1st time Broody Hatch

[HolliG]

I have a Buff Orp who has been sitting for 21 days today. This will be my 1st hatch. She’s been sitting in a shared coop and my other girls have left her be and laid in other boxes. I’d like to intervene as little as possible but know absolutely nothing about what to expect in the next couple of days. I’m wondering what advice and or precautions you might give.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

My advice is to follow your instincts and not intervene.
She will protect the chicks from the other birds when they hatch.
Just make sure you are providing a starter feed to all the birds with appropriate water founts and feeders the chicks can access.

 

[HolliG]

My advice is to follow your instincts and not intervene.
She will protect the chicks from the other birds when they hatch.
Just make sure you are providing a starter feed to all the birds with appropriate water founts and feeders the chicks can access.

Thank you!

 

[Ridgerunner]

We all have different set-ups and different coops. If you could post a photo of yours inside and out I may be able to offer specific suggestions.

I have a large on-the-ground coop and my nests are a two to four feet above the coop floor. I let my broody hens decide when to bring the chicks off the nest. Sometimes that is within 24 hours of the first one hatching, sometimes it runs into the third day. They are pretty inconsistent about that. Mine have never had problems getting the chicks to the coop floor.

When it's time I put food and water on the coop floor where the chicks can get to it. I don't know what your current food and water look like but there can be a couple of issues with this. If you put food out in a new container the other adults can consider that a treat, even if it is the same exact food available to them. So they can wipe it out. As these are likely on the coop floor, the other chickens can scratch bedding or trash into it. I set the water on a piece of plywood to keep it away from the bedding and raise it slightly to try to keep it cleaner.

My coop is big enough that I put a 3' x 3' piece of plywood on the bedding, then put this type of waterer on that. The platform around the waterer is big enough the chicks can hop up and stand and I fill the bowl with rocks so the chicks can't fall in and drown.

Since eating Layer with the excess calcium can possibly harm the chicks, I feed all the chickens the same thing and offer oyster shell on the side. The hens that need the calcium for egg shells seem to know it, the rest do not eat enough to cause harm. If you offer Layer to the hens the chicks will get to it. I've seen broody hens move feed from a high feeder down to the chick's level Within two weeks the chicks are flying up to eat it directly.

My broody hens typically keep the chicks in the coop for a couple of days before they take them outside. That may have something to do with my pop door being raised a bit. Once she takes then outside they stay outside all day everyday. At night she brings them back into my ground-level coop and settles onto the floor somewhere, usually in a protected corner. Mine do not take their chicks to a nest, maybe because there isn't one on the coop floor. If one is available on the coop floor she might use it, she might not.

That pretty much covers it. Provide food and water where the chicks can get to them and leave her alone. One word of warning though. Baby chicks often like to crawl up under the hen's wings or feathers. I once killed a chick by picking the hen up and crushing it under her wing. That's not a good feeling and part of why I say the more I interfere the more harm I do. So if you do pick the broody up, be careful.

 

[chickens really]

Hello...Once the Chicks begin to peep the others have free access to kill all the Chicks. I move my Hens into a safe Brooder set up away from the flock..

 

[HolliG]

We all have different set-ups and different coops. If you could post a photo of yours inside and out I may be able to offer specific suggestions.

I have a large on-the-ground coop and my nests are a two to four feet above the coop floor. I let my broody hens decide when to bring the chicks off the nest. Sometimes that is within 24 hours of the first one hatching, sometimes it runs into the third day. They are pretty inconsistent about that. Mine have never had problems getting the chicks to the coop floor.

When it's time I put food and water on the coop floor where the chicks can get to it. I don't know what your current food and water look like but there can be a couple of issues with this. If you put food out in a new container the other adults can consider that a treat, even if it is the same exact food available to them. So they can wipe it out. As these are likely on the coop floor, the other chickens can scratch bedding or trash into it. I set the water on a piece of plywood to keep it away from the bedding and raise it slightly to try to keep it cleaner.

My coop is big enough that I put a 3' x 3' piece of plywood on the bedding, then put this type of waterer on that. The platform around the waterer is big enough the chicks can hop up and stand and I fill the bowl with rocks so the chicks can't fall in and drown.

View attachment 1793756
Since eating Layer with the excess calcium can possibly harm the chicks, I feed all the chickens the same thing and offer oyster shell on the side. The hens that need the calcium for egg shells seem to know it, the rest do not eat enough to cause harm. If you offer Layer to the hens the chicks will get to it. I've seen broody hens move feed from a high feeder down to the chick's level Within two weeks the chicks are flying up to eat it directly.

My broody hens typically keep the chicks in the coop for a couple of days before they take them outside. That may have something to do with my pop door being raised a bit. Once she takes then outside they stay outside all day everyday. At night she brings them back into my ground-level coop and settles onto the floor somewhere, usually in a protected corner. Mine do not take their chicks to a nest, maybe because there isn't one on the coop floor. If one is available on the coop floor she might use it, she might not.

That pretty much covers it. Provide food and water where the chicks can get to them and leave her alone. One word of warning though. Baby chicks often like to crawl up under the hen's wings or feathers. I once killed a chick by picking the hen up and crushing it under her wing. That's not a good feeling and part of why I say the more I interfere the more harm I do. So if you do pick the broody up, be careful.

Thank you! All very helpful. She initially sat on 4 eggs but they weren’t all fertile. Of the two that were, one has hatched but appears to not have survived. I went out to check on them and momma wasn’t on the nest, but another hen was. The second is in the process of hatching. Looks to be breathing and making progress. All my hens seem to be on edge this morning. Chalk it up to a learning experience. I’ll do more research and be better prepared next time.

 

[JMotuzick]

Kinda doing the same thing here. Moma sat for 3 weeks in the “closet coop” a 2x3 area 2’ off the floor of our walk in coop. She has been isolated this entire time but can see the rest of the flock, through welded wire. She hatched out Monday and yesterday. 6 so far of the 8 eggs. I caught her showing the little ones food/water about a hour ago. Two questions:
Should I clean up the shells? Or just leave them for her/chicks to take care of ?

How do I let them mix with the rest of the 18 hens and one rooster (Dad)? Should I give her a few days and just leave the door open? Will the chicks survive the 2’ fall? I’m guessing they will huddle up in the corner with mom at night after they jump down....

 

[HolliG]

Thank you! All very helpful. She initially sat on 4 eggs but they weren’t all fertile. Of the two that were, one has hatched but appears to not have survived. I went out to check on them and momma wasn’t on the nest, but another hen was. The second is in the process of hatching. Looks to be breathing and making progress. All my hens seem to be on edge this morning. Chalk it up to a learning experience. I’ll do more research and be better prepared next time.

So the 2nd chick hatched but did not survive either. I will look into separating them next time. My question becomes, what now. I have removed both chicks. Will she continue to stay broody.

 

[Ridgerunner]

So the 2nd chick hatched but did not survive either. I will look into separating them next time. My question becomes, what now. I have removed both chicks. Will she continue to stay broody.

Sorry to hear that. I've never had another adult harm a chick but others have. I did have one broody hen that killed two of her six chicks, I have no idea why, but she raised the other four. I have no idea what happened in your case but that is disappointing to say the least.

Usually when they hatch that switches them from incubating mode to raising mode. Since she has none to raise that should break her. I don't know if that will happen since hers died before she brought them off the nest. If she stays in incubating mode tonight I'd break her.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Should I clean up the shells? Or just leave them for her/chicks to take care of ?

I'd clean up the shells and all bedding in the nest. The hen and chick probably will not clean up the shells and some liquids can foul the nest during hatch. Clean everything up.

How do I let them mix with the rest of the 18 hens and one rooster (Dad)? Should I give her a few days and just leave the door open?

I don't keep mine isolated at all but there is nothing wrong with leaving them in isolation a couple of days while they learn to eat and drink. Many people do that. I'd suggest in about three days to leave the door open and let her bring them out to meet the family.

I've never had a dominant adult rooster harm or even threaten very young chicks. Some of mine have helped Mama take care of them. Not all, but some. The hens can pose a threat to the chicks. Usually not but they possibly can. I've never had a broody hen fail to protect her chicks from other adult flock members, but others say they have. With living animals you don't get guarantees but I trust my broody hens. With that many chickens you probably have a lot of room, I think that helps.

That does bring a warning though. Make sure the chicks cannot escape that confinement and mix with the rest of the flock where the hen cannot protect them. To me that is one risk of isolating them, the chicks get away from the broody hen's protection.

Will the chicks survive the 2’ fall? I’m guessing they will huddle up in the corner with mom at night after they jump down....

I've seen a broody hen get her chicks down from a 10' high hay loft. She said jump and they did, then bounced up and ran to her. Mine typically hatch in nests 2' to 4' off the coop floor and the chicks get down safely. Yours should be fine with that 2' jump.

I'm always down there right after dark to lock the pop door anyway, but it is a good idea to do that the first few nights just to make sure things are OK. I have had a chick get stuck where it could not get to the hen. That chick was peeping up a storm, you think human babies can complain, you haven't heard a chick. It's hardly ever a problem and can happen even if they are isolated, but it's that living animal thing. Anything can happen.