LittleBoPeep Posted July 6, 2008 Share Posted July 6, 2008 Our hen (been broody for past week) is now sitting on 4 eggs courtesy of our local farm shop. She is now on her own in a separate hutch (was guinea pigs) and loving it. She saw the eggs on the straw and sat straight down on them and hasn't moved. We will hopefully have the chicks in 3 weeks. Kids are very excited as are we. Wasn't sure about it to begin with but lovely thing to do. Is there anything else we should be doing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted July 6, 2008 Share Posted July 6, 2008 Have a bag of chick crumbs and a chick feeder and drinker in place before they hatch. Have you given some though to what you will do with any cockerels? It might be worth preparing your children for the fact that some of the chicks will eventually be going to live somewhere else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleBoPeep Posted July 6, 2008 Author Share Posted July 6, 2008 Just want to make sure I am doing everything right as this was totally unexpected and husband/kids just turned up with them. No way could I turn them away without being in big trouble. She seems very happy in the hutch on her own and is sitting quite happily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsm_jones Posted July 6, 2008 Share Posted July 6, 2008 EXCITING isn't it!!! I've hatched 3 chicks 3 weeks ago. Great experience, but I'm not looking forward to having to "rehome" any boys! At least I know my cream legbar is a girl! x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleBoPeep Posted July 6, 2008 Author Share Posted July 6, 2008 Mrs Jones once they are hatched, at what point can we work out what sex they are and do they stay with broody hen or do we keep them on their own. We may keep females but the males will go back to the farm. Also is there a proper name for the sex of chickens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinkybijou Posted July 6, 2008 Share Posted July 6, 2008 hi there and welcome to the world of chicks! Our Dora recently sat on two fertilized eggs courtesy of a friend who gave us them. One unfortunately didn't make it but the other did and two weeks on our Banjo is growing fast and chirping happily all day long! It has been a wonderful experience and the children have learned so much from it all. We have explained to our children that if Banjo turns out to be a cockerel that we cannot keep him and that my friend will be looking after him, so I hope they are prepared in case that happens. Thankfully, my friend is happy to keep Banjo as a pet with his other chooks rather than fatten him up for the chop if he does turn out to be a boy! I hope you get a girl or two at least from your brood. Keep us updated won't you? (oh, and mine hatched a day early on day 20 - be prepared to be surprised like we were!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gallina Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 It is so exciting, isn't it? I am expecting myself for the first time on Sunday 20 July. Four eggs is a nice number. I had six, and the hen kicked one out. I put it back, which was probably a mistake, and yesterday she kicked another one out, which broke, so I probably only have four like you now. If I get just one girl out of this, I will be very happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleBoPeep Posted July 7, 2008 Author Share Posted July 7, 2008 Lovely to hear all these stories, as you say, it is fantastic for the children to be part of it. Another question, Tink has been sitting on the eggs since yesterday and as far as I can see she has not got off once, even to have a poo or drink or eat. I have put some pasta in with her but to no avail. Should I get her out or leave it up to her. Am worried if she starts getting thin, she's certainly being a good mummy hen but at what expense? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gallina Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 I am sure she will have been out: mother hens only come out very briefly so the eggs don't go cold, and you have probably missed it. My hen comes out once a day only, in the morning. She hoovers up pellets and has a quick drink, and is back on the nest again almost immediately. I have only seen it happen once. She isn't burning up much energy (not walking and not making eggs), so doesn't seem to be eating as much as usual. I was worried eary on that she had decided to stay in permanently, but I kept removing the big poo and finding it replaced. It is always near the feeding station. Sometimes she has trampled it into the ground and made me worry that there wasn't one, so do have a good look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 It's advisable to turf them off the nest twice a day to eat and drink - this gives you a good chance to inspect and candle the eggs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleBoPeep Posted July 7, 2008 Author Share Posted July 7, 2008 Hi Claret, what does candle mean. This is a whole new thing to me and am very much a novice any held greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 You use a concentrated torch light to shone through the eggs and check how the chicks are developing, It's not something that you do often, probably only once or twice. There's plenty of info on it on t'interweb if you google. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gallina Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 I am sure Clare is right, and she knows far more about broody hens than I do. If there is no sign that your hen has been out, then you must push her out. But she must get back quickly again on the eggs. I just couldn't turf my broody (who I am confident is coming out to eat) off the nest: she would be so upset. And I don't want to borrow next door's special candling torch, as if there is nothing in the eggs, I will be upset. I shall wait to see what Nature throws at me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 Good for you Gallina. It will be a nice surprise I'm afraid that I am more impatient and candle my eggs so that I know which ones are developing - it's lovely to see the chicks growing. When they are nearly ready to hatch, you will hear the chicks cheeping through the eggshells, and if you tap your nail gently on the eggshell, it will cheep at you. My Lavinia is a very determined broody and will sit all day to her detriment if allowed, so I lift her off twice a day and pop her in the other end of the run so that she gets to stretch her legs and have a bite to eat. Lovely warm broody hens are a lice magnet, so check them after hatching and before you introduce them back to the rest of the flock. Can't wait to see the pictures Gallina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleBoPeep Posted July 7, 2008 Author Share Posted July 7, 2008 right, I think my course of action will be to lift her off the eggs and get her out for a couple of minutes at least otherwise she'll stay put and its getting on for quite a while now. Even some corn wouldn't shift her. Will report back and let you know how I get on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 Just watch, she will go running back to those eggs Nothing else will shift her once she is brooding - they go into a sort of trance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleBoPeep Posted July 7, 2008 Author Share Posted July 7, 2008 Well after a lot of coaxing managed to get her off the eggs and out into the garden where she promptly did a big pooh and ate up the bits of pasta I'd put out for her. She then had a fast run and flap of wings and I put her back in the hutch. She had a massive drink of water so was obviously sooo thirsty. Back on the eggs again now. Will do the same from now on. They are determined and mighty stubborn but then I suppose that's what its all about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 Good to hear it, she'll be fine now. I'd swear that they'd starve themselves to death if left to their own devices They are just as selfless when they've had the babies - they point out all the good bits to the chicks and forget to eat anything themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinkybijou Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 Claret that is so true! Dora picks up the tiny mealworms I got to fatten her back up with, and drops them at Banjo's feet for him/her to eat, totally selfless. It's lovely to watch her being a great mummy though. I always picked her carefully off the nest at least once a day. She would stay off for about 20 minutes and then make her way back by herself. I also candled the eggs about every other day sorry, I just couldn't help myself! My boys really looked forward to seeing the progress on their eggs too, and it was lovely when Banjo got to about 18 days and we could hear him/her cheeping from within the egg. The look on my 4 year old's face was priceless! Keep updating! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeckyBoo Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 How exciting, ours are 4 weeks old now, they grow SO fast! We turfed Speckle off twice a day too otherwise I'm sure she would have starved to death. And don't their poos STINK! my dog would have been proud of what Speckle did whilst sitting! Do tell your little ones that the boys will be going (unless you're planning on keeping them), my three have known from day one that we're not keeping any boys. I think I've got three girls and two boys but someone else on another post thinks my Black Maran is also a boy so I'll have to wait and see. Have your camera ready, we were taken by surprise, I went to turf Speckle off for her daily ablutions when a little fluffy head peeked out!! I was absolutely beside myself, then when I nudged her out of the way there were 4!! and the last shell had a hole in it with a little beak showing through. OMG it was SO fantastic. My children were round a friends house but you have never seen kids run so fast when I rang to tell them to come home because we had chicks. And they all hatched out the same day. Good luck, it's one of the best things I've done in years. Here's ours... And four weeks later... Mrs Bertie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsm_jones Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 They are just as selfless when they've had the babies - they point out all the good bits to the chicks and forget to eat anything themselves. Just like human mummies then?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleBoPeep Posted July 8, 2008 Author Share Posted July 8, 2008 Well she's still in situ, will turf her out when the kids are back from school. Another question, the bedding that Tink and the eggs are on - does it require changing or should I leave it. Am inclined to think the latter. Its very tidy in there and she seems to be poohing outside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Leave the bedding for now, just change it when they chicks have hatched and gone outside for the first time. You will need some non-slip matting for them inside and a step to help them out of the eglu door. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gallina Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Can you just put newspaper down in the Eglu to make it non-slip for the chicks, or will they eat it? What would be best to use as non-slip matting? I have a rubber mat that might do, but what is the ideal thing to use? I am only one week ahead of Little Bo Beep and don't know much myself! I am amazed at how beautifully clean the hen keeps the nest-box: I am sure it would not be a good idea to touch her "nest". She does just one poo a day near the food area, and it is easy to lean in and scoop it up, so the run is immaculate too. It's a pity they don't always have this bowel control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 It's best to use something that they can't trip up on as they are rather doddery for a couple of weeks. I use that plastic non-slip mesh that they sell in hardware stores for putting under ornaments and on trays of food. It's washable and ideal for the job. You buy it on a roll. It's essential to have a non-slip base for them as their legs aren't very strong to start with and a slippy surface can lead to them having splayed legs, which then would need hobbling to sort them out. Some people use corrugated card with the corrugated bit uppermost Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
