# Tomorrow is 21 days



## nancy d

It's been years since a hen has set. Getting excited. Click to see better.


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## ksalvagno

You will have to post pics of the chicks when they hatch.


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## NyGoatMom

She's beautiful


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## oakshirefarms

We have one sitting too and tomorrow is 21 days for her as well. She will be our first broody to sit a nest for the entire time! We have had others who never made the full cycle. The other hens would never leave them alone and when we separated them out they would stop being broody. Ours is a Buff Orpington - which is why we got them having heard about how great they are as broodies. When she went broody we separated her and she has been happy as pie to stay with her eggs. So we have our fingers crossed as well! Hopefully we can share pics soon. :-D


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## nancy d

Oakshire here's to many happy hatchday tomorrow!:balloons:
Is she setting on Buff O eggs or a mix?


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## Wild Hearts Ranch

My blue Orp just went broody yesterday  She has a mix of eggs under her and I just got a new roo, so who knows what will pop out!


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## nchen7

she's so cute! can't wait to see chick pictures!

we have a feral who's sitting on eggs in our coop. she's 11 days in (half way there!!). I'm excited to see what we get!!


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## Goat_in_Himmel

You're so lucky to have a broody, and fertile eggs to boot! I only ever had one hen go broody, but no fertilized eggs for her to sit on. She sat the whole 21 days on her friend's unfertilized eggs, plus one day more for good measure, then she gave up on it as a bad job. Sadly I lost her just before she came back into lay, herself.


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## still

How many eggs are under her? I've got a Buff Orpington that went broody 11 days ago......they are such good mothers!! Our girl has 10 eggs....hopefully they will all hatch!


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## nancy d

I have wanted a broody hen for eons!
She's settin on about a doz. Took a quick peek awhile ago from a distance, didn't want to disturb her.

Oakshire, any peeps yet?


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## still

Any babies yet?


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## nancy d

Pphht, no. She 's still settin though. Was off nest part of one day a few weeks ago.
How about your Buff?


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## still

No we've got 8 more days 


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## oakshirefarms

My wife took a quick peek this morning and there was one hatched, but she is still sitting the nest. She didn't want to bother her too much either. I will be taking another closer look tomorrow.

She is sitting on a mixed nest, but my wife said the chick she saw appears to be a Buff Orpington.

Any luck with yours?


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## still

Aaawwww how cute! 


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## nancy d

I hear little peeps! :grouphug:


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## still

Aaaawwwwwww.........I love babies!


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## still

Nancy you have pics of your babies?


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## nancy d

Only one has hatched :roll: but she's still settin tight. How much longer before the eggs to be tossed?


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## Wild Hearts Ranch

Have you candled them?


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## nancy d

No, I just assumed they are fertile. One roo for 5 hens.


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## Wild Hearts Ranch

They could have died even if they were fertile.


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## NyGoatMom

Nancy~ if they are over 3-4 days past due, candle them and look for movement.Hens will sit on eggs until they burst from build up of gases....very nasty and hard to clean off your hen!


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## still

The hen will eventually get up on her own so don't worry about tossing any yet......let her decide when it's time


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## oakshirefarms

So far we have the same thing going on right now. She has one that she took for a short walk yesterday, but then right back to sitting the eggs. Very cute! Looks like a mini version of her. She is extremely protective of it.


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## nancy d

Maybe a half doz new little heads poking out!:gift:


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## NyGoatMom

Yay! Pics please!


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## still

Aawwwww so sweet!!


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## nancy d

oops


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## nancy d




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## nancy d




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## ksalvagno

Chicks are so cute!


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## NyGoatMom

Adorable


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## still

Aaaawwwwww how sweet!!


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## still

Well day 21 is supposed to be Sunday if my calculations are correct but I heard peeps this morning out of 2 eggs!! So it looks like I may have been off by a couple days. I'm excited to see babies!!:leap:


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## nancy d

Yippee! No Sara you are not off it's the hen's clock.:-D

Now she's on the floor with them, I think I'll toss the four remaining eggs.


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## still

nancy d said:


> Yippee! No Sara you are not off it's the hen's clock.:-D
> 
> Now she's on the floor with them, I think I'll toss the four remaining eggs.


Do you have an incubator? This may sound stupid but if you hold the egg up to your ear and tap it with your finger you can hear the baby inside chirp.......I had a hen hatch out some eggs a few years ago and she got up with most of the babies and had eggs left....I took the eggs and stuck them in the incubator and they hatched out after a few days. I of course had to raise them myself. I don't know if that's an option for you but try listening first......they may just be late bloomers


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## nancy d

Thanks Sara, maybe I will just put them under her. No incubator.

And we're going to need pics of yourn!


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## still

Yes as soon as my daughter gets home that's the first thing she is going to check LOL! She'll send pics. We may end up turning TGS into the TCS LOL!


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## nchen7

my feral got off her nest b/c there was a mite infestation. I had to do something with the eggs, so I stuck them in my oven with the pilot light on and door cracked (no 'bator here). yesterday we came home, I peeked into the oven and one had already hatched and another was on its way out! I didn't think I'd have any survivors. they're soo teenie!


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## still

nchen7 said:


> my feral got off her nest b/c there was a mite infestation. I had to do something with the eggs, so I stuck them in my oven with the pilot light on and door cracked (no 'bator here). yesterday we came home, I peeked into the oven and one had already hatched and another was on its way out! I didn't think I'd have any survivors. they're soo teenie!


LOL!! I would have never thought of using my oven!! Did you have the oven on? Poor little chicken nuggets haha:ROFL:


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## nchen7

nono! we have a pilot light, so with the door closed it's about 115F (I use it for yogurt making so I've checked the temp). so I had the door cracked, which made it about 100F (researched the right temp)..... if there's a will, there's a way, right??? I posted this in one of the chat threads last night









then I made a temp "brooder" to sit in the oven but make sure the hatched and dry chicks don't disturb the other eggs much and that they can't hop into the oven and hurt themselves









and this is them this morning! there are 8 more eggs, and I didn't see momma sit on the nest until the 9th, so I think there maybe more coming in the next few days.









and yes...I use my oven all the time. just not in the last few days b/c of the chicks (hence why the pilot light was still on). I didn't think anyone would survive b/c the eggs were cold by the time I found them and I had to wash the mites off *shudder*


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## still

That's really cool that they hatched out for you! My incubator instructions said to keep the temp at 99.8(I think) so that's awesome with 115 degrees!


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## nchen7

I check the temp, it holds steady about 100 with the door cracked (don't wanna cook those little things in there). and, the oven is the least humid thing we have in our house, so keeping the other chicks there and having to open/close the door doesn't make me feel too bad (i read issue is from humidity and not so much temp). plus, i have a glass of water in there to make it humid and a spray bottle i keep spraying into the oven. 

i love chicks! mine haven't eaten anything yet though..... wish there was a way to trick momma into taking them back, but guess they're orphans now


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## Goats Rock

Now you are the momma hen! lol Congrats on all the new peeps!


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## still

nchen7 said:


> I check the temp, it holds steady about 100 with the door cracked (don't wanna cook those little things in there). and, the oven is the least humid thing we have in our house, so keeping the other chicks there and having to open/close the door doesn't make me feel too bad (i read issue is from humidity and not so much temp). plus, i have a glass of water in there to make it humid and a spray bottle i keep spraying into the oven.
> 
> i love chicks! mine haven't eaten anything yet though..... wish there was a way to trick momma into taking them back, but guess they're orphans now


Yeah I've read about the humidity thing being more important than temp too........yeah I've never found a trick to them taking orphans either...I think it's weird that they absolutely will not take on another chick after the eggs hatch!


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## still

I keep forgetting to put up a picture! 








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## nancy d

Nice! Out of how many?
LGD got four, we have 6. Moved hen & chicks so he cant get at them.


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## still

We had her sitting on ten......6 hatched and one chick died (something wasn't right with it from the start) and 2 eggs "disappeared" and 1 was infertile.....so we are left with 5 adorable babies! I just love chickens.......they are amazing animals!


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## Wild Hearts Ranch

Still waiting...7 eggs due tomorrow/Monday.


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## still

Cool! Happy hatching! Lol!


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