I have a silkie that goes broody twice a year. I keep her and the peeps in a coop within the coop so they can see the older aunts. When they are 3 weeks old I open the gate for a short while, staying with them, momma is very protective of the peeps. I'll do this for a couple of days, then if no one is picking on momma I will leave them all together. The peeps are not seen as a threat to the peeking order and learn to stay with momma.Evening all!
We added to our flock in the last week. We got two from a friend who didn't want to winterize her coop for the two girls. The next day I had two jumbo eggs in my coop that were different from mine, so we know they laid right away.
Then husband and I went to the Belleville Animal Auction and bought 5 hens. I was skeptical because there is no way to tell their age, but they were only $2 each. I vent checked them when they arrived at our house and am hopeful because they all had large wet vents. Not long after getting home, one laid the biggest egg I have ever seen. I weighed it... 3.3oz!
In the 5 days since we got our last ones, I have gotten anywhere from 6-10 eggs a day from 15 layers. I am hoping to have that fill out to about a dozen a day. Some appear to be molting and I know that due to protein needs, they often don't lay during molt.
Last, but not least is that I bought a mama hen and 5 baby chicks in a box all together. They looked to be a few days to a week old. We built them a little secure pen in the coop and We are feeding and watering them, but letting mama do all the heavy lifting. I imagine that they will all be together in "the annex" until at least Thanksgiving. We have never had a broody mama before so the mama raising chicks thing is new to us.
CAN ANYONE TELL ME:
How big do the chicks need to be (with a mother protecting them) to be exposed at all to the rest of the chickens?
Should the Mama stay with them until they are big enough to co-mingle, or will she loose the desire to stay with them when they get to a certain point in development?
At what point will she probably start to lay again?
Hope all is well with you all and that you and your flock are enjoying the nice weather!