questions on first time broody....

[Kev]

WE HAVE BABIES!!!!!!!!!!!
I can only see like 3 popping their heads in and out. How long should I wait to move her????????? (( to make sure everyone is hatched and doing good)) I will be moving her to a cage in the coop so I don't have to put the whole flock on starter feed.

CUTE cute cute!

if there are not very many chickens and there is a lot of room in the main coop, there would be nothing wrong with having them full run and giving everyone starter. Or doing something like starter for all for a week then adding another feeder with whatever feed you;ve been giving the adults. There will be no harm in this and actually be good if someone happens to be molting..

Separation will of course be fine if possible, just wanted you to know it is not absolutely required, same thing with the feed. It will again be no problem to have the mother hen eating only the starter. It will not harm her or other chickens in any way, it just has more protein than they need at the base minimum is all.

you can probably move her today... if you decide to wait until tomorrow, definitely move her and chicks even if she is sticking to the nest. She might have a bad fit but she will calm down once she has the chicks with her again.

edited to add I would like to know how many chicks too. if there are unhatched eggs, candle them... if some are close to hatching put them in incubator if you have one. Then slip them under her at night, so the chick has the whole night to bond with the hen and other chicks.

 

[smcdermott]

OK, we have decided to move mom and babies to a broody cage within the coop. We decided to do this today before any of the chicks could start moving around too much.
Out of 19 eggs (yesterday) we have 15 hatched 3 waiting and 1 didn't make it. #15 had literally just hatched before the move. Mom seems to have taken it all really well and didn't bite even once.

Original Nest

New nest in cage

 

[Zinniah]

Awww!!!! Congrats to you and mommy hen!

 

[AuntNomi]

Awe how sweet! That's a lot of chicks, so exciting!

 

[Pork Pie]

Great job!! Now the fun begins

CT

 

[FeatherFollower]

Lol! That is an amazing amount of eggs

 

[Zinniah]

I have a question if you don't mind. How much does your buff weigh? She must be the size of a 5 gallon bucket to sit on that many eggs and successfully hatch almost all of them!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

CUTE cute cute!

if there are not very many chickens and there is a lot of room in the main coop, there would be nothing wrong with having them full run and giving everyone starter. Or doing something like starter for all for a week then adding another feeder with whatever feed you;ve been giving the adults. There will be no harm in this and actually be good if someone happens to be molting..

Separation will of course be fine if possible, just wanted you to know it is not absolutely required, same thing with the feed. It will again be no problem to have the mother hen eating only the starter. It will not harm her or other chickens in any way, it just has more protein than they need at the base minimum is all.

you can probably move her today... if you decide to wait until tomorrow, definitely move her and chicks even if she is sticking to the nest. She might have a bad fit but she will calm down once she has the chicks with her again.

edited to add I would like to know how many chicks too. if there are unhatched eggs, candle them... if some are close to hatching put them in incubator if you have one. Then slip them under her at night, so the chick has the whole night to bond with the hen and other chicks.

Good info.

I have another point of view for the OP. If you don't have separate quarters in which to raise up the chicks to full size before integrating, it would be best not to segregate the broody and chicks. She will protect them from the flock with ferocity right now. By the time she weans them, they are fully accepted by the flock.
If you wait till later when she weans them to integrate, they'll be defenseless.
Non-medicated starter feed won't hurt the rest of the flock. Just make sure crushed oyster shell is available all the time for any that may be laying.

I have a question if you don't mind. How much does your buff weigh? She must be the size of a 5 gallon bucket to sit on that many eggs and successfully hatch almost all of them!

I agree. That's a great rate for that many eggs.

 

[dima guy]

Congrats....very exciting ....lots of babies to have fun with

 

[dirtsaver]

I agree with Canoe. We have hatched several clutches over the last two years and each time we set the hen up in a corner of the henhouse in a covered nesting box with chicken wire surrounding the area. The wire keeps other hens from laying eggs in that nest but still keeps the broody part of the flock. Once the chicks hatch they are exposed to the rest of the flock yet are protected at the same time. We maintain this seperation for a few weeks as a "safe place" but open it for a few hours a day so the hen and chicks can wander outside if they want. Mama will protect the chicks! All the other hens will soon keep several feet away from the chicks! It's to the point now where our chicks are out in the yard before they are 24 hours old and we've had no problems at all. No illness and no loss to varmits. We just lock them in the brooder corner at night and that's that!

Once you've had a couple of hatches under a broody you'll get spoiled to how little work you have to do....mama hen takes care of everything as long as you keep food and water supplied. No more hatchery orders. No more dusty cardboard boxes in the utility room or basement. No more pasty butt. No more heat lamps. Just sit back and enjoy!