Broody hen adoption Q!

[donrae]

When the hen hatches the chicks herself, they don't need to eat or drink for the first few days. They absorb that whole egg yolk right as they hatch, and that sustains them for up to 72 hours. That allows momma to stay on the nest and allow any stragglers to hatch. In that case, I don't keep food or water closer cause they usually don't leave the nest.

since you're wanting to add chicks to her, the chicks will likely be 2-3 days old already. When I do that, I do put a waterer close by, and scatter some crumbles in front of the momma. She won't realize her whole clutch has hatched and she doesn't need to set, so she'll probably stay on the nest those few days after you graft chicks to her. Those chicks will have used up their yolk, and need some food. Granted, they don't eat very much, I just scatter a handful around to let them scratch for it. After momma leaves the nest, I pull the food and water and just let them use the regular flock feeder and waterer, just be sure the littles can reach it.

If you've never had a momma raise chicks, you're in for such a treat! Nothing sweeter than patient momma, setting on that nest, calling her babies for the food you've scattered. She'll let them peck her wattles and never flinch, she'll get so excited about the food they come running out from under her to eat, she'll let them climb on her back---and watch out once she starts scratching and teaching them to find food---she'll send things flying across the coop! IMO broody hens raising chicks are the best part of keeping chickens. You'll also find out how tough chicks really can be, and never look at brooding them in quite the same light again.

 

[heiditam]

When the hen hatches the chicks herself, they don't need to eat or drink for the first few days. They absorb that whole egg yolk right as they hatch, and that sustains them for up to 72 hours. That allows momma to stay on the nest and allow any stragglers to hatch. In that case, I don't keep food or water closer cause they usually don't leave the nest.

since you're wanting to add chicks to her, the chicks will likely be 2-3 days old already. When I do that, I do put a waterer close by, and scatter some crumbles in front of the momma. She won't realize her whole clutch has hatched and she doesn't need to set, so she'll probably stay on the nest those few days after you graft chicks to her. Those chicks will have used up their yolk, and need some food. Granted, they don't eat very much, I just scatter a handful around to let them scratch for it. After momma leaves the nest, I pull the food and water and just let them use the regular flock feeder and waterer, just be sure the littles can reach it.

If you've never had a momma raise chicks, you're in for such a treat! Nothing sweeter than patient momma, setting on that nest, calling her babies for the food you've scattered. She'll let them peck her wattles and never flinch, she'll get so excited about the food they come running out from under her to eat, she'll let them climb on her back---and watch out once she starts scratching and teaching them to find food---she'll send things flying across the coop! IMO broody hens raising chicks are the best part of keeping chickens. You'll also find out how tough chicks really can be, and never look at brooding them in quite the same light again.

thanks

 

[Ridgerunner]

We all do it differently. I normally let my hens hatch with the flock, not separating them at all. Like Donrae I check at night to see if she has any strange eggs under her. Mark the eggs you want her to hatch and start them all at the same time if you ever let a broody hatch with the flock.

Before a hen even starts to lay she builds up excess fat in her body. If you’ve ever butchered a laying hen you will know what I mean. It’s that fat she mostly lives off of while she is broody. She still needs to get up to eat and drink some plus take that monstrous poop. Most hens do that on their own. It’s kind of weather dependent. In colder weather I’ve seen broody hens get off once a day for about 15 minutes. In hot weather I’ve seen broody hens get off twice a day and stay off for an hour or maybe more. Some broodies I never see off the nest but I know they are getting off because they do not poop in their nests. On occasions you get a broody hen that just doesn’t know what she is doing but the vast majority are pretty good. There is nothing wrong with removing them from the nest once a day to give them the opportunity to eat and drink but most take care of that themselves. I do not put food or water in the nest.

I’ve had broody hatches where the hen has taken the chicks off the nest within 24 hours of the first chick hatching. I’ve had hatches that drug out for over three days. The broody knows when the hatch is over and brings the chicks off when she thinks is right.

My last hatch was not normal for me. For different reasons I hatched a bunch of chicks in an incubator and placed them under a broody. The first chick hatched on a Monday, the last late Tuesday. I put them under the broody hen after dark Wednesday. She did not hatch any herself. She brought them off the nest Friday morning to eat and drink. They were fine. They really can live a long time off that absorbed yolk.

I have food at ground level for them to eat, plus I take a large piece of carpet and put that on the coop floor. That’s to keep them from scratching shavings in the water. I place a dog bowl on that carpet filled with water and with rocks in it. Some people use marbles but around here rocks are plentiful and free. When the chicks walk in the water bowl they don’t fall in but can walk out. It does not hurt their feet to get wet. That’s good because they do walk in the water. Keep that water clean. That is very important.

I know some people have but I have never had a chick injured or killed by an adult flock member. Mama takes care of her babies and most of the time the adult flock members ignore the chicks. I have had an adult rooster help Mama take care of the chicks but that does not happen a lot. I’ve never had an adult rooster threaten a chick in any way. Some hens can be a risk however.

I don’t know what you mean by an open bin in the coop. If you confine the broody and chicks (which I can certainly understand) they need to be confined. Don’t leave the top open for others to fly in. And make very sure the babies cannot escape. While most of the time my other chickens pretty much ignore the chicks after a bit of initial curiosity, the other adults are a risk. It is not a good thing to have the babies mingling with the flock if Mama cannot protect them. If Mama is confined make very sure the babies are confined with her.

If you pick up a broody with young chicks be careful. The chicks will climb all over Mama. I once killed a chick that was under Mama’s wing when I picked her up. I crushed it. With broody hens I find that the less I interfere the less harm I cause.

Good luck! There are a whole lot of different ways you could do this.

 

[heiditam]

We all do it differently. I normally let my hens hatch with the flock, not separating them at all. Like Donrae I check at night to see if she has any strange eggs under her. Mark the eggs you want her to hatch and start them all at the same time if you ever let a broody hatch with the flock.

Before a hen even starts to lay she builds up excess fat in her body. If you’ve ever butchered a laying hen you will know what I mean. It’s that fat she mostly lives off of while she is broody. She still needs to get up to eat and drink some plus take that monstrous poop. Most hens do that on their own. It’s kind of weather dependent. In colder weather I’ve seen broody hens get off once a day for about 15 minutes. In hot weather I’ve seen broody hens get off twice a day and stay off for an hour or maybe more. Some broodies I never see off the nest but I know they are getting off because they do not poop in their nests. On occasions you get a broody hen that just doesn’t know what she is doing but the vast majority are pretty good. There is nothing wrong with removing them from the nest once a day to give them the opportunity to eat and drink but most take care of that themselves. I do not put food or water in the nest.

I’ve had broody hatches where the hen has taken the chicks off the nest within 24 hours of the first chick hatching. I’ve had hatches that drug out for over three days. The broody knows when the hatch is over and brings the chicks off when she thinks is right.

My last hatch was not normal for me. For different reasons I hatched a bunch of chicks in an incubator and placed them under a broody. The first chick hatched on a Monday, the last late Tuesday. I put them under the broody hen after dark Wednesday. She did not hatch any herself. She brought them off the nest Friday morning to eat and drink. They were fine. They really can live a long time off that absorbed yolk.

I have food at ground level for them to eat, plus I take a large piece of carpet and put that on the coop floor. That’s to keep them from scratching shavings in the water. I place a dog bowl on that carpet filled with water and with rocks in it. Some people use marbles but around here rocks are plentiful and free. When the chicks walk in the water bowl they don’t fall in but can walk out. It does not hurt their feet to get wet. That’s good because they do walk in the water. Keep that water clean. That is very important.

I know some people have but I have never had a chick injured or killed by an adult flock member. Mama takes care of her babies and most of the time the adult flock members ignore the chicks. I have had an adult rooster help Mama take care of the chicks but that does not happen a lot. I’ve never had an adult rooster threaten a chick in any way. Some hens can be a risk however.

I don’t know what you mean by an open bin in the coop. If you confine the broody and chicks (which I can certainly understand) they need to be confined. Don’t leave the top open for others to fly in. And make very sure the babies cannot escape. While most of the time my other chickens pretty much ignore the chicks after a bit of initial curiosity, the other adults are a risk. It is not a good thing to have the babies mingling with the flock if Mama cannot protect them. If Mama is confined make very sure the babies are confined with her.

If you pick up a broody with young chicks be careful. The chicks will climb all over Mama. I once killed a chick that was under Mama’s wing when I picked her up. I crushed it. With broody hens I find that the less I interfere the less harm I cause.

Good luck! There are a whole lot of different ways you could do this.

Thank you so much!

I truly do appreciate all of the info everyone here has given-it has really helped me-this is all so new to me, and your stories help so much.