BYC Café

[aart]

Mostly due to the really good team we have on our local station, WOOD in Grand Rapids. Ellen Bacca, the chief meteorologist, likes to explain things, and does a good job.

They're pretty good, like them during severe weather, but I still don't like network tv weather...instead I go by weather dot com for radar and weatherunderground for local(the data collection device is in a buddies backyard less than a mile away).

 

[DobieLover]

Coffee is ready.

The trackpad on my laptop is crapping out.

 

[Packy]

Good morning all, thanks for the coffee Tonya you may need to get a wireless mouse I know myself I dislike the trackpad on my laptop.
Quick question on brooding hens, my first went broody 18 days ago, then the second went a week later, then the third a week after that.
Now if they do hatch do I bring them in to my brooder, or leave them out with momma?

 

[bobbi-j]

Good morning all, thanks for the coffee Tonya you may need to get a wireless mouse I know myself I dislike the trackpad on my laptop.
Quick question on brooding hens, my first went broody 18 days ago, then the second went a week later, then the third a week after that.
Now if they do hatch do I bring them in to my brooder, or leave them out with momma?

I prefer to let the hen raise the chicks, but it’s a personal choice. I leave my hen and her brood separate from the flock for about a week, then integrate them. Mama will teach them how to be chickens and protect them with her life.

 

[DobieLover]

Now if they do hatch do I bring them in to my brooder, or leave them out with momma?

It would never even be a consideration to remove a chick from it's mother unless the mother was abusing the chicks. I had that happen once and my rock solid broody hen ended up adopting and raising those chicks with her own.

I also don't ever recommend permitting more than one hen set at a time. Things can get ugly with multiple hens going bonkers trying to protect their chicks. Have you permitted the 2nd and 3rd hens to set on fertile eggs?

 

[Sally PB]

instead I go by weather dot com for radar and weatherunderground for local(the data collection device is in a buddies backyard less than a mile away).

Now that's local data!

 

[Packy]

It would never even be a consideration to remove a chick from it's mother unless the mother was abusing the chicks. I had that happen once and my rock solid broody hen ended up adopting and raising those chicks with her own.

I also don't ever recommend permitting more than one hen set at a time. Things can get ugly with multiple hens going bonkers trying to protect their chicks. Have you permitted the 2nd and 3rd hens to set on fertile eggs?

I thought the same, not to remove them unless they were being abused, sadly I have all three in the same nesting box brooding.
As this is my first do I need to put momma and baby in a brooder or just let them alone. I only have three hens and one roster in my coop?

 

[DobieLover]

I thought the same, not to remove them unless they were being abused, sadly I have all three in the same nesting box brooding.
As this is my first do I need to put momma and baby in a brooder or just let them alone. I only have three hens and one roster in my coop?

This situation will likely lead to drama when the eggs start hatching. If they are all together and eggs were laid in the clutches after the first hen went broody and locked down, you are going to have a very staggered hatch that will further complicate things.

I would carefully monitor when the eggs start hatching as the main broody will sit tight for at least a day while the eggs under her hatch. However, eggs under the other two may also start hatching because when one hen leaves a nest with 2 others on it, the eggs will get stolen by the remaining hens so they've likely been all mixed up.

I'd monitor and after two days, would move the main hen out with every chick that hatched. Do this after dark and make a nest for her in the corner of the coop furthest from the other 2 hens. Make sure all the feeders have chick starter in them. Because all your hens have gone broody, you won't need to offer calcium until they resume laying. You also need a chick safe waterer. I've had great success with a baby bottle

as mom will stoop to use it at chick level and by the time she feels comfortable taking the chicks out to meet the flock, they are fluttering around and can use the community fount waterer without risk. Mom will feed the kids so you don't need to worry about that. Dad should be thrilled to help with them when mom lets him.

Continue monitoring the staggered hatch and when another batch of chicks is ready, split off the hen that seems most interested in them and hope the third will sit tight and try to hatch the remaining chicks.

Clearly this is a major headache and the hens are guaranteed to make things more complicated.

You really need to control when, how and who hatches in your flock in the future. And invest now in a small all wire dog crate so you can set it up as a broody breaker. It can be a pure joy to experience or a freaking nightmare to manage. Hence, why I only permit one hen at a time to set. That's up to you, not the hens. Good luck.

 

[aart]

Quick question on brooding hens, my first went broody 18 days ago, then the second went a week later, then the third a week after that.

Sounds like quite the cluster tangle!
@DobieLover laid it all out well.


Sunshiney here this morning....rainstorms forecast for tonight and tomorrow.
Yesterday some unexpected, and long absent, motivation appeared.
Have a plan and the tools set up to get some displaced gravel into the holes the plow left.
Hoping that lasts to get the job done today before the deluge descends and makes the holes bigger.

 

[Packy]

Thanks @DobieLover as this is my first flock, I marked my calendar when the first went broody and the others were out and about. A week later I noticed only one was out. Then went to investigate and the second was in next to the other. I was o-lord.
These ae bantam chickens and I made my nesting boxes a little to big.