Broody

[philnj]

hi all
I have a Easter egger rooster, 8 Easter egger, 2 cream leg bar and a barred rock hen one of the cream leg bars went broody and I let her sit on 3 bared rock eggs. All went went she hatched the 3 eggs is being very protective is brooding them etc. she hasn't left the coop since they hatched on Sunday. I put water and food in there for them all seems well, except one chick got out of the coop and was wandering around peeping. She wasn't at all concerned that it was gone. We just happened to find it wandering and put it back.
Are these chicks going to make it without me taking them away and raising them? I only left her with the eggs because I didn't want to incubate brood chicks etc

Phil

 

[sylviethecochin]

When given a choice, hens stay with the majority of the chicks and expect the lost one to return to them. It's just a chicken thing--in the wild, if a chick fell into a ditch and couldn't get out, leading the rest of the chicks into the ditch would just compound the problem and possibly kill all of the chicks.

Just put all the chicks somewhere where they can't get stuck. Keep the hen on the floor. They should all make it.

Also, while studies have shown that chickens can count up to seven--that doesn't mean they do.

 

[Chang1993]

Here is my frizzle bantam ameraucana, Amy, who went broody. I bought her about 6 month ago and I was told that she is a blue egg layer. Somehow Amy got the motherhood instinct from her bff, Smally, a silver sebright, who just recently hatch. They were both breed to Rusty, a fawm oegb. Now, it makes me wondering if Amy chicks will be fawm like Rusty or will be silver instead of fawm.

Note: My nest box are some old water bucket that were left by neighbors.