Broody Hen - I gave her fertilized eggs!

[SusanPC]

Beautiful babies! I'm glad all is working out! Keep us updated.

Daisy's chicks are now 5 1/2 weeks old and anxious to get out of their grow out pen. Unfortunately, I am now having respiratory issues with my other three hens, so am definitely going to keep them separated for quite a while longer. Everyone's on antibiotics in their water (chicks included) and I've learned to give injections to the two hens that are really having trouble breathing. I'm afraid I may have introduced something to my flock from the chicks I got from the local breeder since one of the silkie chicks has been a slow-grower and was congested and croupy before I started them on antibiotics. Hopefully, I can knock this out across the flock. Good lesson, though, that local breeder chicks might not have been the smartest way to give my hen chicks. Maybe hatchery chicks might have had less chance of an illness? So glad your babies were hatched in your flock! Congrats!

 

[mamidei]

Beautiful babies! I'm glad all is working out! Keep us updated.

Daisy's chicks are now 5 1/2 weeks old and anxious to get out of their grow out pen. Unfortunately, I am now having respiratory issues with my other three hens, so am definitely going to keep them separated for quite a while longer. Everyone's on antibiotics in their water (chicks included) and I've learned to give injections to the two hens that are really having trouble breathing. I'm afraid I may have introduced something to my flock from the chicks I got from the local breeder since one of the silkie chicks has been a slow-grower and was congested and croupy before I started them on antibiotics. Hopefully, I can knock this out across the flock. Good lesson, though, that local breeder chicks might not have been the smartest way to give my hen chicks. Maybe hatchery chicks might have had less chance of an illness? So glad your babies were hatched in your flock! Congrats!

*sigh....* I got all of my chicks from a local breeder last year and we battled respiratory issues for a few months. What a pain! Hope you get everyone better! I ended up trying a natural approach and used oregano oil in their feed and I continue to use Oxine in their water. Everyone has been issue free since December.

 

[Cluckies]

We ended up with three! After #3 hatched, she left the nest. There were two eggs left. One had a little crack in it and looked fully formed, but didn't make it. So sad! This whole process has been amazing. Chick 1 is a cream Legbar/white amerucana cross. Chick 2 is a jubilee orpington/buff orpington cross. Chick 3 is a Swedish Flower Hen. Im so glad I got three different mixes/breeds.

Wonderful!

 

[Outpost JWB]

Awesome news!!! THanks for keeping us updated

 

[SusanPC]

UPDATE FOR DAISY AND CHICKS: well, it finally happened... Daisy had started turning on her chicks about 1 week ago. She started with the larger Wyandottes first and then worked her way down every few days rejecting (chasing away and pecking at) different chicks every few days. They will be 8 weeks in two days and tonight she roosted with the big girls and left her babies to huddle by themselves in the dog crate/nest. Only the two smallest silkies seemed to chirp with distress, but even they quieted down after they all 9 piled in and darkness fell.

She has been "mean as a snake" to the chicks and the other hens since I integrated everyone just before she started rejecting everyone. The chicks were only 6 and a half weeks when I decided to open the separation wall and see what would happen. The timing was good because she was such a B to the other two hens that they have left the pullets/cockerels alone. I'm a bit worried for the smallest ones and am debating separating them permanently in their own coop and run. As the flock dynamics adjust, I will keep a close eye on the young ones to make sure they are safe. Right now they have definitely learned how to move fast and stay out of the big hens' way. They also have lots of spots to fly up to, hide under, and maneuver out of sight. Here are some recent photos and I will post a few more in the next post from my iPhone.

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[SusanPC]

More photos of Daisy's adoptees at almost 8 weeks.

 

[Outpost JWB]

I would keep them separated for now. I don't mix my birds until they are fully feathered and a good size to be able to defend themselves. Good luck.

 

[aart]

My broody chicks are almost 8 weeks too...took down the partition wall at about 2 weeks.
Broody mama was vicious to the other hens even tho none tried to harm the chicks...was more about the hens pecking order I think.
They are all pretty well integrated now, have learned the rules and mostly stay close to mama who still watches over them and sleeps with them.
Am kind of surprised she hasn't 'weaned' them yet.

Time will tell if your chicks will do OK on their own after only a week of mama protecting them.
Sounds like you have a place to segregate them if it doesn't work out with the flock.
Best of cLuck!

 

[mamidei]

More photos of Daisy's adoptees at almost 8 weeks.

Mine are in the main coop/run, but they are separated by chicken wire. The other hens have watched the whole process. The chicks have gotten under the wire and into the big area with the hens a few times and they were pretty much ignored. I'm keeping the partition up because the one time I tested things out with mom and other hens, she got into fights with the two main ladies and I wasn't ready to deal with that

they were all being pretty vicious. The babies (Chrysanthemum, Alice and Sunshine) are 2.5 weeks old now.

 

[aart]

Mine are in the main coop/run, but they are separated by chicken wire. The other hens have watched the whole process. The chicks have gotten under the wire and into the big area with the hens a few times and they were pretty much ignored. I'm keeping the partition up because the one time I tested things out with mom and other hens, she got into fights with the two main ladies and I wasn't ready to deal with that

they were all being pretty vicious. The babies (Chrysanthemum, Alice and Sunshine) are 2.5 weeks old now.

My broody got into 3 knock down drag out fights, pecking order stuff as she was low before, I broke them up and then there were no more.
Might as well get it over with.