Separating mama and new chicks.

[angie3881]

We hatched 6 of 9 eggs under a broody Buff Orpington. One died. 5 little ones are alive, healthy and happy-- all over a week old. Tried to put mama back in the coop today (free range). She spent an hour at the door of my heated shed crabbing and whining. Finally sick of it, I opened the door and let her back to her chicks. It isn't a problem that she stays with them to us... she stays with them in the kiddie pool they are set up in. Am I doing anything wrong, here? Guess my biggest concern is them going from a heated space to a non heated coop when they feather out with temps dropping.

 

[angie3881]

Forgot to mention- took the last 3 eggs away because they were dead.

 

[christineavatar]

I think you should let the mama into the regular coop with the chicks. She will take care of their 'heating' needs.

 

[angie3881]

Quote:
We have a barn cat and a stray cat that I do not trust when they are so small. That is why I have them in a different area where the cats cannot get to. Not too worried about the old barn cat. He eats and lays with the chicken, but the stray I keep seeing around has me nervous.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Agreed. Have you ever seen a mama hen when her chicks are threatened? I have and I feared the broody even though she only weighed 2 lbs.

I would do something to remedy having the feral cat around though.

 

[LovinChicknFarmn]

We let our Mama stay with her chicks for around 6 weeks before we started integrating her and them with the rest of the flock. She won't leave them for long at this age. Too little. Give her a little while and then start letting them all out and about together. The chicks will not leave her side and she'll protect them. Our Brahma went off on a few of our chickens when they got too close for comfort to her and her babies. It was scary for a minute! I wrote a blog post about it on my blog if your interested. Good luck! Don't worry, you're doing just fine!

 

[angie3881]

Quote:
Agreed. Have you ever seen a mama hen when her chicks are threatened? I have and I feared the broody even though she only weighed 2 lbs.

I would do something to remedy having the feral cat around though.

My sons love to kill stuff with guns. Our donkey throws a FIT whenever anything enters the pasture... I just literally had the feral cat climb over my head to get out of the chicken coop!! Now what? We have a barn cat and he is SO sweet unless it is something we haven't raised ... oh, I don't even know... this cat wanted a warm place to sleep and could have eaten several banties.... Oh, I am a bleeding heart!!!!

 

[angie3881]

Quote:
I just do not know what to do now... the feral cat was roosting with the my chickens!!! I didn't trust it from the first time I saw it. Someone else is telling me that if all the chickens are alive- it is protecting them.

 

[featherz]

I can't say what to do for sure in your situation, but I keep my mamas with their new chicks AND I let them free range. We have several barn cats and a few ferals. MY cats know to stay away and my broody turns wild if anyone but me gets close to her babies. I thought for sure my cats would eat the chicks, but apparently not with a mad broody protecting them. Either way, I'd keep mama with babies somehow.

One of my broodies has her two week old babies out on the lawn with her at 30-40F and she was sitting up on the roost with them under her wings last night! Not sure how they even got up there!

Broodies will take care of the heat.

Oh, and MY cats definitely do protect my chickens, as much as a cat can anyways. They sit by the dust bathing spots, etc. Of course, they are fat and happy, not starved up strays.

 

[DAFox]

You have 2 choices. Do as the others have stated, and that is my preference, also. Or really separate the Mom from the chicks by putting her in a cage/fenced area for about a week, as far away from the chicks as you can get her. She'll forget about the chicks, eventually.
Dale-Ann