should i separate broody hen from my rooster? HELP!!!

[five is my dog]

hey! I have a pretty protective rooster. He isn't really agressive hes just protective. would a broody hen and chicks be safe with him and the other chickens? he does have talons

 

[Agustin]

I wouldn't risk it. You should separate the broody hen and chicks from the rest of the flock.

 

[five is my dog]

thanks

 

[JanO]

I've never separated them. Broody hens are very good at letting the rest of the flock, including the rooster, know that her and her eggs/chicks are off limits. They are fierce protectors of their babies and will fight to keep them safe. By separating them you have the issue of reintegrating them later, which with chicks is sometimes hard to do. The rest of the flock will see the hen and her chicks as intruders, making it more difficult to come back into the fold. Especially since you have a protective rooster it will be that much more difficult for her and the chicks to come back. By keeping them together the hen will integrate the chicks for you, and not lose her place in the pecking order.

 

[Agustin]

That is a good point on the whole intruder thing but sometimes chicks like to wander around and another hen may hurt the chick while it is away from the mom for a short time. I know this from experience.

 

[JanO]

Yes, that's true. It does happen on occasion that another hen will attack a chick or try to even kidnap them. However, experience has shown me that more often than not the mama hen will be attentive and not allow that to happen. A lot depends on the temperament of the hen and what kind of mother she is. Just like any species, there's going to be great mama's and poor ones. I've had hens who will not allow her chicks to be within a certain distance of the flock at any time, and others who are kind of careless and don't seem to pay attention. It can go either way, but trying to integrate back into the flock with chicks is much more dangerous in my opinion. If there is a protective rooster, or an aggressive top hen in the group the results can be brutal for the hen as well as the chicks.

 

[CAjerseychick]

keeping the broody and chicks with the flock is working for me ....I like having the Mama integrate the chicks (well they never left so were born into the flock and will stay part of the flock)... they will be 3 weeks old thursday . I ghave a second set hatching soon as well with another broody who is in a nest box in the coop... So we will see how that goes...

 

[five is my dog]

thanks all of you!!!

 

[troy4]

yes she will protect the chicks from others and the rooster won't care for the chicks that much now when rthe babies are about 6 months old mama might stop caring for them don't pick them up whjen they are first born. or else mama won't sit or care for the chick anymore

 

[five is my dog]

yes she will protect the chicks from others and the rooster won't care for the chicks that much now when rthe babies are about 6 months old mama might stop caring for them don't pick them up whjen they are first born. or else mama won't sit or care for the chick anymore

i have heard different with picking up babys and the mama wont care for them. that is not true. i have found baby chicks fallen out of the nest and put it back in the nest with mama bird she raised it just fine. people pick up chicks all the time and they will still care for them. because they are good mommys