Simulated Natural Nest Incubation~Experiment #1 So it begins....

[Tomtommom]

Shoot, I've got 4 week olds running with my flock. No broody to keep 'em safe... Just gotta make sure you've got some hidey spots for them and that they can compete for food (some of my birds are possessive of the food if there are chicks. Doesn't matter if they're doing something else, if a chick comes near the food they go running to protect their food.)

 

[fisherlady]

Shoot, I've got 4 week olds running with my flock. No broody to keep 'em safe... Just gotta make sure you've got some hidey spots for them and that they can compete for food (some of my birds are possessive of the food if there are chicks. Doesn't matter if they're doing something else, if a chick comes near the food they go running to protect their food.)

I honestly think that chicks brought up in the flock are just nicer birds...maybe not as lap friendly, but calmer, braver and... i guess I just don't know exactly how to describe it...they just seem more self assured or something like that?

 

[Beekissed]

Bee... a couple of videos of all of our current broodies enjoying their flock time...

I am active on the Old Fashioned Broody Hatch a long thread, and the Broody Hen thread... took these to use to show folks that chicks are much, much hardier than many give them credit for, especially when raised by a broody! I hear over and over about how folks don't introduce chicks to the flock till they are 8 or even 12 weeks old, for fear of them being hurt... and maybe in some flocks that is a wise choice, but I like to show that there are other ways to do it.

This hen was in the middle of a horrible molt when she went broody...she is actually looking better now, believe it or not! LOL

Excellent vids of broody self-sufficiency when it comes to raising a brood....don't the chicks look healthy, vigorous and active compared to chicks that don't have a mama teaching them. They're learning with every step about foraging, survival and flock social behavior.

Shoot, I've got 4 week olds running with my flock. No broody to keep 'em safe... Just gotta make sure you've got some hidey spots for them and that they can compete for food (some of my birds are possessive of the food if there are chicks. Doesn't matter if they're doing something else, if a chick comes near the food they go running to protect their food.)

I agree.....it requires plenty of space, a way for the youngsters to duck and run and plenty of trough/feeder space so they won't be continually run off the food. The young learn to wait their turn at the feeder and they then can avoid getting pecked. Whenever I read posts about older birds "being mean" to the younger birds, I always tell them that it's pretty normal to some degree and that space will help....just plenty of space.

I honestly think that chicks brought up in the flock are just nicer birds...maybe not as lap friendly, but calmer, braver and... i guess I just don't know exactly how to describe it...they just seem more self assured or something like that?

I agree! They learn early about social behaviors and survival skills and they grow up knowing their place in the flock from the very beginning. They seem to not get pecked as often at the feeder and they roost quicker, as opposed to some I've had not raised by a broody and their go to place at night is always the nest boxes....which I HATE. Hate to have to roust little poopers out of my nest boxes night after night until they "get" it.

 

[Cowpoke]

Excellent videos fisherlady! Thank You for posting!

 

[Tomtommom]

I do have some birds that are not as good with chicks as others. One of my partridge rocks goes out of her way to be 'mean' to lower ranked birds/chicks. She'll be dinner one day

I don't like bullies and she's a bully.. feather puller and stuff. Everyone else is good. No retaliation unless a juvenile bird steps out of line, then a peck on the head to set them straight.

It's so funny, in my coop chicks start out on the floor. Once they're 9-10 weeks they move themselves to the edge of the roost area. Few weeks later they move to a ledge under the roosts (covered with shavings in the pic). Then finally up the lowest roost, the original flock owns the middle and top roost. Pecking order is sleeping order

 

[lovetopaint]

I have a hen like that too. She goes out of her way to be mean. No, she won't be soup, but I'll bet the others will outlive her!

 

[Cowpoke]

For those that may be interested. My first hatch in my homemade ice chest bator was a success. I started with 7 shipped Light Sussex eggs and 5 of my Dominiques. Day 7 candeling I removed 2 clear LS and 1 LS with a blood ring. Overall 7 of 9 viable eggs hatched. 1 of those was a quitter around day 14 and the other was an overly large Dominique egg and I think the shell was just too thick and hard to pip.



7-fuzzybutts

 

[TexasLisa]

For those that may be interested. My first hatch in my homemade ice chest bator was a success. I started with 7 shipped Light Sussex eggs and 5 of my Dominiques. Day 7 candeling I removed 2 clear LS and 1 LS with a blood ring. Overall 7 of 9 viable eggs hatched. 1 of those was a quitter around day 14 and the other was an overly large Dominique egg and I think the shell was just too thick and hard to pip.



7-fuzzybutts

Very cute fuzzybutts!!

Lisa

 

[tntchix]

Yippee! Very cute.

 

[lovetopaint]

Aww, there're too cute! I've seen chicks an awful lot, but they seem to get cuter every day!