almost 6 weeks old, seperate momma and baby??

[Ducklove334]

I'm having a delema(sp?), with our momma,baby Duo, Natalie and her 5 1/2 week old baby, Meep.

the problem is...they LOVE each other still, well maybe it's so much baby still attached to mom, they're still together,they run around together (mostly), they sleep in the rabbit hutch together still, baby still try's to get under momma for naps(which is a problem when you're half your mommas size!).

there has been no aggression from Natalie toward the baby yet, but she's gotten distant, she doesn't "i've got food" call anymore, hasn't for about a week.

AND, she's obviously ready to go back to the flock (and the roosters

). as she squatted for Big Bertha today(who's like, 10 times her size) and when no action went on she gave him this look like

SO, I had been mulling over the thought of finally going ahead and separating them, putting momma back with the flock, and little Meep in the brooder room with the other young'uns.

do you think separating them by force and not letting them do it would stress them out too badly??

yes I know, as dear wifey just put it while she's sitting here staring at me

, "this long post, for one question" LOL

HELP!

 

[Judy]

Yup, it's time.

Too bad she didn't raise them with the flock; you wouldn't have to put them in a brooder.

 

[Ducklove334]

Quote:
That'd been ideal, thats what we wanted when we first start hatching chicks, however, we learned that the other hens, as well as the turkies arn't so fond of the babies as their mommas are

we tryed letting our sassy OEG mix hen raise her first two babies with the flock, they lasted all of a few days

.

then we "tryed" to to let Natalie raise Meep wit the flock, but the turkies didn't like this little brown thing running around, and they could have killed meep with one peck he(she?) was so little

then when our blue cochin stella hatched a single blue cochin baby, that lasted all of about 4 days, then it was just "gone" I still havn't figured that one out.

the one time we did seperate a momma and her babies(not on purpose), this was "momma hen", she was our first ever broody, got out every day and layed an egg in the feed room, then went broody on 8 of them, only two hatched, but one died, the other she raised in a dog kennel for the first 5 weeks, then we put them both in with the flock, the baby lasted maybe 2 weeks, but then they started picking so badly on it that it ended up, I guess trying to escape through the fencing wire and ripping it's own head off(the head was found outside the fence, body inside,so no predator fowl play, this was durring them day)

SOOOO we decided to let mommas hatch babies in the coop, then once all the babies were strong enough move them to the spare rabbit hutches, it's worked for Natalie, and Meep has stayed healthy, and so far, it's worked for Lily and her babies too.

ANYWAYS

I guess tonight after I put them up, I'll take baby and put him in the brooder, and put momma back with the flock.

would it help to not let the adults free range for a few days, that way they couldn't get to each other??

 

[Ducklove334]

well, I went ahead and sperated the two, Natalie has a bug up her butt today and was deciding to pick on Lilies babies, wich, ofcourse cause lily to litteraly toss natalie across the yard..., then she went a started pecking at Meep, her baby, so i put her back in the coop with the adults.

no problems, she went on her way, and Meep went to hang out with the other chicks LOL