Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[bobbieschicks]

Hen sometimes attacking my mother hen:
I have a mother hen with 15 chicks. They were mail order chicks that she accepted after her clutch of eggs did not hatch. I think my rooster has low fertility. I keep her and her brood in a seperate fenced in area in the chicken house with their own outdoor run. One of my hens has taken to attacking her through the fence. Any suggestions on why and how I can manage this. I have draped sheets over the fence and that has put a stop to most of it. But I am woried about when I introduce the mother hen and her brood into the flock as a whole. 
Susan Odom

You may have some issues with the aggressive hen asserting her authority over the new arrivals, but unless its brutal I leave them to work it out. You will need to reintroduce the mom and babies to the flock at some point by letting them be seen and heard but putting hardware cloth or wire between them and the flock.

I don't separate out my broodies anymore because I don't like the hassle of reintroducing. If I leave the broody and chicks in the flock the broody keeps everyone safe.

 

[Johnn]

Yeah it sounds like she's getting ready to start laying again. Bunny stopped watching out for hers around week 5 but I've noticed them still following her around at times. One of the silky Roos has taken a shine to Bunny and acts like their daddy.

If she gets the chance to she still attacks hens that chase them, but i think its just because she wants a excuse to attack them!

 

[Pecked2Death]

Sort of a side line - what do you do when the mother does not abandon the chicks? My RIR kept her chicks with her from when she hatched them. They all stayed together, slightly away from everyone else.

I have a broody girl now - who I have managed to get to stay on one nest box - thanks for the help everyone. Do I just let her bring the chicks up with the rest of the flock and know that she will protect them?

The other hen was top of the pecking order - this one is high up but not top. Again though, she is up high in a nest box and I don't think she will move lower, as none of the hens use the lower nest boxes - they all only lay in the two she was using. 12 hens - 8 nest boxes - 2 get used. I even made an extra large box for a broody hen and chicks - the rooster sleeps in that one as he is so big and wont roost. (his toes are twisted - maybe from being on wire for too long) before I got him.

I'll learn to put photos on sometime. Oh the thing getting all my chicks - was a coon - we trapped and shot the daddy. Set traps for another 3 or so days - nothing. So we stopped setting them and another attack and more chicks taken. We set the trap again and yesterday morning caught another larger coon, shot that one. I am now waiting for the babies to try and get the chicks. As far as I am aware I have covered every place possible for anything other than a snake to get into that coop and run.

By the way, I live on a farm - hence the shooting etc. We also have foxes, but we have no evidence that a fox has tried to take any hens, but we have seen them.

Love this group!!!

 

[CGinJCMO]

Sort of a side line - what do you do when the mother does not abandon the chicks? My RIR kept her chicks with her from when she hatched them. They all stayed together, slightly away from everyone else.

I have a broody girl now - who I have managed to get to stay on one nest box - thanks for the help everyone. Do I just let her bring the chicks up with the rest of the flock and know that she will protect them?

The other hen was top of the pecking order - this one is high up but not top. Again though, she is up high in a nest box and I don't think she will move lower, as none of the hens use the lower nest boxes - they all only lay in the two she was using. 12 hens - 8 nest boxes - 2 get used. I even made an extra large box for a broody hen and chicks - the rooster sleeps in that one as he is so big and wont roost. (his toes are twisted - maybe from being on wire for too long) before I got him.

I'll learn to put photos on sometime. Oh the thing getting all my chicks - was a coon - we trapped and shot the daddy. Set traps for another 3 or so days - nothing. So we stopped setting them and another attack and more chicks taken. We set the trap again and yesterday morning caught another larger coon, shot that one. I am now waiting for the babies to try and get the chicks. As far as I am aware I have covered every place possible for anything other than a snake to get into that coop and run.

By the way, I live on a farm - hence the shooting etc. We also have foxes, but we have no evidence that a fox has tried to take any hens, but we have seen them.

Love this group!!!

Adding photos...If using computer, above the box that you type in, is a bunch of icons. Eighth from the right is little blue-ish square. Click it and follow the directions to upload photos.

Glad the coons are gone, 2 less for you to have to worry about.

As for the broody hen not letting the chicks "socialize" with the rest of the flock, eventually they will. I'd say she's being good and protective mama. My broody likes her friends too much to isolate the chicks and the chicks will hop into the bantam pen but she still allows them to snuggle under her and she scratches for food for them so she's still being a mama to them.

CG

 

[twinkletoes]

I have 4 broody hens now! But there is one big concern I have. Al the eggs are due at different times. One clutch is due this Sunday. Clutch #2 is due next Wednesday. Clutch #3 and #4 are due in a couple weeks(a couple days apart). Anyways the girls keep fighting over nests and keep swapping. Now the newer broody hens are sitting on the soon to hatch eggs while the other hens took the later to hatch nests. My concern is the newer broody hens will not have been broody long enough for their mind to switch modes(I've read you have to be careful of this when trying to foster chicks to a broody). I guess another concern is the hens fighting over the chicks. Or the other broody hens will stop sitting once the 1st clutch hatches.

 

[bobbieschicks]

I have 4 broody hens now! But there is one big concern I have. Al the eggs are due at different times. One clutch is due this Sunday. Clutch #2 is due next Wednesday. Clutch #3 and #4 are due in a couple weeks(a couple days apart). Anyways the girls keep fighting over nests and keep swapping. Now the newer broody hens are sitting on the soon to hatch eggs while the other hens took the later to hatch nests. My concern is the newer broody hens will not have been broody long enough for their mind to switch modes(I've read you have to be careful of this when trying to foster chicks to a broody). I guess another concern is the hens fighting over the chicks. Or the other broody hens will stop sitting once the 1st clutch hatches.

Haha broody shenanigans. Got to love those nest swappers. I'd leave them alone to figure it out. They probably won't abandon their nest to run after newly hatched chicks from another broody. They can tell which chicks they hatch because they hear the peeps while the chick is in the shell and the babies hear their mom clucking to them.

Smokey and Topsy both hatched two chicks each and those chicks stayed with the right moms and the moms kept their own babies separated.

 

[twinkletoes]

Haha broody shenanigans. Got to love those nest swappers. I'd leave them alone to figure it out. They probably won't abandon their nest to run after newly hatched chicks from another broody. They can tell which chicks they hatch because they hear the peeps while the chick is in the shell and the babies hear their mom clucking to them.

Smokey and Topsy both hatched two chicks each and those chicks stayed with the right moms and the moms kept their own babies separated.

Whew! So I'm overreacting! Thank you for the reassurance! I know those momma's know what they are doing. But they have a strange way of doing it! LOL

 

[chiqita]

I have had broodies sitting together abandon their eggs for someone else's hatching eggs. I move the broody away (not terribly far just not right next to each other) once there is a peeping chick. Just scoop up her and all the eggs she move fine once she hears babies.

But, YMMV.

I have 4 broody hens now! But there is one big concern I have. Al the eggs are due at different times. One clutch is due this Sunday. Clutch #2 is due next Wednesday. Clutch #3 and #4 are due in a couple weeks(a couple days apart). Anyways the girls keep fighting over nests and keep swapping. Now the newer broody hens are sitting on the soon to hatch eggs while the other hens took the later to hatch nests. My concern is the newer broody hens will not have been broody long enough for their mind to switch modes(I've read you have to be careful of this when trying to foster chicks to a broody). I guess another concern is the hens fighting over the chicks. Or the other broody hens will stop sitting once the 1st clutch hatches.

 

[bobbieschicks]

I have had broodies sitting together abandon their eggs for someone else's hatching eggs. I move the broody away (not terribly far just not right next to each other) once there is a peeping chick. Just scoop up her and all the eggs she move fine once she hears babies.

But, YMMV.

Another thing I've done in the past to separate broodies, I stapled landscaping fabric between the two of them so they couldn't see each other. Seemed to help keep them from getting agitated. Maybe you could try something like that.

Right now I have two broody mommas who are walking around with their one shared chick. These two broodies were not friends or particularly chummy before, but the chick is their shared responsibility.

So I don't worry about broodies helping other broodies raise the chicks. But if it looks like they will abandon their nest you could isolate the broody with wire right where she is.

 

[Susan Hillside]

Thanks for the advice. I have the broody flock seperated in a chicken wire enclosure. and they can see each other in the chicken house. I will let it go for now and hope that my broody hen takes care of it
thanks!