First time letting broody hen hatch eggs - advice please

I figure the two CX are predestined to be dinner. I have raised my own meat chickens for the family table for the past five or six summers, but after experiencing high mortality rates with CX I've switched to Freedom Rangers, which take a few weeks longer to reach table weight, but seem healthier, more natural and better able to deal with high altitude conditions here in the Colorado mountains. If Tractor Supply had other options I might have chosen differently, or if I had known that a single chick would do fine with a broody hen I may not have made any purchase. It has been fun watching them grow up together though.

I have five 8 week old pullet chicks growing in a separate pen. I guess when the CX are old enough to butcher I'll put the momma and her remaining chick in with them. I'm hoping the chick is also a pullet but can't tell yet.

So, the three chicks are a little over 6 weeks old and momma hen seems done with them. She seems to spend most of her energy trying to get out of the pen she is in and back with her flock.
The two CX are almost as big as she is and will probably be butchered within a week or two, but the little blue chick is still pretty small.
Do you think I'd be best off putting the broody hen and the little blue chick in with the adult flock or putting the broody back with the adults and putting the blue chick in with my 8 10-week-old pullet chicks? Or perhaps you have a third option. I could leave them all together for another week or so but Momma seems to be done with it all.

The best bet would have been to keep broody and babies within the main flock and then there would have been no reintegration issues or have reintegrated them within a week or so of the chicks hatching, so that the mother hens would protect the chicks from any aggression. It is unlikely that she will protect the blue chick now if she has cast them off and it may take some serious stick from your main flock being so young and essentially alone with no siblings for support....assuming you keep the meat birds separate. In the circumstances I would probably introduce all 3 chicks to the older chicks and then remove the meat birds once the blue chick has been accepted.

Or...

... chose a low ranking chick from the older chick group and add it to the enclosure with the meat birds and blue chick and then when the CX have been butchered, the two chicks could be reintegrated into the older chick group as a pair, rather than a single younger chick on it's own which is sure to get singled out.

Or....

... keep slowly adding a chick or two from the older chick pen into the younger pen over a period of time once the broody has gone back to the flock.The younger chick will have the benefit of being on home territory, which should even the odds a little and mean it is not the stranger in the flock.

I hope that gives you some ideas.

Good luck

Barbara

rebrascora said:

Or....

... keep slowly adding a chick or two from the older chick pen into the younger pen over a period of time once the broody has gone back to the flock.The younger chick will have the benefit of being on home territory, which should even the odds a little and mean it is not the stranger in the flock.

I hope that gives you some ideas.

Good luck

Barbara

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I think I'll try this idea of yours. Several of my older pullet chicks are salmon faverolles who are small and docile and are getting bossed around by the Delawares.
One of them will probably make a good companion for the younger, blue chick, adding more when the CX are removed.

I probably would have had issues if I'd put the broody in with the adult flock because I don't think the two CX could have dealt with the steep ramp leading to the chicken coop with their heavy
bodies and short legs.

Live and learn I guess. The good news is that everybody seems healthy and I have two nice broilers and a pretty blue chick (not 100% sure if it's a pullet but I think so).

Hopefully I'll get another chance next year and maybe then my rooster will help produce a greater percentage of fertile eggs.
Thanks again.

Hey there good morning! We had 2 chickens to go broody... the first one already hatched. The second one had a hatch date 21 days yesterday. She has been sitting on the eggs and found everything the first one did. Not sure why the eggs have not pipped... I know they are fertile the first chicken was on 13 eggs and hatched 12... they are just our barnyard mix but I know we have a good hatch rate...what could be going on with my second broody?!?

adrienne1978 said:

Hey there good morning! We had 2 chickens to go broody... the first one already hatched. The second one had a hatch date 21 days yesterday. She has been sitting on the eggs and found everything the first one did. Not sure why the eggs have not pipped... I know they are fertile the first chicken was on 13 eggs and hatched 12... they are just our barnyard mix but I know we have a good hatch rate...what could be going on with my second broody?!?

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Re-count your hatch date to start-----you probably already done that-----alot of people count the day they put the eggs under her as day 1 which you don't---- is the reason for mentioning that. She could have gotten off the nest to long and they are delayed or died. Just give her a little more time and maybe they will hatch. If not by day 23 I personally would take the eggs before they get really stinky.

Hello, I hope it's okay to jump in on this thread. I too have a first time broody who is hatching chicks. Four of the five eggs have hatched. All eggs were placed under her at the same time. Two hatched on May 15th (Day 21), and two hatched today, May 16th (Day 22). Mama hen has been out with the four babies most of the day leaving the 5th egg all by itself in the nest. It has not pipped and I don't hear anything, but it doesn't smell either. Should I throw the egg out? Do you think there's a chance it will still hatch?

lilcowmama said:

Hello, I hope it's okay to jump in on this thread. I too have a first time broody who is hatching chicks. Four of the five eggs have hatched. All eggs were placed under her at the same time. Two hatched on May 15th (Day 21), and two hatched today, May 16th (Day 22). Mama hen has been out with the four babies most of the day leaving the 5th egg all by itself in the nest. It has not pipped and I don't hear anything, but it doesn't smell either. Should I throw the egg out? Do you think there's a chance it will still hatch?

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Well, no need to reply. I went out this morning and I had 5 baby chicks! I guess some are just late bloomers.