How to Hatch Chicks Successfully with a Broody Hen

How to Hatch Chicks Successfully with a Broody Hen - Quick Guide

Рет қаралды 15,328

Күн бұрын

If you use a broody hen to hatch fertile eggs, the hen will do most of the work for you. But there are a few things that you can do to increase your chances of a successful hatch of adorable healthy baby chicks.
- Make sure the hen is really broody before you put valuable fertile eggs under her. They can be any colour eggs.
- Set her up in a warm, comfortable, ventilated, draft-free broody nest that is completely free of red mites.
- Don't have her food and water in reach as she sits. She needs to get up for 10 - 45 minutes each day.
- Have a backup ready in case she abandons the eggs or attacks the hatching chicks.
- You can add chicks to her brood in the first few days, even different coloured chicks.
- Provide chick food (NOT layer feed). The hen can eat it too.
- Provide water in VERY shallow containers. Chicks that fall into deep water dishes can drown or die later of pneumonia.
- Provide insoluble grit for the chicks' digestion as soon as they are eating anything other than chick crumble. 2 - 3 mm. NOT shell grit.
For more fascinating facts, hints and tips about caring for your chickens, and the sheer pleasure of chickens, subscribe to my channel: Chickens in my garden - New Zealand
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Пікірлер: 55

@vickyannpaintingwithoils Жыл бұрын

Excellent. So fun! We are five days in on the 3 egg broody, and you reminded me to get the chick crumble and grit! It has been a long time. Thank you ❤️

@chickensinmygarden Жыл бұрын

That's great. I do like to get the chick crumble early because sometimes it takes a few days for the store to get it in, if it's not high chick season. (This is a small town).

@vickyannpaintingwithoils 10 ай бұрын

The Cemani + Production Red Hen, and the Cemani + Cemani/Silver-Laced Wyandotte Rooster that were hatched lastly are so big now! My son named the hen "groovy" and we call the rooster "lil Roo" for now. He is finding his crow and it is so funny. It sounds more like woo-woo-woo. Gideon the handsome rooster is teaching him respectful governance over the hens as we knew he would. Lil Roo is already trying to mate. He has green cascading ribbons in his tail just like Gideon. Groovy knows she is beautiful, with her canary yellow feathers splotched with Cemani black ones carefully placed in patches, and she surely marches to the beat of her own drum. The flock is all happy and extra with their garden free range area inside the electric predator fencing, I often quote your channel. "I have chickens in my garden." haha. Hope all is well. This is shaping up to be a great Fall season for the animals.

@chickensinmygarden 10 ай бұрын

How lovely that sounds! Having chickens in my garden brings me so much pleasure too. It is funny when young roosters are just learning how to crow. It's amazing how quickly they get it right, and fascinating how they each develop their own tune. He sounds like he will be stunningly handsome. And Groovy sounds really special. 🙂

@marieb.8053 2 ай бұрын

This was a WONDERFUL RESOURCE! thank you for posting.

@chickensinmygarden 2 ай бұрын

Thank you! It was kind of a follow-up to this one kzfaq.info/get/bejne/aJuprNR3sNG1iXU.html

@brendacavanaugh3714 3 ай бұрын

Thank you for this video. I have a chicken that will be hatching some eggs in about a week and this will help me tremendously.

@chickensinmygarden 3 ай бұрын

How exciting! Best wishes for lots of healthy baby chicks 🙂

@garyvee6023 Жыл бұрын

So jealous of your incubator..., they don't make the small (IM) cabinet incubators anymore and I can't get a secondhand one for the love of money. 🥰

@chickensinmygarden Жыл бұрын

Yes it's great. I bought it in 2009 and it's done very well for me.

@marybillups8901 Жыл бұрын

This is what I’m looking for!❤

@chickensinmygarden Жыл бұрын

Excellent! I just published it. If you haven't already seen it you might also like this kzfaq.info/get/bejne/aJuprNR3sNG1iXU.html

@UsmanFaraz854 9 ай бұрын

Nice sharing love the way you make this video, nice informative and closer to nature this video. Stay blessed 😊😊😊

@chickensinmygarden 9 ай бұрын

Thank you so much. Have a beautiful day 🙂

@UsmanFaraz854 9 ай бұрын

@@chickensinmygarden thank you 😊

@kungsta1 9 ай бұрын

Great informative video. Thanks.

@chickensinmygarden 9 ай бұрын

Thank you 🙂

@alisoneisinger2656 Жыл бұрын

Could you offer some additional detail about what you advise is shallow enough for a water dish for chicks? In the last image, the water container seems quite deep.

@chickensinmygarden Жыл бұрын

The actual depth depends on the size of the chicks. I start with about 1 cm or less - a milk bottle lid for example. As they grow, I use deeper dishes. Perhaps the easiest way to explain it is to compare your dish to the chick - for young choose something that comes partway up their legs but not as high as their belly as they stand next to it. Once they get to a couple of weeks old, they can manage a dish that comes up to their chest without falling in. But always - choosing a shallower dish is always safer than having a chick get in trouble. Does that help?

@rickhaile2190 Жыл бұрын

Very good video! Had one chick hatch from my home made incubator. Have hen sitting on eggs. Eggs should hatch one week after chick hatched. Going to try and get hen to adopt chick even though it's one week older and a bigger breed.

@chickensinmygarden Жыл бұрын

It's certainly worth a try. Some hens would do it.

@AdelardRen 11 ай бұрын

My silkie hen seems to be going broody. She only just started laying a month ago. I think she'll make a great mother, but she's quite young, and I don't have a broody box for her. She is doing exactly what I got her for, though! She's a good little hen.

@chickensinmygarden 11 ай бұрын

That's wonderful! As I'm sure you know, Silkies have a great reputation as broodies. It sounds like you have a good one 🙂

@riddhithakur1382 4 ай бұрын

My silkie also went broody she laid 12 eggs in 22 days and after the last egg she went broody but she is just 4 months old. She gets up from her nest three times a day for 10 min. I have kept food and water near her so she just gets up to poop. Can anyone suggest her what to feed her which is healthy. It is her first time laying eggs as well as going broody. If anyone have any suggestions how I should care for her pls let me know

@chickensinmygarden 4 ай бұрын

Her usual layer pellets should be a complete and balanced diet for her. She is doing very well, especially for such a young hen.

@riddhithakur1382 4 ай бұрын

@karolespencer Жыл бұрын

I have two questions: 1). How old is the chick when momma starts bringing the baby chick around to meet the flock? 2). And, after sitting and hatching eggs for 21 days, when does momma start to lay eggs again? When will she need the calcium?

@chickensinmygarden Жыл бұрын

1. It depends a bit on momma but usually about 3 days old. 2. That depends on how good a layer she was before going broody and the time of year. I have had a hen that laid again while the chicks were still with her and only about 3 weeks old. In other cases the hen won't come back into lay until the next Spring. In the case of the hen in this video, the chicks hatched early March (high summer here) and she laid again in early June, which is odd because that's almost mid-winter. And the hen needs calcium when she's in lay.

@karolespencer Жыл бұрын

@@chickensinmygarden I’m in the United States, and my one year old buff Orpington hatched her first egg (only one egg) one week ago. Sometimes she’s seems like she’s still broody, and lets the chick wander around. The chick was getting pecked by a barred rock on the first day. And other times she is paying attention. I have her fenced off from her flock mates. I’m worried that this could be a mistake. Would it be better to let her mingle and go into the coop at night? Or is it safer for the baby chick to keep them separated? She’s my favorite hen. I really want what’s best for her.

@chickensinmygarden Жыл бұрын

My guess would be that she's a bit clueless about motherhood. I wouldn't be worried about her for herself but I would be a bit concerned for the chick. If it's already a week old, I guess the two of them are doing ok or else it wouldn't have survived this long. I would be inclined to just let momma do whatever she wants except sit on eggs - keep her away from sitting on eggs for a few weeks or until she lays again. But watch that chick carefully. It will run away from a hen as long as it has room to run and the others don't gang up on it. But make sure it's getting plenty to eat and has a chance to drink, and is warmly snuggled up to momma at night. Fenced off is probably safer for the chick and its ok for momma as long as she is not distressed and the flock can see and hear her.

@karolespencer Жыл бұрын

@@chickensinmygarden thank you so much for the help. This is momma’s first time, and mine as well. Hopefully I can open the barrier soon! 🙏

@chickensinmygarden Жыл бұрын

As the chick gets more adventurous it will stray further from momma. It would be wise to keep alert for any trouble it might get into that momma might not realise or can't fix. Most of all, just enjoy this special time for momma and chick 🙂

@thinkgood7412 3 ай бұрын

Hi is there a video on your auto closing water contianer, i think. I haven't watched the video yet.

@chickensinmygarden 3 ай бұрын

Hi there. I think what you are looking at is the Grandpa's Feeder, although I imagine it could be adapted to hold water if you wanted. I first made a video a few years ago about why I like them so much kzfaq.info/get/bejne/oMtlq9CIzbfOj6c.html And just recently I made one about how to train your chickens to use them kzfaq.info/get/bejne/i5NgZNZ5q7XUk5s.htmlsi=7qcGlAhNg7024CXd

@dedikfarm1128 Жыл бұрын

thank you sis..the chicken is the same as what I have sis..greeting to meet you sis..greetings laying hen breeders from Indonesia

@chickensinmygarden Жыл бұрын

Greetings to you too 🙂🐥🐥

@dedikfarm1128 Жыл бұрын

let's share knowledge about my friend's farm

@chickensinmygarden Жыл бұрын

OK. Tell me about your friend's farm.

@dedikfarm1128 Жыл бұрын

@@chickensinmygarden I raise laying hens of racial type and village type of chicken.. how about you sis?

@chickensinmygarden Жыл бұрын

I keep what we call heritage breeds, for their eggs. I have mostly Barnevelder breed, plus a Wyandotte, a Leghorn and a Faverolles.

@CR10.07 Жыл бұрын

Question. I have chicks ready to go out what do I put in the run? Thank you

@chickensinmygarden Жыл бұрын

I'm not sure what you mean. Chicks need food, water, warmth, shelter, protection from predators and other chickens, and opportunities to explore, scratch, dust-bathe and peck at insoluble grit.

@NMAMTB6 Жыл бұрын

Can someone help me?I have a question, hope someone can answer me in detail.Here's the thing, I have a freshly laid hen that laid dozens of eggs and it started hatching a few days ago, today is day 4 if I remember correctly. But what confuses me is that the eggs under the hen aren't hot enough, I don't know if it's because it's her first time hatching eggs, or her body temperature is not good. I noticed that most of them were moving but a bit fuzzy and the blood vessels were dilated. Unfortunately two eggs were eliminated today and when I candling the eggs there was a red ring inside. I was concerned that the eggs would go bad so I decided to replace with another hen who has more hatching experience, is there any chance the eggs will be remedied?

@chickensinmygarden Жыл бұрын

You don't say how many eggs the hen is trying to sit on. A big hen can brood 10 or 12 eggs but not "dozens". "Day 4" usually means the fourth day after the egg was laid. Eggs need 21 days to incubate. Do you mean chicks have been hatching from these eggs for 4 days? If so they should all be hatched by now, assuming incubation started for all of the simultaneously. Perhaps you are suggesting more eggs got laid in the broody nest after she started sitting? That's not likely to be successful for any of the eggs. Or maybe you mean you have one hen who has been broody for about 4 days and trying to brood dozens of eggs? If this is the case, you are right - she can't manage so many eggs and one by one they will each get cold and die. Remove most of the eggs now and leave only 10 to 12 eggs that you think are good or that were just laid in the last 1 or 2 days but All the Same age from laying. Then leave the hen to brood. And don't add any more eggs . But I'm really not sure if that is what you mean either because eggs that had been incubated for only 4 days would not be moving.

@vargaeszter11 Жыл бұрын

Such a beautiful hen!🥰 I have a question. I had az orpington hen go broody 6 weeks ago. She was an amazing sitter, since orpingtons are usually good mamas. But when the chicks hatched she killed a couple of them. It was her first broodiness. She stepped on them and lifted one up and put it outside of rhe nest( i found it she was cold but i managed to save her life) Others suffered head injuries and it was just horrible.... 😭I was able to save 8 chicks out of 12, and raised them up in the house. Well, it was only 6 weeks ago and now she is broody again. I fear that her body might not be ready for another 21 days of sitting. She is lower at the pecking order and still a bit thin.Should I let her sit or try to break her? Is 6 weeks too soon for a hen to go broody after hatching? Is there a chance that she will be a good mama this time?💜

@chickensinmygarden Жыл бұрын

Well, I can't predict the future but I can share what I would do. I would try to break her and I would probably never let her hatch chicks again. It sounds like she actually attacked the chicks rather than just neglected them. A first time mama can lose chicks because she doesn't know how to care for them, but a murderous hen is so fixated on those eggs she only sees the chicks as breaking her precious eggs and infesting them. I have heard of a murderous hen successfully raising chicks of a different breed or colour, but I'm not confident about that. As you say, she's a good sitter. So you can use her to sit, as long as you are ready to rescue chicks as they hatch. There are times when this can be useful - too many eggs for one hen, a broody who gives up or gets sick, or an incubator that breaks down - it can be useful to have a backup. As to whether her body would cope with brooding again so soon - Orpingtons are pretty chunky birds, she would probably be fine. Your own assessment of her condition is probably most reliable. But, what would be the point? I had one murderous mother. I never let her sit again.

@vargaeszter11 Жыл бұрын

A quick update😊 i let her sit and the chicks hatched a week ago. She is a loving mama😇 it is incredible how she changed, all the chciks are chunky and developing well. 🥰thank you for your advice

@chickensinmygarden Жыл бұрын

What a wonderful outcome!

@soham9580 Жыл бұрын

what if my hen sat on egg on 6 day and then the hen died and i have sat another broody hen on that eggs after 4 days .is that eggs will hacth or not

@chickensinmygarden Жыл бұрын

It will depend on how quickly you changed the egg over to the new hen and whether the egg got cold in between, plus of course how well each hen was doing her job and whether that egg was going to hatch anyway. But changing the egg from one hen to another would not make a difference.

@Angela_1944 Жыл бұрын

I am really nervous right now and wanted to ask you a question. My chicken Marina has gone broody and I'm very happy. But the thing is that when she went broody last year she killed 2 of her baby chicks and I don't know if I should set her again

@chickensinmygarden Жыл бұрын

Well, I never trusted a hen with more chicks if she had killed previously but one of my subscribers recently told me her hen was fine with the second lot. I would certainly suggest being very vigilant around the hatching time and prepared with a backup brooder box in case you have to rescue the chicks from her.

@Angela_1944 Жыл бұрын

@@chickensinmygarden Thank you so much❤