The more I read the more I am amazed my mother hen hatched and raised all 11 peeps to 10 weeks. All 5 pullets are now 24 weeks. Cockerels were BBQed a long time ago.
Yeah I think with a larger flock, you just have more chances to have a more aggressive / territorial hen or other mishap. But...
They may not squat. My dominant BR squats for me but the non-dominant one never has.
My 3 pullets have started becoming more "trusting" and approachable as their combs have colored up, but still don't squat even though at least one is laying..
MY guess is raccoons. Killed them & dragged them off.
Get a box trap, only way to really find out.
Did your coop open into a fenced run or just out in the yard?
If the latter, you must shut the door every night. Must.
I think you have a pretty sound plan. I would advise two water systems. like noted, no water will kill them. Having redundancy is never a bad thing.
I've left my hens for a week before multiple times. But I also have a dog in the back yard. Only time i had a problem is when the dog had to go...
8 weeks? They have a LONG way to go! not even close to full grown.
My 3 Light Brahma x EE/Ameraucana mix pullets kept growing until about 20 weeks. They are a good bit bigger than my two BR hens.
Pullets just started laying at 24 weeks.
IMO, 27 eggs is too many for one hen to handle.
In nature, it would be 8-12 in a normal clutch.
I would cull it down to a more manageble amount or you chance her not being able to property warm & turn them. Could end up with very few hatching
I feed 2 mature hens and 3 pullets Feather Fixer 18% protein and make crushed eggshell and oyster available.
1 pullet just started laying, when the other 2 start, I will switch to layer pellets.
I also give them dog kibbles very day when I feed their flock-mate Coco the Chocolate Lab
I concur that there is no need to separate a broody from the rest of the flock.
My broody hen was the bottom of the pecking order in a flock of three.
Once she started brooding her clutch, it took the other hens one day to figure out they had to go lay somewhere else.
When the peeps hatched, the...