to be on the safe side.

@@EnglishCountryLife aww thanks so much for your answer! I really appreciate it :) I have 3 mammas that were all alternating turns for poop, lunch and drinks during the broody period. They helped each other all the way true. AMAZING! Note that my 3 hens were born and raise together alone in a big coop for their whole life. 5 out of my 6 eggs hatched and all of the chicks are very happy and healthy!!! I am leaving the 6th egg not hatch until tomorrow day 24. I see a little crack in it. I only had 6 eggs from the beginning under my hens… so the success rate is very good. The 3 hens take an excellent care of the chicks. Show them how to eat and drink. One of my 3 is more the guard, protective. She stays cuddle with her 2 sisters 95% of the time and protects the house. She goes on the chicks while the other mamma goes to eat drink and poop. She lets her back on’ her baby when she is back. I was trying to lift one up to check on the chicks and she (the protective one) gave me a peck warning 🤪🤣 I monitor them with a camera all the time to make sure all is good. The mammas are so caring, I am impress. I was worried the chicks would be too cold in the coop. Well with the 3 big fluffy buts they can alternate and and choose from, I have never seen such happy chicks! I always used the incubator before so it’s my first experience with mamma hens. I am delighted… until I will have to to give away the roosters :( they are banned in our city. Chickens are so fascinating and lovely… it s addictive! 😬💓

How long ago did the chick hatch?

If she is clamped tightly, you should be OK to move her. I would recommend moving her at dusk when she would naturally start to roost and close her into the new space so she can't leave. We give the broodies a coop with a run and we close the coop for at least 24 hours so give her food and water inside. She should have fully adopted the new site by this time. We do also keep the run close for a few days to be on the safe side so our broodies do have outside space but cannot return to the old coop. After this we lift them out once a day into the field and they normally return to the eggs within 1 hour but they can get rid of the pent up energy and bathe. Does that help?

Yes that’s great. Do i need to light the eggs at 7th and 14th day or is it ok the leave alone?

With a broody hen you can choose not to candle the eggs. The broody hens will normally know which eggs are not developing and will push them out of the nest. This isn't always a hard rule though so I will mark an egg pushed out and pop it back under. If it gets pushed out again I'll remove the egg. It is OK to candle them if you would prefer to but if you can wait until the broody leaves the nest for the daily feed, drink and poop break, it's not distruptive to the nest. Does that help?

@@EnglishCountryLife Hi Thank you for all your kind replies. I ended up building a box / small coop today with doors, and 1 nest. I put some hay in the nest section together with non fertile egg for now, some water and feed and moved her during the day (I know it was not advisable). She was upset at first but when I checked her after sunset she was in the nest on top of the egg so I guess she will be ok. I am waiting for the delivery of 6 eggs so she can hatch them.

@@negativentry It's great that she settled. I only suggested at dusk because she would have to sit shortly after being moved. The risks are a little higher during the day but if the hormones are telling her it's time....it's time!!! Well done! You've done a great job there 👏 😁

It depends on how many chicks you want. Not all will hatch. If you mean how often will she go broody, it will be once or twice in a year

Not for long as she needs to take the chicks out to find food within 48 hrs. At that point she is unlikely to return to sitting on unhatched eggs. It would be better to put any that are due to hatch later into an incubator if you have one.

@@EnglishCountryLife that’s what I was thinking might happen. This is the first time with a broody hen. Thank you for the help! Cheers!

@@sylvanis13 No problem

We do keep some to refresh the breeding stock. We are a smallholding and the chickens must be able to pay for their feed so we sell excess hens at point of lay. The cockerels are raised to adulthood for the table.

It's always difficult to manage. If you have an incubator and brooder it might work. With luck she might accept them back - some breeds like Orpingtons are generally okay with this.

@@EnglishCountryLife the hen is like old breed,12 eggs is her max clutch and her instincts of motherhood are great I am confused I don't have a incubator avail is there any chance she will sit for 4 days ?

Hi, we cover our advice for dealing with a broody eating & drinking in the video below, I hope it helps kzfaq.info/get/bejne/adh4bLiYnMfPmXk.html

Now that they're pipping it will be unsettling for Stacey and she may reject the chicks do leave her in position until they are hatched. If you're worried about the other hens, close the coop for the day and then move her and chicks tonight just before roosting. If you have a large outdoor space let them all roam. Stacey will teach the chicks about the pecking order and protect them. In 6 to 8 weeks Stacey will return to the main coop and because she has been around the others they won't reject her. If you don't have a large outdoor space it may be worth seeing how the other hens settle with the chicks without moving her. We have had chicks and hens in 1 coop before and while the other hens were wary, it worked out OK

Thank you so much :)

Hi, How is Stacey getting on?

English Country Life She’s doing brilliantly thank you for all your help. We shut her in to stop the others bothering and that evening one of the eggs hatched and the other hens came up and just had a good look! The next morning there were 2 more fluffy babies there! Well and happy!

Can’t attach picture but it’s a very gorgeous scene and she’s been teaching them to eat and drink! 🐣🐥🥰

Some eggs may take a little longer - its not totally precise, but if nothing has hatched after 23 days of incubation, it's unlikely that they will hatch

Also, how often should I be checking on her and the chicks? I don’t wish to disturb her too much, but I also want to be able to help if I can.

Hi, anything that's not hatched 36 hours after the last chick is unlikely to hatch. Have a look at them. If they haven't pipped and there are no signs of life, remove them

It's normally fine to check in visually a few times a day. If you are worried about the remaining eggs, lift her off no more than once a day to check

Thank you so much for your quick response!

@@mrsB0915 You're most welcome - good luck 🐣

I would check the eggs for pipping & candle them if possible. Something nay have gone wrong sadly

@@EnglishCountryLife thanks

@@EnglishCountryLife i let the hen sitt on the eggs for 30 days and i tuk her off yesterday and opened the eggs and they were unfertilized. Do you think she will be able to sit on the eggs again in some time mabey in one month ? Right now she is acting like a mother hen

@@jakobpetrov1750 Hi, you need to let her start laying again and then wait for her to go broody again. That could be in the Autumn or next Spring, although she may go broody sooner as she hasn't got chicks

@@EnglishCountryLife Can they go broody in autumn too? Do the chicks grow enough to survive the winter?

Two things you could do: 1) Leave her sitting a little longer (I would suggest max end of day 24). Sometimes the eggs don't start to develop as soon as the broody hen sits on them possibly due to colder weather delaying the broody hen being able to warm them up to temperature or possibly because at the beginning the broody may not be sat squarely on them. The upside here is that doesn't disturb the hen or the eggs, but the downside is that the eggs may not be fertile and may be slowly going rotten. 2) Look for signs of life. That would be in 3 parts. First listen fir cheeping as chicks inside eggs due to hatch will cheep to communicate with the broody. Secondly if you can't hear cheeping look for pipping holes and thirdly if no cheeping or pipping, remove the eggs and candle them. The upside is you have certainty, the downside is that its possible the chick may move in the egg as you move it which makes the air sack inaccessible. If this happens the chick will suffocate when it tries to hatch. It must be worrying but I hope this helps

@@EnglishCountryLife thanks for the advise today I went back to check on the eggs and saw that some eggs were changing colour ( greyish colour ) on the top, so could there be a chick inside or should I just remove it and buy some chicks form elsewhere and put it next to the chicken? thanks

@@ssangesar3492 I have never known eggs to change colour whether there are chickz knife or not so I'm not sure that helps us establish if there are chicks inside. If you can carry out the steps to check if a chick is inside the egg that I laid out before you'll know whether the eggs are likely to hatch or not. I hope that helps. Good luck.

@@EnglishCountryLife thanks for the advice the eggs unfortunately did not hatch after 25 days so I bought some chicks from else where and I am going to replace them with the eggs under my hen. hope she accepts the chicks.

@@ssangesar3492 Good luck. I hope it goes well

Good luck!

I'm sure you're right but we currently have 5 hens sitting on eggs. If we hatched 14 chicks from all 5 plus the hens which are going broody, we would risk losing the grass that the chickens graze on. We would rather give eggs to all hens that go broody and retain the grass that they graze on.

Can the hatch turkey eggs

The chicks are both male and female 🙂

It's probable they weren't fertile eggs unfortunately. Are you able to check them by candling them?

@@EnglishCountryLife i have rooster with three chickens, all eggs were fertile, now I'm planning to buy chicks and try to adopt them to my chicken..

@@pumpkinalee4378 Good idea After 24 days any hatch is unlikely

@@EnglishCountryLife thank you for reply 😊

I can't please everyone with every video. I'm so happy so many people have liked it!.

The chick was absolutely fine. Cinnamon (the brood hen) came back to the coop within 4 minutes with the other chicks. She stayed in the coop for another 2 hours until the new chick had gathered some strength and could follow the others outside.

Huh?

All 7 chicks in this clutch survived and grew into healthy chickens. Helping chickens out of eggs (as you know because you've done it) has to be done with great care and very slowly. A chicks skin is tissue paper thin and can easily be torn in the process particularly if the hatching process has taken too long and the shell has adhered to the chicks skin. In this case a damp paper towel should be applied until the shell membrane is rehydrated and can be carefully removed. It can take a long time and patience is key.